Republicans and America’s Future

A recent poll shows that about two-thirds of Republicans –– a sizable segment of the population –- say that it’s important for Republicans to be loyal to Trump. This is like saying it’s important to be loyal to the devil: Trump favors spreading the Big Lie that the election was stolen from him, instigating an insurrection when the occasion presents itself, pressing for phony audits of election results, spreading false conspiracy theories, and every other means possible in an effort to convert our form of government from a Constitutional democracy to authoritarian one-party rule.

Until recent years, with the exception of a tiny percentage of he population, all Republicans and all Democrats revered our democracy and our form of government. That’s what all the flag-waving and the Fourth of July celebrations are supposed to be about. That’s what, despite all its flaws and acrimony between political parties, made America an exceptional country, a shining beacon of democracy.

Adoption of the authoritarian ethos by one of our two great political parties and a substantial portion of the population, abetted by a substantial portion of the media, is a development that has already caused our country immeasurable damage and may wreck it completely.