Forewarned Is Forearmed, But Who Is Listening?

We're now living through the most important presidential campaign since 1860.

There’s been some debate about how good a look we, the American people, should have at the motives and actions of the MAGA crowd. On the “no” side is the sentiment that we’d cause panic. On the “yes” side is the idea that we need to do anything to alert average people who don’t pay attention to politics, of our new, really sticky situation.

For me, It’s well past time to scare the masses. Maybe if we all help to get the word out, and Americans begin to protest this legal, but immoral power grab, we can shine enough light to prevent this from happening. The courts can’t/won’t do anything, but if enough people are aware of the prospect, perhaps the Republicans will lose their nerve.

Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

Following is a sampling of thought from a few well-known writers, lawyers, and pundits.

From writer and radio host, Thom Hartmann:

Once they have control of both the political and the “deep state” or administrative government, these conservatives intend to set about making the changes they’ve been pushing for years:

— End gay marriage and criminalize being trans.

— Outlaw abortion and most forms of birth control.

— End the teaching of Black history.

— Outlaw DEI and affirmative action of any sort.

— Shut down most functions of the EPA so the fossil fuel and chemical industries can do whatever they want to our air and water.

— End enforcement of our anti-monopoly laws.

— Fire thousands of IRS investigators to make America safe for morbidly rich tax cheats.

— Shut down all “green” initiatives and instead “drill, baby drill.”

— Sell off public lands and parks to the highest bidders.

— Privatize Social Security and end traditional Medicare.

— End federal funding for public schools and colleges.

— Outlaw unions.

On the subject of strongman worship, here’s Franklin Foer in the Atlantic: “Putin worship isn’t even an aberration in the history of conservatism, merely the latest instance of a long tradition of admiring foreign dictators. Over the past century, without ever really blushing, the American right has similarly celebrated the likes of Adolf Hitler, Francisco Franco, and just about every Latin American military junta that called itself anti-communist. The right hails these dictators as ideological comrades in the war to preserve traditional society, the values of order and patriarchy, against the assault of the decadent left. Unlike conservative politicians in the United States, these foreign leaders don’t even need to bother with mouthing encomiums to concepts like tolerance, freedom, and democracy. They can deliver reactionary politics in the unvarnished form that some hard-liners on the American right have always hoped would take root in their own country.”

Now, these observations on how to run against democracy from Barbara McQuade’s (former federal prosecutor) new book “Attack From Within”. The logic here is breathtakingly simple. It reminds us, in the words of Mark Twain, that it is easier to lie to someone than it is to convince them they’ve been lied to:

1.         Convince people the country is in decline,

2.         Repeat the falsehood that elections are fixed, therefore,

3.         The courts are fixed by illegitimate judges who are elected in unfair races, or were appointed by people who stole an election, therefore,

4.         You can’t trust them or law enforcement, including the Department of Justice, the FBI and prosecutors, therefore,

:        The rule of law is destroying democracy. Her thesis, with which I wholeheartedly agree, is that disinformation erodes respect for the rule of law.

Our strength is our vulnerability, in that the rule of law relies on honest and ethical people who put the country over political parties, personal power, and authoritarians.

Thom Hartmann, again: “The best way to prevent this from happening is to widely publicize their scheme so public opinion will become so intense that they fear the consequences.”

The problem, as McQuade points out, is disinformation. We’ve manage to maintain our integrity through the years because we shared the same media universe.

For most of our history, we have all pulled together when it mattered most. Because of our history, replete with examples of authoritarians claiming biblical support of slavery, blocking school entrances, or beating peaceful protestors on a bridge in Montgomery, or at a convention in Chicago, we thought it couldn't happen here, but that depended on honorable people upholding our long-tested ethical standards.

The Confederacy tried to undermine the majority. Charles Lindbergh, Father Coughlin, and the 30's antisemites and isolationists tried. Joe McCarthy tried. The John Birchers tried. George Wallace tried. They all nearly succeeded but were stopped by the common decency of Americans who were all well-informed.

It wasn't until the current Age of Disinformation that we wound up on today’s frightening path.

©2024 Jon Sinton