“[The MAGA Republicans] embrace, embrace, political violence. They don’t believe in democracy.”
President Joe Biden, last night.
President Joeseph Biden, a friend of John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and many other reasonable Republicans, proved last night that he knows it would be unforgivable not to battle modern Republicanism with fire and fury. It is no less than “semi-fascism” in Joe’s words, but everyone understands that he could have used simple “fascism.”
Democrats have known that the Republican party, never mind the hardcore MAGA movement, embraced authoritarianism at least as far back as Trump’s Louis the XIV moment, “L’état, c’est moi.” Trump blatantly held critical Ukrainian policy hostage for his personal purposes. Trump said that he was free to do what he wanted under “Article II.” The GOP protected him through an obviously impeachable act and continued to protect him right up through his second impeachment. The Republicans sealed it when they refused to investigate January 6th, as fascist a decision as had ever been made to that point in U.S. government history. January 6th was just another highly charged policy debate between competing versions of the role of government, wiped away, “let’s forget about it and move on.”
And so the coup moves on.
It is their fascist instincts that allow the GOP to erupt in fury that the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago with a judicial warrant to collect files that Trump clearly had no right to hold and walked out with the exact files listed in the warrant. Biden had every right to call out the fascist tactic. From the Washington Post. (Link and Video Below)
President Biden on Thursday night launched a push toward the midterm elections with a fiery speech in Rockville, Md., in which he cast the Republican Party as one that was dangerously consumed with anti-democratic forces that had turned toward “semi-fascism.”
The Post noted it was extraordinary, coming from the moderate deal-maker. It went on to quote the President:
The MAGA Republicans don’t just threaten our personal rights and economic security,” Biden said, referencing former president Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan. “They’re a threat to our very democracy. They refuse to accept the will of the people. They embrace — embrace — political violence. They don’t believe in democracy.”
They don’t believe in democracy. Correct. And they are willing to admit it.
The road ahead is dotted with dangers to a democratic republic. There is the dangerous 12th Amendment case that four SCOTUS justices want in front of them, a case that turns on what was just a year ago a fringe and highly dangerous doctrine. Some extremists (Including possibly four on the SCOTUS) believe that the 12th Amendment’s poorly written portion allows a state legislature, not a statewide vote, to control the electoral college delegates sent to Washington. The legislature’s decision would not be subject to judicial review. Imagine 2020 with such a ruling in place. A state legislature could say that they believed the election was fraudulent and by their own vote, ignore the total vote and Biden win, sending Trump electors instead. Yes, that would be 100% legal.
Moreover, it was just a week ago that Joe Scarborough said that he spoke to a “pillar of Washington since the Reagan era,” (Just a guess, but think Chuck Grassley as the “type” Scarborough is referencing), and that pillar told Scarborough, “Joe, we can replace the American government.”
With what?
All signs point to fascism. Trump asserts ownership of Top-Secret files, he led a violent battle to stay in office, “They’re not here to hurt me,” “I need a favor, though,” “I have Article II, I can do whatever I want.” Now look at DeSantis’s control of Florida. Look at Putin’s control of Russia. Replace the American government?
Fascism, as called out by President Biden. The autocrat, L’état, c’est moi.
In fiery midterm speech, Biden says GOP’s turned toward ‘semi-fascism’ https://t.co/AIC3xBTJZe
— Post Politics (@postpolitics) August 26, 2022
[embedded content]
@JasonMiciak believes a day without learning is a day not lived. He is a political writer, features writer, author, and attorney. He is a Canadian-born dual citizen who spent his teen and college years in the Pacific Northwest and has since lived in seven states. He now enjoys life as a single dad of a young girl, writing from the beaches of the Gulf Coast. He loves crafting his flower pots, cooking, and currently studies philosophy of science, religion, and non-math principles behind quantum mechanics and cosmology. Please feel free to contact for speaking engagements or any concerns.