The GOP seems to sincerely believe that all things opposite to common sense and decency will attract voters. In the case of Donald Trump’s base - they may have a point.
“University of Chicago research finds support for violence to achieve political goals and general distrust of democracy.* Two and a half years after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, an estimated 12 million American adults, or 4.4% of the adult population, believe violence is justified to restore Donald Trump to the White House.” - The Guardian, June 2023.
So far in 2023, the GOP has pushed public book bans, joined in LBGTQ bigotry, cast immigration as an ‘invasion’, and led multiple attacks on the rule of law - All in an effort to win over the Trump base of hate and racism. While many in the GOP decry the “weaponization” of the FBI, the DOJ, or the courts, they seem quite comfortable with weaponizing fear, bias, hate, and discrimination.
Rather than finding accommodations for our differences or solutions to our problems, they have devised a new Trumpist tact. The social drift from “Political Correctness” to “Woke” is a mainstay of the political landscape for the GOP. By adopting jargon that older and more conservative citizens know little about, they have rebranded being socially and/or politically correct - to being pejoratively woke and leftist. This rings a special note with Trump cult members and right-wing extremists. These represent the core voters the GOP believes they MUST have to regain the white house.
By being opposite to the basic individual American values such as ‘self-evident’ life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - the GOP is recasting the American dream for millions of Americans to include bigotry and violence as a possible - and indeed proper - course of action for a democracy.
The dye for the destruction of our democracy was cast not on Jan 6th, 2021… but on Feb 4, 2022, when the Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman (Rinna McDaniel), after over a year of review, made the following press release:
“Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger crossed a line. They chose to join Nancy Pelosi in Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse that had nothing to do with violence at the Capitol.” - RNC Feb 2022
It bears repeating: Legitimate political discourse. A resurrection led by a sitting president with the stated objective to overthrow the 2020 election results - was legitimate. In America.
Today June 8th, 2023 former President Trump was indicted on 37 counts of federal crimes relating to classified document misuse (and possibly, theft). Trump has yet to answer for his incitement to insurrection that we all watched unfold on TV on Jan 6th, 2021… as if in a movie. It’s still hard for me to believe even though I watched it with my own eyes.
In the most recent political moves, would-be GOP autocrats from Ronald DeSantis to Donald Trump himself are vying for a 2024 run at president of the United States. They together lead all polls. With a new America emerging where fairness, decency, and correctness (Wokeness) goes to die - along with personal rights to equal treatment under the law. The political party of ‘less government’ is preaching a road ahead with the most expanded government control over liberty since Jim Crow - in schools, medicine, free speech, human rights, and immigration.
I can only hope the next election attracts the opposite.
JB
*”12m Americans believe violence is justified to restore Trump to power”, Kira Lerner, The Guardian, Retrieved Fri 9 June 2023 06.00 EDT from: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/09/january-6-trump-political-violence-survey#:~:text=Two%20and%20a%20half%20years,Trump%20to%20the%20White%20House.
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