In trying to put the current chaotic situation in Washington into some sort of perspective against the background of daily bombardments from the Trump administration, I have come to realise that both traditional political parties, and the traditional supporters of those parties, Democrats and Republicans, have been equally screwed by Trump and his acolytes. Maybe not in equal measure, and certainly not for the same reasons, but screwed, nonetheless. What’s worse, is that both groups appear to be shell-shocked enough that they are floundering around with no idea what they should do about their situation. The only somewhat positive sign has come from the California Governor, Gavin Newsom, in his “fight-fire-with-fire” plan to re-district California’s congressional representation in response to the Texas Legislature’s recent commitment to re-district Texas, following orders to do so from Trump. Meanwhile, we are moving rapidly towards a complete Trump dictatorship, if we are not already there.
What do I mean by that?
Republicans, and I am talking about traditional Republicans not the fanatical fringe, large though that may be, have sold their souls to Trump in the belief that his plan was to carry out the theme that started before Ronald Reagan and has been defined by the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 which, in itself, is a derivative of the plan they gave Reagan at the start of his administration. There is also an argument that the Republican movement defined by Project 2025 actually started in the late 1930’s.
I am in the process of wading through the Project 2025 document (over 950 pages), but I have yet to find any reference to the establishment of a dictatorship to implement their goals. In fact, such an establishment would seem completely contradictory to the Project’s goals of reducing regulation, dismantling the Federal Government, returning power to the States and, in particular, to promoting individual rights over community responsibility. The disciples of Project 2025 have been screwed because their naïve support of Trump has resulted in them losing all of those goals as he establishes his dictatorship.
The only group, within the Republican Party, that may think they are gaining by their continued support of Trump, is the Evangelical Christian movement. The reason I say that is that the Evangelical Christian movement is, itself, a dictatorship. “They are right and everyone else is wrong” is their basic mantra, and the whole organization is run just like any other dictatorship. However, Trump and the Evangelical movement is a marriage made in hell, if you will excuse the terminology; two dictators in the same place can never co-exist for very long. The evangelicals will lose eventually, just as traditional Republicans already have if Trump is not stopped.
The Democrats are screwed because Trump is quickly eliminating all they believe in; the central role of the Federal Government, the support of the less-fortunate, minority rights, the Constitution guarantees, government of the people by the people, not by some tinpot dictator, due process under the law, and even the right to believe that your vote will actually matter or count. He recently told a group of evangelicals that, if they support him, he will organize it so they never have to bother voting again.
The Democrats are in almost total disarray, disbelief, and disorganization, and the traditional Republicans haven’t even realized yet what a mess they are in. I don’t know which is worse for the future of the country. What I do know is that this continued non-reaction of any significance to Trump’s obvious coup, only reinforces his belief that he can get away with it, and so his actions will get worse and worse.
I have said before that his playbook is clearly out there for all to see. It is the same playbook as that used by most other dictators the world has seen. My only consolation is that, in most other cases, the “proverbial ditch” eventually beckons. Unfortunately, “eventually” may be a longer time than the United States, as we think we know it, can survive.
As extremely unlikely as it sounds, perhaps a bi-partisan coalition of “normal” democrats and “normal” republicans to oust the dictator and send him to jail, where he belongs, is the way forward. Both groups have so much to lose that it is just conceivable that such a coalition could happen, however improbable it currently seems!
