Thanks, Liz, But…

The 2022 Midterms are about Democracy vs Authoritarianism

Aug 22, 2022

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Issue #117 OpEd August 22, 2022

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What is Authoritarianism?

A dictionary definition:

au·thor·i·tar·i·an·ism

/ôˌTHäriˈterēənizəm/

noun

the enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom.
lack of concern for the wishes or opinions of others.

Authoritarianism is a form of government characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political status quo, and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic voting.

There is a famous story that after the 1787 Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was leaving Independence Hall in Philadelphia when someone shouted out, “Doctor, what have we got? A republic or a monarchy?”

Franklin supposedly responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

Only one of the two major political parties is working hard to keep our Republic, while the other party is working hard to destroy it.

Meanwhile, a NEW NBC poll found that Americans consider ‘Threats to Democracy’ the most Important Issue ahead of midterm elections:

Threats to Democracy-21%

Cost of living-16%

Economy-16%

Immigration-13%

Climate change-9%

Thanks, Liz, but…

Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) lost her primary election badly last week because, in Republican eyes, she dared to call out Donald J. Trump for what he is: a threat to America. Democrats praised Cheney for her stand, and her positives among Democrats are heightened because of her visibility and tenacity as co-chair of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the Capitol.

Cheney is considering a presidential run in 2024, but she hasn’t said whether she would run as a Republican or as a Democrat. She said she would throw her support behind anyone, Democrat or Republican, who stands for saving democracy.

While we definitely applaud Rep. Cheney for her principled stance for democracy and against Trump, we must be careful to remember that she is a very conservative Republican, and voted with Trump and his policies 93% of the time. When Rep.Cheney isn’t working on the exemplary public hearings about January 6, these are some of the things she’s been doing:

She’s attacked immigrants, Muslims—especially Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and progressives.
She hardily supported the election of Trump in 2016 and 2020.
She called Democrats “the party of anti-Semitism, the party of infanticide, the party of socialism.”
She said Vice President Kamala Harris “…sounds just like Karl Marx.”
She is an outspoken critic of abortion rights, a vigorous foe of efforts to control gun violence, and an ardent advocate for cutting social programs, reducing taxes on the rich, and balancing the budget in favor of the Pentagon.
She voted against almost all bills that would help “regular” Americans and minority Americans, including the recent Inflation Reduction Act.
She voted against all bills to protect voting rights in 2021 and 2022.

You can view Rep. Cheney’s 2021 and 2022 voting records here. It is incumbent upon us to remember that Rep. Cheney is a Republican, she brings Republicans with her. Many Republicans like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis continue to promote authoritarianism and prefer election deniers and Jan. 6 insurrectionists like Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Mastriano, who said that as governor he would not certify any election won by Democrats. (The danger of DeSantis qualifies for its own article, maybe coming later.)

The Republicans are only about power, not about what’s best for the actual majority of American people

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), a multimillionaire who oversaw the biggest Medicare fraud in history ($1.7 billion), and is also the head of the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, has outlined a radical right-wing “11-Point Plan for America” that would, among other items, “sunset” Federal programs like Social Security and Medicare every five years. The GOP says that this plan is not the official GOP platform, but they haven’t had an actual platform in years.

Meanwhile, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who is already measuring the drapes of the Speaker’s Office for himself, says that if he is Speaker of the House, he will spend the majority of his time and the time of the House of Representatives impeaching Joe Biden, impeaching Kamala Harris, impeaching Merrick Garland, and ensuring that there are no Democrats on the most important committees.

Even with the slimmest of margins in both houses, and almost no bi-partisan support, Joe Biden and the Democrats are getting things done.

As of today, the Biden Administration has been in charge for 19 months and 2 days. Yet:

There are approximately 11 weeks left until November 8, 2022, Election Day. I am not being hyperbolic when I say (over and over) that this is the most important election in recent memory.

What do you think about the difference between the priorities of the Democrats versus those of the Republicans? Let us know in the comments!

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