Sunday, October 11, 2020

KEEPING OUR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

Be forewarned that I am feeling compelled to express what weighs most heavily on my mind right now with thoughts on the future of our nation.   Of special interest presently, as I cast my ballot and others vote across the U.S.A.,  is my concern our current nation's leader seems to be continuing to betray our constitutional capitalistic democratic republic.  We would be wise to remember his words and actions the past four years have gradually, chaotically bit by bit seemed to be systematically designed to destroy our trust in our government.

His goal appears to have been to alter our governmental system into what could be described as a capitalistic theocratic autocracy.

Capitalistic because of his strong emphasis on money, but largely for the benefit of himself and an oligarchy of a select number of the most wealthy supporting him, but not the majority of our citizens.

Theocratic because he panders to a religious extremist minority-in-number dedicated to forcing their protestant social beliefs on everybody rather than living in a society tolerant of others that also permits them to practice their own views.

Autocracy because he chooses to dictate everything to everybody, diminishing or eliminating the power of our other branches of government -- legislative, judicial and condemning anyone questioning him including in the fourth estate -- our free press.

Our government system will cease to exist as will freedom for anyone who might think or speak differently from him given his intolerance.

We would be wise to ask ourselves if our President is betraying or violating his oath of office to defend the intent of the country's founders and our constitutional democratic republic.

Is he placing our nation's citizens at risk of losing our democratic republic as one of the founders, Benjamin Franklin cautioned -- "if we could keep it"?  When asked "And why not keep it?"  Franklin responded, "Because the people, on tasting the dish, are always disposed to eat more of it than does them good."  So it is we could lose the freedoms our founders gave us.

While our current leader claims to care about all of the people, quite obviously that is just one more of his documented thousands of lies.   What is really alarming to me is how many people supporting him apparently do not realize what he is doing or don't care.  

Our leader is aided by this backing of the political party he hijacked whose members have failed to learn any of the twenty lessons from the twentieth century Timothy Snyder describes in a few hours of easy-read layman's language in his small paperback book "On Tyranny":

"Timothy Snyder reasons with unparalleled clarity, throwing the past and future into sharp relief.  He has written the rare kind of book that can be read in one sitting but will keep you coming back to help regain your bearings."

This book description is by Masha Gessen who eloquently predicted four years ago what to expect from our new leader then -- it has and is occurring.   Gessen also described how to survive based on experience as a citizen reporter in Russia ultimately perilously dissenting with leadership there before needing to come here and having dual citizenship with the U.S. now.  

A recent Guardian interview includes this statement from Gessen, "I never thought I'd say it, but Trump is worse than Putin".   Gessen went on to say,  "in order to actually survive Trump's attempt at autocracy we have to give up the idea of some imaginary pre-Trumpian normalcy and commit to reinvention.  And that is really what these protests are about."

Trump defies a basic democratic tenet by refusing to state he may not relinquish the office of the President if he is determined not to have been reelected.  This from a person who is in office now having received less than the majority of popular votes in 2016.  He suggests resolution of the 2020 election winner may end up being decided by our Supreme Court, apparently in expectation they will decide in his favor.

I can't help wondering if an earlier election in 2000 with Florida's hanging chads was erroneously given to a Presidential candidate that actually lost the election when our Supreme Court was injected into that process, then chose to decide who would be our President.  The consequences of that decision in subsequent years have been profound in our country and the world.

Preventing a stolen election in 2020 is critical but may not be easy since the Republican Party with the U.S. Senate leader seem complicit in allowing the loss of our democracy as does the Attorney General.  They think they control their President who has seduced them by establishing several of their ideological goals, but when unable to prevent potential takeover if he is reelected, they will find in the following years they've given away our and their democracy and freedoms.

The Republicans have been taken over by a minority-in-number faction of their once proud political party backed by private ultra-wealthy forces but fronted by those claiming to be representative of ordinary people under the guise of the Tea Party nomenclature intended to misleadingly imply a connection to a historical American event.  Reference: Dark Money.

The Supreme Court may be a wild card presently but there is ample reason to be concerned their allegiance for constitutional interpretation will fall on the side of big money, just as it did when they basically concluded corporations were people, unleashing corrupting monies into political campaigns.  The pending appointment replacement for Associate Justice Ginsburg is another factor.   Reference: 'Corporations Are People' Is Built on an Incredible 19th-Century Lie -- "How a farcical series of events in the 1880s produced an enduring and controversial legal precedent."

We citizens must be ever vigilant in order to preserve our freedoms and rights best achieved with our current system of government, not an autocracy led by a dictator.  We must educate ourselves and vote at every election level.  We do need to continue progress toward healthcare as a human right, equality for all, and a more equitable distribution of wealth.  Along the way, we better take action to preserve this planet on which we live or eventually for future generations nothing else will matter.

18 comments:

  1. I keep hoping someone will write about why to vote for Harris/Biden and not just over and over who to vote against. There must be things they promise to do that voters could like and want and not just they're not Trump. I've asked for this at FB and never gotten answers. You can't really vote against someone. Aren't there strong reasons for voting for them in terms of their policies. It can't be moral character as Biden has as many accusations against him for lying, sexual misconduct as Trump does. Issues, that's what I'd like to hear and I don't even get it from the debates. It's mostly-- I'm not that guy. I had reasons to vote for Hillary (reasons I didn't like too but enough positive to feel I had an idea what she'd do) same thing with Obama but this time it seems the issues don't matter. Well, they do to me. Issues like immigration, trade, environment, health care, packing the court or not, filibuster, abortion, etc. etc.

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    1. Here’s a place to start: https://joebiden.com/joes-vision/.

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  2. Can't argue with one point. I think what scares me the most right now are the wild rants he goes on. I really think he has slipped off the rails and am surprised that those who seem to care about him don't make sure he gets help. I do seriously believe his sanity is in question.

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    1. There are reasons based on our current leader’s language, behavior and actions many have questioned his mental competency.

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  3. A well written piece, Joared. I also believe your country is on the brink of some kind of civil war. Those freaky president-supported militia look armed and ready (from this distance) and the fear and uncertainty and horror and death are ensuring all is unstable. Plus the authority once held on the world stage has evaporated and all most feel for the US now is pity and a bemused "how could this happen in a so-called democracy?"

    Voter interference, bribery of health cards, racism, horrific misogyny and 10,000 lies later he may still wrest power by any means. And the means are there.

    XO
    WWW

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    1. I think the forces behind our current leader are such we will have to contend with their efforts to undermine our form of government in the future for their own selfish ends much as he does now and worse.

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  4. Agree, agree, agree. Well said and well-referenced. Thank you.

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    1. And now we’re listening to the Republicans railroading of a questionable nominee onto the Supreme Court.

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  5. I'm baffled as to why so many moderate Republicans support someone who is doing so much damage to the country and why they haven't got rid of him long ago.

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    1. There is a group of Republicans active now — The Lincoln Project — https://lincolnproject.us/.

      Better late than never!

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  6. Oh my gosh! This is so very well written and encapsulates what our country had descended into with this dictator president. And yet, I have a few friends and relatives that just don't see it, who still want to vote for him. I just don't understand it.

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    1. I, too, find it difficult to understand why some don't seem to recognize the obvious. Perhaps they have ceased to use their critical thinking skills for whatever the reasons that could occur for several reasons.

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  7. Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by and your kind comment.

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  8. Some very salient points. What scares me most is that there is such a large contingency of our population that don't seem to see that our complete (small d) democracy is being taken from us.

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    1. I agree. Some seem to think this is just a disagreement between two political parties, both operating as our Presidential contests have usually been. They don’t recognize, believe or maybe care our leader and party are betraying our democratic system since he lies and describes what they're doing otherwise. That’s what happened in the 1930s, then one morning citizens and all government officials, also religious leaders, who thought they were in control awoke to discover they had a dictator — classic way autocracies emerge history shows us .

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  9. It is true, here in New Zealand we watch the US aghast, and also the style of politics around the world. How can we save our planet if we can’t even talk to each other? Is it already too late?

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    1. Let's hope people around the world who can will exercise their vote to support those who will best address the issues we face.

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