The Republican Party Is Now Anti-American
For 25 years, I called myself a Republican, proudly. That ended in 2016 when it became clear the primary voters decided they preferred Donald Trump instead of actual policies that would advance America. Over the next four years, I saw the Republicans continue to devolve into a personality cult. So it shouldn’t have surprised me that nearly all of the party would refuse to acknowledge that Joe Biden is President-elect and will replace Trump on January 20th.
Yet somehow it did – and in the process, the Republican Party attacked our democracy, put forth wildly ridiculous accusations of “voter fraud,” and did more damage to America’s reputation than her enemies could have even dreamed was possible.
One Russia expert – Michael McFaul – put it far better than I could:
To those Trump supporters ranting falsely about a stolen election, you sound exactly like Putin’s media outlets, exactly like the kinds of Putin proxies with whom I used to refute as US ambassador to Russia when defending our nation’s honor & integrity. Stop it.
I would also note that chief among the very few leaders who have not congratulated President-elect Biden were Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. The tyrants of the world are seeing yet another chance to deal a crippling blow to the democratic world…
… and the Republican Party is helping our enemies to do it.
Putin and Xi also looking to force America into retreat around the world and to damage our alliances with our fellow democracies. They know greater instability here at home helps their agenda abroad …
… and the Republican Party is helping them to do it.
A fellow who in previous times would be called a “confidence man” spun up a false story about the USPS backdating
Finally, our enemies know that our greatest source of “soft power” has been our efforts to support democracies around the world. Watching Trump move away from that has been a god-send to them. The only thing that would have been better was spreading misinformation that would question the integrity of our democracy itself …
… and the Republican Party is doing it for them.
There is no escaping this truth. By indulging Trump’s fantasy of a “stolen election,” the Republicans are damaging America’s reputation, advancing the interests of our enemies, and corroding support for democracy around the world. These are not the actions of a party that supports America.
In fact, no one who supports Trump’s “stolen election” narrative should be able to call themselves an American in good standing. As far as I’m concerned, they are agents of a foreign, tyrannical power (in particular, the Kremlin).
It hurts me to type these words. I still look back at my time in the Republican Party fondly. However, I cannot escape the logical conclusions of the actions of the overwhelming majority of elected Republican officials. The Republican Party is no longer interested in democracy. It is no longer a bulwark against authoritarianism. Indeed, it is an enabler of authoritarianism.
The Republican Party is no longer an American party, but rather an anti-American party. It is the fifth column, the enemy within, Tokyo Rose writ large. No American who loves their country could give it their time, their funds, or their votes.
Furthermore, as far as I’m concerned, no one who supports Trump or his enablers is allowed to call themselves an American in good standing.
