(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Trump's Fascist America (Part III): Democracy In Peril [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-07-13
In my two previous installments I outlined the many ways in which Donald Trump and his collaborators, co-conspirators, defenders, followers, and devotees have already acted to undermine our democracy. Many of us, I think, have a clear understanding of how closely we, as a nation, are on the brink of it being replaced by a fascist authoritarian dictatorship. And some are increasingly sounding the alarm.
One who has done an excellent job of doing so is Thomhartmann, who we have to thank for yet another of his comprehensive and well pointed articles, this one titled, How Trump's MAGA Plan for the Military Could Topple America, which strikes precisely at the heart of the matter.
As I've noted before, Hartmann has a gift for not only comprehending the WHOLE picture of this right wing assault upon democracy AND its implications, but also for clearly and succinctly defining for the rest of us exactly what that portends.
Pieces such as his help serve to make the urgency of the moment even CLEARER.
Particularly chilling were these passages from his article:
Trump’s first run at following in his mentor (and possibly owner) Vladimir Putin’s footsteps and becoming America’s first dictator involved corrupting the Department of Justice, gaining the loyalty of the nation’s oligarchs with a massive tax cut and numerous corrupt government no-bid contracts, and gutting federal regulatory agencies. He succeeded in getting his “acting” defense secretary, Chris Miller, to turn down the acting Secretary of the Army’s (Ryan McCarthy) request for National Guard troops to protect the US Capitol against the violent mob McCarthy’s intelligence people saw forming on social media in the weeks between Trump’s December tweet and January 6. As a result, Trump nearly succeeded in decapitating the federal government by having Vice President Pence and House Speaker Pelosi assassinated by his militia buddies. Combined with a proclamation of a state of emergency, allowing him to completely repudiate Posse Comitatus, Trump could have become America’s Putin in a matter of hours.
This is exactly what Trump (and his co-conspirators) hoped to achieve. And if not for other Americans rising to a nobler cause, it would have WORKED.
As Hartmann noted, Congress needs to act, to limit the ability of future presidents to abuse their power as Trump so often did and tried to do.
But MORE importantly, Hartmann is absolutely SPOT ON as to what we need to do NOW, as Americans, to protect our democracy from Donald Trump and fascists just like him. He wrote:
Trump may or may not be the GOP’s nominee this time next year, but whoever it is now is the time to harden our democracy against a neofascist MAGA Republican rising to that office. America needs to pull this fascist MAGA weed out of the garden of our democracy by the roots. And that means prosecuting those with power who were close to Trump and wanted to overturn the election.
Indeed, heads need roll (figuratively speaking of course) and WE need remain ever outspoken and vigilant to the growing threat.
Though, imo, dictatorship was ALWAYS Trump's plan, from the start.
Which is precisely why he immediately appointed Cabinet heads (like Betsy DeVos) and other heads of government agencies whose ideologies were, in many instances, directly opposed to the goals and purposes those agencies were supposed to serve.
Trump's appointments were designed to weaken and undermine these agencies and departments, so that he'd have greater control over them.
It's also why he created the misnamed Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, Vice-chaired by Kris Kobach (no less) under the false claims of widespread "voter fraud" - so that he could get ahold of the personal information of EVERY VOTER IN AMERICA. To what ends one can only dread to imagine.
It's why he installed lackeys and yes men at every level of government - including the judiciary and at the Pentagon - many, just weeks before his departure (correction... REMOVAL).
And that's not nearly the half of it.
Throughout his maladministration, Trump praised foreign authoritarians, discredited our own intelligence agencies, undermined and/or ignored congressional oversight, obstructed or attempted to obstruct the Mueller investigation, covered up its findings, and then pardoned those convicted for same.
He attempted to subvert the 2020 election in ADVANCE, by promoting false accusations of rampant voter fraud and questioned the integrity of our election process - even to the point of floating the idea of delaying it, to further entrench his own power.
Bottom line is, Trump wants and has ALWAYS wanted to be a dictator - with the power to do "whatever he wants" as he so arrogantly asserts. When he frequently quipped "eight more years" and spoke of how wonderful Xi Jingping's "president for life" sounded, he wasn't "joking." Not at ALL.
He's shrewd, conniving, self-serving, dangerous, and means what he says, however despicably ABHORRENT. And you can take that to the bank. (Because he CERTAINLY will.)
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/13/2180919/-Trump-s-Fascist-America-Part-III-Democracy-In-Peril
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
