Republican Radicalization Against Democracy

Ohio Valley Militiamen

They say they are patriotic democrats, but their tactics are fascist

and their realities are fantasies

Some people believe the impeachment is a waste of time and/or energizes the ex-president's supporters. That makes no sense to me. If people do not try to defend democracy and the rule of law against what is now reasonably seen as a bigoted fascist, anti-democratic GOP, democracy and the rule of law just might be lost. Bigoted, corrupt fascism just might replace them. Those are the stakes. 

An article in The Atlantic argues that although the GOP is moderating on some policy issues in view of public opinion, it really is hardening against democracy in favor of something more reality-detached and authoritarian. The Atlantic writes:

The republican party is radicalizing against democracy. This is the central political fact of our moment. Instead of organizing its coalition around shared policy goals, the GOP has chosen to emphasize hatred and fear of its political opponents, who—they warn—will destroy their supporters and the country. Those Manichaean stakes are used to justify every effort to retain power, and make keeping power the GOP’s highest purpose. We are living with a deadly example of just how far those efforts can go, and things are likely to get worse.

And so the Biden era of American politics is shaping up as a contest between the growing ideological hegemony of liberalism, and the intensifying opposition of a political minority that has proved willing to engage in violence in order to hold on to power. This fight isn’t ultimately about policy, where the gaps are narrowing. It’s about whether the United States will live up to the promise of democracy—and on that crucial question, we’ve rarely been so divided.

In 2020, some hoped that the colossal failures of the Trump administration and the shocking catastrophe of the coronavirus would usher in a similar landslide, but those hopes were disappointed. If COVID-19 and Donald Trump didn’t manage to produce a decisive result, it is hard to imagine what would. With structural polarization and high levels of party competition, blowout electoral victories are no longer a realistic path to achieving change. Instead, political movements win by making the controversial things they’re pushing part of the consensus. (emphasis added)

The article goes on to argue that urban, well-educated liberals are dominant in society and "the commanding heights of American culture are largely occupied by their ideological foes." That argument does not ring true. It ignores the fact that most of the perceived differences in values, which as usual are not named, are largely manufactured by years of relentless, outrageous authoritarian propaganda and lies from the GOP and powerful conservative media leviathans (Fox, Sinclair Broadcasting, Cumulus Media, iHeartMedia). 

The differences in worldview and values would be much smaller if one took dark free speech out of the equation. Look at the first highlighted part of The Atlantic article. The author, Chris Hayes at MSNBC, understands that propaganda is the core of authoritarian conservative messaging. He just does not connect that fact with it being a source of social and political division based mostly on dark free speech (lies, deceit, ludicrous character assassination, baseless conspiracy theories, irrational emotional manipulation (fomented fear, anger, distrust, bigotry, etc.) and partisan motivated reasoning). That fantasy, not reality, is the main source of left vs. right differences.

The real fundamental difference is that conservative anti-democratic authoritarianism is pushing for concentrated power by suppressing elections and ignoring the rule of law and other democratic norms. The fascist right is trying to destroy democracy and the rule of law by calling it a patriotic attempt to save them. That is the most important basis of major left vs right differences. In my opinion, most of the differences are illusory. Even differences over abortion arguably are significantly or mostly illusory in view of the human condition and the power of dark free speech to distort reality.

Hayes ends his essay with this thought:

Yet the fight to democratize political power is precisely what is most necessary. Any progress toward that goal, any effort to push back against minoritarian control, will lead to bitter conflict. But there is no way to avoid that fight if we’re to defeat the growing faction that seeks to destroy majority rule. No substantive victories can endure unless democracy is refortified against its foes. That task comes first.

That makes a lot of sense. Centralization of political power by an intimidation[1] and propaganda-powered minority is the real threat.

Footnote:

1. The New York Times discusses the intimidation aspect of an armed, vocal GOP minority in an article, ‘Its Own Domestic Army’: How the G.O.P. Allied Itself With Militants:

Actions taken by paramilitary groups in Michigan last year, emboldened by President Donald J. Trump, signaled a profound shift in Republican politics and a national crisis in the making. 

Following signals from President Donald J. Trump — who had tweeted “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” after an earlier show of force in Lansing — Michigan’s Republican Party last year welcomed the support of newly emboldened paramilitary groups and other vigilantes. Prominent party members formed bonds with militias or gave tacit approval to armed activists using intimidation in a series of rallies and confrontations around the state. That intrusion into the Statehouse now looks like a portent of the assault halfway across the country months later at the United States Capitol.