Issue #450 OpEdMonday, January 8, 2024
The 3rd anniversary of the worst attack on the United States Capitol since the War of 1812 just passed. Of course, the Republicans are still trying to rewrite history and downplay the events.
The Republicans are strong and very vocal, but they still are a minority in our politics today, and if they had their way, they would completely dismantle our democratic republic to reframe it into their autocratic and theocratic version, which is, of course, completely against the United States Constitution.
As we start what is sure to be a very contentious election year, it behooves us to keep top of mind the dangers of the Republican Party, which is now almost totally in the grips of the autocratic and fascist Trump.
Here are five areas of concern:
Unofficial immunity and cover-ups for Trump. Trump and the MAGAs have almost completely taken over the Republican Party, and “reasonable Republicans” are now almost non-existent. The MAGAs want to completely exonerate Trump of all of his alleged high crimes and misdemeanors and are ready to elect and serve him in a second, disastrous term in the White House. Many of them are even fine with Trump being president from prison!
Erosion of voting rights. The Republicans are still doing everything they can to reduce or even eliminate the rights of voters who may not vote for them. States with “no excuse” automatic mail-in voting are being attacked to eliminate that benefit and to reduce or eliminate the convenience of ballot drop boxes. They are also closing polling locations in Democratic districts and enacting restrictive ID requirements, especially for people who tend to vote for Democrats.
Elimination of women’s rights. Even after the defeat of Roe by the Supreme Court, Republicans are still trying to make it as difficult as possible for women to obtain an abortion, even if the woman’s life or future fertility are in danger. Many Republicans are trying to prosecute doctors and anyone else who helps a woman obtain an abortion, and even threatening to charge the woman with murder. They believe fetuses have more rights than women.
Attacks on DEI and Higher Education. Just as they did with “Critical Race Theory,” the MAGAs are attacking Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in schools, government, and companies all over the country. They are also trying to eliminate professors and university professors who are “too liberal” for their vision of a racist and anti-woman American society. Three women college presidents, including Dr. Claudine Gay of Harvard, have resigned after the Republicans battered them during a recent Congressional hearing. The Republicans are even doing “victory dances” because of the resignations.
Because they know that abortion is a losing issue for them, Republicans are ramping up the immigration crisis and hearings for the impeachment of President Biden and other Democratic officials like Secretary of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who himself and immigrant whose Jewish mother fled the rising fascism in Romania and lost nine family members in the Holocaust. For years, the Republicans have refused to make any positive changes in the immigration policies, instead preferring to blame the “crisis” on President Biden and the Democrats.
Donald J. Trump, Sr. is an extreme danger to our democracy, our Republic, and our society, and his MAGA sycophants are just as dangerous. We have a LOT of important work to do in 2024 to root them all out.
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