The Tragedy of the Republican Party is America’s Tragedy

Republicans, including the ideologically driven justices who control the Supreme Court, have abandoned all pretense of wanting to preserve American Democracy. The court rejected without comment an emergency petition challenging the new Texas statute restricting abortion that is clearly unconstitutional under existing jurisprudence and empowers self-appointed vigilantes to enforce certain provisions and awards them of bounties for doing so. The law, setting compliant citizens against noncompliant ones, is straight out of the authoritarian playbook. In a no less contemptible exhibition of authoritarian tactics, Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader of the House, warned all the companies that were requested to supply relevant information and records to the House select committee investigating the January 6th insurrection that, if they complied with the committee’s request, Republicans would take revenge against them if they gained control of Congress in next year’s elections.

It’s evident beyond doubt that if Republicans gain control of Congress, they will exercise no restraint in seeking to undermine our democratic principles and institutions in an effort to subject our country to unshakeable long-term one-party rule.