FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

May 9

The Internet Was a Blessing Until It Became a Curse

by bcurry

A judge just threw out Donald Trump’s lawsuit against Twitter that challenged his ban from the social media platform.  U.S. District Judge James Donato rejected Trump’s claim that Twitter violated his right to freedom of speech guaranteed under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.  He simply declared that Twitter is a private company, and ‘the First Amendment applies only to governmental abridgements of speech, and not to alleged abridgements by private companies.’  When Trump’s account (with over 88 million followers) was suspended by Twitter, he went on to set up his own platform Truth Social which apparently has not done very well.  Now, the question arises over whether Twitter’s takeover by Tesla CEO Elon Musk will offer Trump a possible return to the social media platform.

Marshall McLuhan, a well-known Canadian philosopher whose work was among the cornerstones of the study of media theory in the late sixties, coined the expression “the medium is the message” and the term “global village”.  He is credited with predicting the World Wide Web (WWW) almost 30 years before it was invented.  Little did he know, having passed away in late 1980, of the incredible eventual impact on our daily lives of the Internet.  The Internet is this generation’s equivalent to the telegraph, the telephone and the fax machines that allowed us to communication instantaneously and broadly across the globe.  However, as a marvellous communication tool, the Internet has also proven to be more susceptible to the spreading of misinformation and disinformation than any other means in modern times.

When one talks of ‘misinformation’, one is normally referring to suspect, invalid and often poorly researched information passed on by persons to other persons via social media for example.  Often such information is transmitted without real malice, but simply and inadvertently by persons accepting the information as being valid or such that supports preconceived views, referred to a ‘confirmation bias’.  ‘Disinformation’ on the other hand is where someone is deliberately providing false information in support of their causes, goals or conspiracy theories, similar to what we would view as propaganda.  Unfortunately, we are seeing a lot more disinformation being conveyed via the Internet then ever before.  States or organizations that want to control the flow of information for their own purposes are notorious for facilitating the spread of disinformation, especially as a form of mind control within their borders.  One needs to go no further for examples than Russia, North Korea and Iran.

Unfortunately, during the Covid-19 pandemic, certain groups within the U.S. and Canada began disinformation campaigns against the public health measures introduced by many governments to deal with the tragic consequences of Covid on our lives.  The information was used to justify anti-vax, anti-mask, anti-lockdown and other public health mandates, regardless of their evident effectiveness in controlling the spread of Covid and reducing the number of associated deaths and hospitalizations.  These campaigns of course led to numerous protests in both countries easily and quickly arranged via social media, often tying up scarce government resources.  In addition, groups have used the Internet to spread ridiculous conspiracy theories, the most notable being that which promoted the belief that the results of the 2020 Presidential election were affected by corrupt voter fraud.  This culminated in a mob of Trump supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, after Trump repeatedly said that he would never concede the legitimate election.

We must do a better job of educating future generations about the potential pitfalls of relying on one or two sources for information, particularly those who rely on non-verifiable and suspect origins.  We need to be much more suspect when assessing the accuracy and validity of our Internet sources, be they found in social media or on websites.  I might suggest strongly that we include mainstream news media and websites provided by objective professional organizations as an integral and regular part of one’s information sources.  Perhaps this is easier said than done.  After all, access to information via social media in particular is quick and dirty.  Regrettably, this is what the purveyors of disinformation and misinformation are counting on.

Canada Coronavirus COVID-19 Donald Trump Mainstream Media Media Social Media The News Media US

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Feb 27

Invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin Puts American Right-Wing Supporters in Tough Spot

by bcurry

The current military invasion by Russian troops has placed many of Vladimir Putin’s American admirers, including Donald Trump, in an awkward situation.  In the past, Trump and other Republicans praised Vladimir Putin as a strong and savvy leader.  This was in spite of the fact that Putin runs a Russian oligarchy made up of billionaires, with Putin’s personal fortune and that of his oligarch friends estimated to be in the billions.  Russia’s ultra-rich are among the biggest owners of private jets, fancy mansions and superyachts, some of which are found in the U.S.  Although the U.S. and other Western countries have imposed severe sanctions on Russia and members of Putin’s administration, the challenge is their fortunes and assets could be held through shell companies, complicating the ownership chain.  While imposing sanctions on Russian’s ultra-rich is important, getting at the money itself is complex.  So far, even as the U.S., the U.K. and other Western countries have ramped up sanctions on more than 100 Russian individuals and entities, these assets of the country’s elite — which can be worth hundreds of millions of dollars each — have avoided any direct hit.

As in Europe, many ultra-right American groups looked up to Putin as a some sort of model leader for the ‘populism’ movement.  Fox News host Tucker Carlson urged Americans to ask themselves what they had against Putin, echoing the Kremlin as he denigrated Ukraine as not a democracy but a puppet of the West and the United States.  Former President Donald Trump defended his praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, causing a number of top Republicans to distance themselves from his position.  What makes matters worst is that Putin’s regime has already imprisoned thousands of Russian protesters against the invasion.  So much for populism!  If the Russian military aggression continues longer than expected, there will be even greater unrest back in Russia, particularly as Russian military and Ukrainian civilian casualties rise.  Most observers believe that an inability of the Russian military to overthrown the current Ukrainian government in under two weeks will cause further enormous stress on Putin’s rule.

The negative toll on Russia’s economy as a result of Western sanctions and other economic penalties has already resulted in a massive slump in Russian stocks, considered to be the third-worst in the history of stock markets.  The Russian ruble has taken a major hit which will increase the costs of imported goods in Russia and contribute to the already post-pandemic economic downturn.  Any resulting reduction in the export of Russian oil and gas will have an impact on American and European energy markets, again contributing to the current hyperinflation world-wide.  Moreover, the war in Ukraine threatens the world’s economic recovery.

For many of his long-time admirers — from those in the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, and Brazil — it is something of an awkward spot.  The longer Putin’s aggression continues, the more populist movements around the world will be forced to be on the defensive over their past and present support for Vladimir Putin.  With every day, it is clearly becoming ever more uncomfortable to try to defend Putin’s actions, despite what Donald Trump might say.

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Nov 27

Tale of a Young American Vigilante Becoming an American Hero

by bcurry

As a young 17 year old American teenager, I can become an American hero by pursuing a vigilante course of action.  First, I will need to travel thousands of miles from my home to another city to defend others’ property from protesters creating disorder in the city’s streets.  After all, local officials would have declared a state of emergency amid mass protests and street unrest over the shooting of some black man.  These same officials will need my help, so I then illegally choose to pick up an AR-style semiautomatic rifle from a friend on the way.  With my rifle, I will begin to patrol the city’s streets in order to help protect property from the unrest on the streets.  The local police will appear to welcome my help.  However, I would then notice multiple people converging upon me because of my actions.  I will react justifiably by shooting several people in self-defence.  Unfazed, I then will walk away to the police with my hands up at times.  All of this, of course, will be caught on video.  However, I will not be immediately arrested by the local police at that moment, but will instead turn myself in to police back in my hometown shortly after.  Naturally, I will end up going to jail and being charged with reckless homicide, intentional homicide and recklessly endangering safety.

During the trial, my defenders will declare that I was simply exercising my right to bear arms, in defence of liberty.  The prosecution on the other hand must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that I did not act in self-defence, even though I believe that my life was being threatened at the time of the shooting.  When it comes to the 20-person jury, my lawyers will attempt to pick a mainly white jury made up of mostly women and a few men.  Given my age, women would most likely be influenced by my youthful appearance, personality and testimony.  My defence will allow me to testify on the stand which isn’t the norm, but will probably work in my favour by personally telling my story.  During my testimony, I will break down sobbing in forlorn tears which will very likely have an impact on the jury, emphasizing that I had fired upon the protesters in self-defence only after having been attacked.  After all, I’m just a scared kid, although I’m being tried as an adult.

Before the deliberations began, by reaching into a tumbler, I curiously will even get to select the 12 jurors needed for the deliberations.  In the end, I will be judged to be not guilty of all charges, although not to have been found innocent — for no one would deny that I had fatally shot protesters.  Subsequently, I will be a hero for those people supporting gun rights and the right to defend one’s self and one’s property, including several militia groups.  Following my acquittal, one gun rights group will even award me a brand new AR-15 for my actions in ‘Defence of Gun Rights’.  Next, a Republican representative in Congress will introduce a bill to award me the Congressional Gold Medal for “protecting the community”.  Two other Republican representatives will offer me internships within their offices.  Shortly after my acquittal, I will also meet with my hero, former President Donald Trump, at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.  President Trump will be one of my biggest supporters.  Of course, the media will not end its coverage of my future endeavors anytime soon.  In the end, I will just want to get on with my life.  Or so I would hope?

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Sep 16

Canada Has Its Own Mini-Trump Running In Current Federal Election

by bcurry

In Canada today, there are a number of small parties running in the current federal election.  Among these is the self-described hard-right populist People’s Party of Canada (CPP) founded in 2018 by Maxime Bernier.  Bernier was once a member of Canada’s Conservative Party, but left due to differing views with the party on a number of policy issues.  Overall, he believed that the Conservative Party had strayed from some of its traditional right-wing beliefs.  In its first election in 2019, the CPP received 1.6 percent of votes, placing it well behind other small parties, such as the Greens (6.5 percent) but well ahead of others, such as the Christian Heritage Party (0.1 percent).  Currently, the CPP does not have a seat in the national parliament.  Recent polls show that the CPP could get slightly more than 6 percent of the popular vote, but again the party is not expected to win any seats, including that in the riding where Maxime Bernier himself is running.

The primary difference with the emergence of Donald Trump in the Republican Party is that Bernier decided to offer his ultra-right views by forming a new national party.  However, many of the same positions taken by Trump’s followers are reflected in the CPP’s platform.  Bernier is attempting to appeal to a portion of the Canadian electorate who are disgruntled with the current political establishment in Ottawa, be it Conservative or Liberal, and are simply angry about the current state of Canadian society and big governments.  Like Trump, Bernier is in favour of reducing immigration, preventing refugees from entering Canada illegally, promoting the construction of pipelines, denying the human contribution to climate change, pushing for a single national identity, moving away from promoting multiculturalism, eliminating foreign aid funding and repealing existing firearms laws. Fortunately, unlike Trump, Bernier has not to date raised issues about voter fraud or rigged elections.

What has really brought out the CPP supporters to the federal election are the restrictive measures taken by the federal and provincial governments to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.  Bernier has referred to COVID-19 public-health measures and vaccine policies as being “tyrannical”.  He has often told his supporters that: “People are fed up and they want to get back their freedom.”  This is a common theme, declaring that government public-health measures are an attack on one’s liberties, especially when it comes to lockdowns, mandated vaccinations and vaccine passports. 

What’s unfortunate about the participation of CPP supporters in the campaign is that their anger has gotten the better of their common sense and civility.  Supporters have been part of a number of often-violent demonstrations protesting the other parties’ leaders, especially at events being held by the current Liberal leader, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.  The protesters have attempted to drown out the leaders at campaign stops and have revealed signs with vulgar and insulting slurs and graphics.  What’s regrettable is that Maxime Bernier refuses to condemn the incivility and lack of respect shown by CPP supporters against the opposing leaders, and in particular the PM.  In these difficult times, there is no doubt that there is a lot of pent-up anger among those whose lives and livelihoods have been negatively affected by the pandemic and some of the public-health measures that had to be implemented.  However, given the severity of the pandemic, Canadian support for such measures and the current growing fourth wave, it doesn’t appear that the CPP will gain very much additional support.

Unlike in the U.S. with its firmly established conservative base in several regions, there is little chance that Canada will see a similar ultra-right populist administration in power anytime soon.

Maxime Bernier himself does not like to be compared to Donald Trump for obvious reasons.  Unfortunately, his party has tended to politicize some of the more critical issues such as public-health measures aimed at preventing more COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths.  Unfortunately, the anti-vaxxers now have a political means to promote their virulent opposition to such measures.  By encouraging unfounded and unreasonable protests, Bernier does appear to have taken a page from Donald Trump’s agenda.

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Jul 30

U.S. Congressional Hearings on January 6th Capitol Breach

by bcurry

On January 6, 2021, a peaceful and patriotic crowd of citizens gathered in front of the steps of the U.S. Congress, on what is referred to as the Hill.  They lovely and respectfully greeted the law-enforcement officers from the Capitol Police on duty that day.  Suddenly, these individuals who were exercising their right to protest, broke through the police lines and entered the people’s building of American governance.  They did not mean to hurt anyone, although there were a few who mockingly shouted that they wanted to hang Vice-President Mike Pence.  In order to avoid the determined mob, both Republican and Democrat members of Congress conveniently left the Senate Chamber in order to make room for the touring crowd.  These patriots then went about their business of sightseeing through the corridors of the Capitol.  Once they had finished their tour, they left the premises, often carrying handfuls of souvenirs to show the family back home.  Meanwhile, the outgoing President of the United States of America, sat comfortably in the White House and calmly watched the unfolding events televised on American news networks for all to see.  He was particularly concerned that none of his supporters would be seriously injured by the authorities during their visitation.

Months later, one now has a House select committee investigating the storming of the Capitol, much to the chagrin of majority of Republicans who don’t see any need for any inquiry, let alone an independent commission of inquiry.  For this reason, Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to seat two Republicans who publicly opposed the establishment of the committee itself, and instead invited two more neutral Republicans, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, to join the committee.  This seems to make sense.  Let’s face it, most Republicans would like the whole January 6th armed insurrection to go away.  Remember, many of the mob have said under oath that they were there because Donald Trump sent them.

I don’t know about you, but I sat in front of my television witnessing what some have called the worst attack on Washington since the War of 1812 — between what was then Canada and the U.S.  I could not believe what I was witnessing!  No one in their right mind can deny the fact that the attack was orchestrated and well planned in advance.  To say that a few of Trump’s supporters simply got overly zealous is a pile of you know what.  The real problem and failure, indeed the tragedy, is that the actions of the mob were not foreseen by the Trump administration and the intelligence and security communities.  Congress was virtually left at the mercy of a crazy group of insurrectionists.  It is these elements of what happened on January 6th that need to be investigated and made public.  The role of Donald Trump in inciting his supporters is already well known and no longer of particular import.  What is important is to establish what went terribly wrong within the intelligence community, law enforcement and among federal agencies involved, including the Department of Defence.  Hopefully, these are the issues that the committee will examine in order to introduce changes that would ensure that something of this nature will never happen again.  Let’s face it, there’s plenty of blame to go around.  What one needs is truthful answers and expert analysis.

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Jun 6

Believe it or not, Donald Trump is still around!

by bcurry

Based on findings by Facebook’s Oversight Board, Facebook said it will suspend former U.S. president Donald Trump’s accounts — including Instagram — for two years.  The finding is that he stoked violence ahead of the deadly Jan. 6th insurrection.  On Facebook, Trump’s suspension has meant that his account is essentially in “Facebook jail,” which is a term that users use to describe when the social network bans people from posting or accessing their accounts.  Others can still read and comment on Trump’s past posts, but he and other account handlers are unable to post new material.  In a press release, Trump called Facebook’s decision “an insult.” “They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this censoring and silencing, and ultimately, we will win. Our Country can’t take this abuse anymore!”  The two-year ban brings Trump back just in time for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, although too late to be of any real import.  In its decision last month, the board agreed with Facebook that two of Trump’s Jan. 6th posts “severely violated” the content standards of both Facebook and Instagram.

Trump in turn gave his first public address since leaving office at the North Carolina Republican Party convention on June 5th.  Of course, he came out blasting the current Biden administration for everything from immigration policies to foreign policy.  Attacks so soon after a change in administration are somewhat uncommon and unusual among former presidents.  However, Trump is anything but normal.  Trump reserved his early remarks on President Joe Biden, which he called “the most radical left-wing administration in history”.  The fact is that his administration provided little assistance to the incoming Biden administration during the transition period, thus hindering a smooth transition.  Trump further believes that the Republicans will take back the Senate, the House, and the White House sooner than most people think.  The former president waited more than an hour to once again advance falsehoods about the 2020 election, which he described as “the crime of the century”.  Of interest, both CNN and Fox News declined to carry the speech on their channels.

The former president has also claimed that vaccines would not yet have arrived in US without him, ignoring the fact that over 400,000 Americans had died from COVID-19 during his administration, and claiming initially that the pandemic was a “hoax”.  On top of which, he unrealistically called on China to pay $10 trillion in reparations to the United States and the world for China’s handling of the virus.  Good luck on that one!

Trump has pushed Republicans to support candidates who are loyal to him in next year’s midterm elections.  In next year’s fight for control of Congress, he further vowed to be an active presence on the campaign trail for those remaining Republicans who share his values.  In any potential run for the White House in 2024, he may yet have to go up against former vice-president Mike Pence who has publicly asserted that he does not see eye to eye with Donald Trump on the horrific events of January 6th on the Hill.  Don’t forget that Pence and his family had to flee for their lives from the pro-Trump mob.

While Trump remains a dominant force within his party, he however remains deeply unpopular among key segments of the broader electorate and elements of the Republican Party.  Remember that he lost the last election by 7 million votes, primarily as a result of alienating Republican-leaning suburban voters across the country.  Trump supporters still haven’t yet come to grips with this fact. 

President Trump Is Playing The Victim Role Once Again | FROLITICKS (wordpress.com)

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Mar 23

Something Dangerous Is Happening In American Politics

by bcurry

Recently, I read an interesting book written by two professors of government at Harvard U., Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.  The 2018 book entitled “How Democracies Die” takes a historical look at numerous democracies in various countries, including the U.S., which have at some point in time become more authoritarian, despite having strongly written constitutions.  What’s frightening is their conclusion that the actions of elected leaders have often paved the road to democratic failure, and why the U.S. in now vulnerable to the same downward spiral.  Shared beliefs and practices, beyond our formal constitutions, need to be restored.  The attack by some factions on these values has been slowly evolving over several years in U.S. politics.  One can go as far back to McCarthyism in the 1950s, ending in a witch hunt for communists in and out of government, ruining lives and bitterly dividing the country.  Then there was the selection of Sarah Palin who, as John McCain’s running mate in 2007, became his attack dog against the Democrat’s Barack Obama.  Politics has become increasingly personal, with attacks on the character and patriotism of opponents through mainstream media and more recently through social media.  The arrival of Donald Trump on the scene and his subsequent Presidential stint firmly installed the current polarization of American politics and continuing campaigns of intolerance and misinformation. 

Now, we have politicians like Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson who continues to spread conspiracy theories and disinformation, particularly now that Donald Trump is banned from social media and largely avoiding appearances on cable television.  He reportedly spreads doubts about President Joe Biden’s victory, argues that the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was not an armed insurrection, promotes discredited COVID-19 treatments, sees no need to get the coronavirus vaccine and declares that climate change was not man-made but instead was caused by “sun spots”.  He is also one of those politicians who loves to spread his message through such outlets as Fox News and right-wing talk radio, especially in Wisconsin’s wide network of conservative talk-radio shows.  The use of the media to disperse misinformation and fervently attack their opponents is a common practice among politicians today in several democratic countries.

Back when Spiro Agnew served as Richard Nixon’s vice-president, from 1969 until his resignation in 1973, he began a predilection for “anti-intellectualism” aimed at appeasing a certain faction of the American population.  This attitude culminated in attacks on what Agnew referred to as the “elites” and on the “left-wing or liberal media”.  Of course, Donald Trump’s rantings about the media’s unfair reporting of his administration’s policies (fake news) just continued the attacks on democratic institutions.  The inability to establish respect and civility within our governing institutions is probably one of the primary challenges in the next few years.  We need to have political entities promoting more partisanship in order to help make governing institutions work effectively and democratically. 

As the above book points out, no democracy is immune to authoritarian actions which can help to diminish confidence in our democratic institutions at a perilous moment.  This danger comes at a time when the health and economic well-being of nations relies heavily on mass vaccinations, the spread of misinformation and when one’s faith in democracy is being shaken by right-wing falsehoods about voting. 

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Feb 11

Split in Republican Party Worsens As Impeachment Trial Drags On

by bcurry

As it stands now, the Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is for all intent and purpose over.  According to recent polls, the Democrats and those few Republican senators supporting a conviction have already won in the court of public opinion with a majority of those polled supporting Trump’s conviction higher than during the first impeachment.  While there are obviously not enough Republican senators to convict Trump, the damage from the January 6th riot at the Capitol continues increasingly to split the ranks of the GOP.  Those Republicans in Congress supporting Trump’s impeachment and the election of Joe Biden are now the target of several state and local Republican officials.  Since Trump left office, grassroots Republican activists and state parties have become his most vociferous defenders, often condemning and censuring elected Republicans who dare to deviate in any way from full support of the former president.  Whether or not one likes it, Trump remains the most popular national figure associated with the Republican Party.  State and local party organizations elect their own members and operate with considerable autonomy under the GOP system.  Many continue to believe that Trump was the voice for their agenda in D.C.  However, the reality is that Trump’s gang created his image and platform more than the GOP rank and file did.  Narcissist Trump simply used them and continues to do so after the election to support his nonsensical claim that the election had been stolen.

Now, you have dozens of former and current Republican officials who view the party as unwilling to stand up to Trump and his attempts to undermine U.S. democracy.  Apparently, some senior Republicans are even contemplating the formation of a center-right breakaway party.  As argued by certain party strategists, the problem is that the growing GOP split will undercut the party’s chances in the 2022 midterm elections to win House and Senate majorities.  As it stands right now, the possibility of quickly regaining party unity appears to be a long shot as long as Trump’s influence on the local and state GOP continues.  Many Republicans remain fiercely loyal to the former president, while exasperated others seek a new more centralized direction for the party back to its conservative roots.  Instead, they would run on a platform of “principled conservatism,” including adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law.  They feel that the party’s integrity is at stake and Republicans need to distance themselves from Trump’s influence.

Emotions are running high among both pro-Trump supporters and the anti-Trump faction of the party.  Trump not only inspired a mob to storm the Capitol, he also brought the Republican Party close to a breaking point.  Whether or not Trump is convicted and thereby unable to ever run again for the position of president, the damage is already done within the GOP.  There is no other way to describe the GOP’s internal squabbles but that of continued ‘fanaticism’ and ‘disfunctionalism’.  Moreover, millions of Republican voters are seeking no such separation from Mr. Trump.  The House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, many of his House colleagues and state lawmakers around the country continue to express support for Trump.  For the moment at least, they are far more loyal to their lame-duck president than to the traditional party leaders who preceded him.

As part of the impeachment process, the House is currently laying out a very convincing case against Trump, branding him the ‘Inciter in Chief’.  Interestingly, in the unlikely case that the Senate were to convict Mr. Trump — finding him guilty of “inciting violence against the government of the United States” — senators apparently could still vote on whether to bar him from holding future office. That vote would only require a simple majority.  If it came down to party lines, Democrats would prevail with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie breaking vote.  This could help the GOP to begin to renew its fractured party, but don’t count on it.  It may also cause more backlash among Trump’s supporters, while further widening the existing spit within the party.  All of this makes for great political debate in the coming months, much to the growing embarrassment and consternation of the Republican establishment. 

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Jan 15

Donald Trump: To Convict or Not to Convict?

by bcurry

Now that the House of Representatives has voted to impeach the president, the question on everyone’s mind is whether the Senate will hold a trial which could lead to Trump’s conviction for his role in inciting the riot on Capitol Hill on January 6th.  It has been reported that although Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, has privately told advisers that he approves of the impeachment drive and believes it could help his party purge itself of Mr. Trump, he refused to begin the proceedings this week while he is still in charge.  Despite having some support to convict among several Republican senators, the fact is that the Senate needs a two-third majority to convict.  Doing so would open the door to disqualifying Trump from holding office in the future.  The chances of this happening are very improbable.

The fact is that the Republican Party is still split over its support for Donald Trump and his populist movement.  Indeed, Trump has installed loyal supporters in all of the G.O.P.’s establishment bodies.  For example, since Trump’s 2016 victory, 91 of the 168 positions on the Republican Nationwide Committee have turned over, with nearly all the newcomers elected by Trump-aligned state events.  Several news headlines read: “Deep In the G.O.P. Ranks, the MAGA Mind-Set Prevails.”  It also appears that a vocal wing of the party maintains an almost-religious devotion to the president, and these supporters, especially at the state and local levels, don’t hold him responsible for the mob violence last week.

Unfortunately for the Republican Party, the schism between Trump supporters and the G.O.P. establishment will exist for some time to come.  Without a conviction by the Senate, Donald Trump will continue to hang around, along with his conspiracy theories.  A very recent Axios-Ipsos ballot following the Capitol riot confirmed that a majority of Republicans help the president’s latest habits and say he still ought to be the Republican nominee in 2024. In addition, many Trump supporters are clamoring to go after any of the Republican members of Congress who voted for impeachment or against the motion to investigate the voting results of the presidential election.  Some of those Republican members now even fear for their lives.

Various Republicans in Congress believe that proceeding with an impeachment trial in the Senate will only pour gasoline on the already raging fire among Trump supporters.  They believe that such a move will further divide the nation at a time when a new administration is being sworn in.  Given the volatility of the current situation, they may have a legitimate argument.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has discretion over when to transmit the article of impeachment sometime next week, formally initiating the Senate proceeding.  While this may be the right thing to do in light of the serious charges against Trump, the timing may not be good for the country.  The House members, including ten Republicans, have made their point and expression of justifiable outrage over the president’s actions leading up to and following the Capitol riot.  After all, his legacy now includes being the only American president to be impeached twice.  Proceeding to convict represents a greater threat to the G.O.P. than anyone else, and may only provide more ammunition to Trump loyalists to continue their fight within the party.  Hopefully, not literally!

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Jan 11

Following Capitol Hill Riot, Republican Party Is In Disarray

by bcurry

Despite what the Republican National Committee may say about its continuing support for Donald Trump, there is increasing evidence that the GOP is a very much more splintered group following the attempted coup at the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.  This disarray extends to GOP members of Congress.  It is reported that the 127 who voted to overthrow president-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory are facing fierce backlash from donors, constituents, and even some GOP colleagues. 

The party also faces a threat to its financial base.  Several of the most powerful and normally non-political business federations in Washington denounced the chaos this week in stinging language, including the National Association of Manufacturers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable.  Several major business leaders voiced alarm at the threat it posed to a democracy which most Americans had taken for granted and at the role of these rogue Republican lawmakers. 

Then there are the evangelicals who represent roughly one quarter of Americans and who supported Trump and the GOP for their pro-religion views.  White evangelicals embraced the president, some begrudgingly and some enthusiastically, because he addressed many of their concerns.  Now, they are talking about finally witnessing an evangelical reckoning and the about the dangers of Trumpism.  A lot of introspection is happening among evangelicals.

There is clearly a conundrum wherein the GOP finds itself beholden to voters who’ve internalized the president’s falsehoods and were emboldened by Trump’s divisive speak.  There is little doubt that a schism exists among Trump’s supporters which may be hard to quickly mend.  In one report shortly after the Capitol assault, a veteran GOP pollster Frank Luntz carried out a spotlight group composed of a few Trump voters from different states.  In it, he stated that they fell into three camps:

  • those who consider the truth that President-elect Joe Biden won the election and believe that it’s time for Trump move on;
  • those who believe that the election was stolen from Trump, but he nonetheless ought to move on; and
  • those who insist it was stolen and Trump ought to continue to struggle in some way.

Rep. Nancy Mace, a newly elected Republican freshman from South Carolina and a strong past supporter of Trump, openly declared in the media: “That legacy has now been wiped out,” Mace stated. “It is gone, and we have to start over from scratch.”  Whether the president is impeached or censured, the fact is that significant damage has been done to the Republican Party.  It would appear that Trump supporters and GOP members of Congress are ready to declare war with each other.  The best thing for the future of the GOP is for Trump and his legacy to quietly fade away into the abyss.  As long as Trump has any future involvement with the party, there will continue to be even more destructive disarray.  His ties to the party need to be cut ASAP.  Otherwise, the internal healing can’t start soon enough for most Republican supporters!

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