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Party First-ism – Our Fatal Mistake [1]

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Date: 2025-03-15

The end of America in 400 words

First it infected the Republicans, when they accepted Donald Trump because he had an established base of cultish lemmings. He could, and did, give them deep majority control of government. And they have dutifully bowed to him, claiming that it is “their party” that they are bound to. And now, they have found a way to force the Democrats to split their party, further limiting the power of congress to put any checks and balances on the Trump autocracy machine. First get the GOP in line. Then strip power from the opposition party, also in the name of party politics. Yep, working like a charm.

Where has Party First-ism taken us? To what end is this aiming? There is a well-known path toward fascism. Attack the media. Identify likely scapegoats, like the underprivileged and minorities, and target them (DEI hires). Target education. Eliminate the entire Department of Education. Target universities. Target all dissent. Destroy constitutionality. Usurp power and use it illegally, challenging the courts to try to keep up with your antics. Disparage judges and the justice system. Attack international relationships. Turn enemies into allies. Turn allies into enemies. Alienate the EU, NATO, and all democratic allegiances. Target the constitutional government, itself, for destruction. Avert the next inevitable threat of government shutdown by using the opposition party to do so, creating dissention within that party, weakening its power against you. With the opposition neutralized and the courts overwhelmed, push as much of your power grab as possible before the next midterm elections. Attach all of the blame for everything that is wrong, to the opposition party, so that the midterm elections have a good chance of continuing your power grab toward the fast-approaching autocratic dictatorship.

Party First-ism just might spell the end of the greatest democratic republic ever to exist on planet Earth. I am pretty sure the framers didn’t count on the people being stupid enough to do this to themselves.

It may be an over-reach to claim this for an entity such as rock-and-roll music, but the facts support the premise that the genre foretold what is happening today.

“The tyrant’s face is red.”

“The apples of the valley hold

The seeds of happiness.

The ground is rich from tender care.

“[But] The apples turn to brown and black.

The tyrant's face is red.

“The magic runes are writ in gold

To bring the balance back.

Bring it back. Bring it back. Bring it back.”

–Led Zeppelin, The Battle of Evermore

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