The monumental hypocrisy and blatant anti democratic actions being displayed and undertaken over the Afghanistan withdrawal, voter suppression, the January 6 insurrection, the barbaric anti abortion legislation with its Nazi like vigilantism, with the Supreme Court’s acquiescence, threats of violence by Trump supporters, and the bizarre cynical response to the Covid crisis is enough to fear that American democracy has finally run its course. In its place there is cult leadership, minority rule, abandonment of the rule of law, wild conspiracy theories, the creation of a bogus reality and belief in the white master race.
There is the pretense of democracy and the mantra that
authoritarian legislation being enacted at a state level is in fact democratization. A cardinal feature of this new political order is that they have thrown off all the trappings of liberal democracy to the extent that they don’t care that they are unashamedly accepting that they are a minority who to gain power have to suppress the will of the majority. By hook or by crook they will rule society. They will pack the Supreme Court with those who Trump has guaranteed will vote with him and sabotage the efforts at ending the Covid Crisis. In fact a new ism has been created,
WHAT CAN STOP THE MARCH TO AUTHORITARIANISM?
What stands between this revolution and a return to normalcy is the Democratic Party who are fighting by the Queensbury rules as the opponents kick them in the groin. Currently they have narrow legislative majorities and a President who is hoping that somehow or another the old order will return. He won what was considered to be the most crucial Presidential election since the civil war. Now he has to oversee what arguably will be the most consequential mid term legislative battles in a life time. It is not a fight for who is to rule in a liberal democracy it is a struggle between democracy and authoritarianism.
The other hope is that the Republicans in their frantic attempt to cling to white supremacy have overreached to ensure that their base remains firm, all in all thirty - five to forty percent of voters. There is no attempt to retain the white suburban Republican women, independents or win over people of color in any meaningful numbers. There are just the good old white men, the Evangelicals and the attempt to create enough paranoia to get the white blue collar workers who defected back to Biden in 2020 back in the fold. Then together with gerrymandering of the constituencies, naked voter suppression, control of the electoral process, voila, white civilization will be saved. The latter scenario is well within the realms of possibility. The belief that Churchill had that the Americans always do the right thing after they have tried everything else is just that a belief albeit backed up by history.
Biden has been a savvy political operator - always slightly ahead of the curve. It will take genius and good fortune to lead America out of this abyss. He has with the help of Nancy Pelosi a political master, Chuck Schumer and Jim Clyburn to hold his fragile coalition together. His public position of not giving up on the Republicans has kept the independents firmly in place. To a large extent his and his party’s future is bound up in what he can achieve and the outcome of the pandemic.
THE NEW ISM - DRIPPING WITH HYPOCRISY
All the dysfunction which is accompanied by flagrant hypocrisy and the rationalization of their actions - home grown insurgents and terrorists are patriots for example. - contribute to creating a new ism. It is closest to Soviet style “democracy” but the latter has no pretense at free and fair elections open to everybody. This Ism maintains the pretense of democracy by propounding that its legislation is in fact to further democracy when it does just the opposite - voter suppression is to avoid non existent voter fraud. Thus to compare it with fascism where the latter abandoned all pretense at democracy is inaccurate. For example, Fascism did not hold that its race purification laws were to protect the jews. The doctrine was designed explicitly to protect the master race.
Another startling difference to current authoritarian is that its philosophy rests on unbelievable conspiracy and fantasy - that there is an underground Deep State that Q,Anon is exposing and that the Democrats kill children to drink their blood. Not since the anti semitic The Protocols of Zion has such falsehood been unchallenged by a political party,
The intent of the Republican maneuvers is exactly the same as all totalitarian states. but it is all clothed in hypocrisy. A ten dollar prize to give this new political order a name. Populism only covers one a few of the components such as a cult leader with a disgruntled following. Perhaps? ……. “Racist amoral selfish hypocritical cult” or RASH CULT.
THE METAMORPHOSIS OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY INTO A CULT
In this surreal era magnified by the digital social media RASH CULT promises a return to a Utopian past that never was other than it represented racial dominance. World wide the number of populists, dictators or religious bigots who are being followed by the disillusioned, those who have lost hope, feel left out or angry at the growing disparity between the haves and have nots, has increased. In the USA they are allied with the Evangelicals, neo Nazis, racists of all stripes, sexists, homophobes white supremacists and nativistic groups.This unholy alliance has taken over the Republican Party to the extent that Trump may not survive but the RASH CULT that he has crystallized into a reality has become the official doctrine of the Republican Party. The insanity that we are witnessing is that every one swears fealty to Trump. It is political suicide if you don’t. Within the space of a decade the fiscally conservative, globalistic and liberal, in the broadest sense of the word, GOP, has become a cult.
All of the leaders claim that whatever they are perpetrating is in the "best interests" of the people. However the Republican Party led by Donald Trump have abandoned all semblance of serving all the citizenry, the rule of law and science. They encourage selfishness - why should they get vaccinated, it is their bodies. Yet hypocritically they back the most barbaric restrictions on abortions - even denying them to a thirteen year old who has been raped by her grandfather. And this abomination has been enshrined by Justices of the Supreme Court, the final arbiters of what is law in America, who Trump reassured us is what he specifically nominated them to do.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN SOCIETY TO COUNTERACT RASH CULT
The institutions of society with its checks and balances continue to exist as if this lunacy is non existent. Lawyers who present this rubbish to the courts are sanctioned. Rudi Giuliani has been disbarred. The lawyers who presented Trump’s “arguments” as to an election that was stolen have been referred to their governing bodies for misusing the courts to present falsehoods.
The narrow Democratic legislative majorities have introduced enquiries to “get to the bottom “of the January 6 insurrection. (No doubt they will be met by the same disregard for political convention, constitutional defiance and legal road blocking that has been used to date). Trump and various members of his entourage are under criminal and civil litigation. For practical purposes the lower courts, with the flagrant exception of the Fifth Circuit of Appeals have maintained the Constitution and the Rule of Law.
Notwithstanding the argument that January 6 was a "peaceful protest" the presiding Judges are complaining that the prosecutors are being too lenient on those that have pled guilty to riotous behavior. With six hundred arrests the guts have been taken out of The Proud Boys and Ten Percenters and the like. The Military have made it quite clear that they are there to defend the republic against internal and external threats.
The media have maintained their drumbeat of exposure and opposition. Contrary to all expectation The Washington Post and New York Times have grown in strength and through digital media become truly national media. The RASH CULT have dominated the social media and have their pundits such as Tucker Carlson and Fox News unbelievably echoing the “philosophy” of this new political creed.
Corporate America represent the biggest stumbling block to the Covid spreading and denial policies of the Republican administrations. Gradually it is becoming the norm to be vaccinated to do anything, whether it be to attend or play sport, fly in a plane, ride in a train, watch a play or even attend a concert. However with the delta variant that does not appear to be good enough. The business sector have also in large numbers voiced their disapproval to voter suppression and there are the beginnings of opposition to the blanket abortion ban.
Sport generally have found it difficult to go along with the RASH CULT agenda. Other than ice hockey it is dominated by those of color. In Football and basketball African Americans and baseball Hispanics are dominant forces. The packed US Tennis open in NY required proof of vaccination by the attendants as did the Lapolozza Festival in Chicago.
All in all RASH CULT is running upstream to American recreation, commerce and culture. But doing enough to mobilize their base.
AT THE END OF THE DAY
The GOP as it has been understood for well over a century is dead. It has been taken over by the elements that have never relinquished a return to white supremacy. The latter are going against every value the American Republic purports to aspire too. However it remains to be seen whether the new ISM - RASH CULT will triumph. They have shown they are willing to trash every covenant in the Declaration of Independence to achieve their aims.
In the forthcoming months Biden will be central to the outcome. However much is out of his control as the past few weeks have shown. It is no use telling him to take off the gloves and dump the filibuster when, as matters stand, several of the team just want to spar. Crucial to his standing is the fight against Covid. However he is not going to stand around and let the Republican Governors literally allow their citizens to die and blame him for the outcome. In addition the health care system is being overwhelmed by unvaccinated Covid cases. Biden has now gone as far as he legally could in mandating vaccination. This is going to create hysteria amongst those who are using the issue to rally their selfish base. Apparently they all believe in their democratic right to drive drunk without seat belts.
On September 18 Trump’s, right wing coalition aka RASH, (Racist amoral selfish hypocritical), CULT are gathering in support of the January 6 insurrectionists, This is not going to end well for anyone, least of all RASH. More of them will get locked up and narrow Trump’s base's leadership even further.
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