There’s no denying I’ve been breathing easier, and had much more spring in my step, since Biden won Pennsylvania to become president-elect of the United States of America. In fact, I felt an enormous weight lift with that news, a feeling of oppression melt away, an oppression that’s been with me for four years, since the DTs first set in. (Who would have thought that one man could cause so much damage? In 1930’s Germany, sure. But not here. Surely.)
But has the nightmare really ended? DT hangs on, a child gripped by a tantrum; but is it just that? If only. He knows he’s lost—the whole world knows it—and still he continues to raise money, and to sow distrust of democratic elections. Is he planning a coup to stay in office? If you were planning a military coup, what’s the first thing you’d do? Probably remove defense leaders who were resistant to your autocratic authority. Check. Keep the top leaders of your political party in thrall because they fear your displeasure, and get them to act (to their eternal shame) as if nothing of significance had happened on election day. Check. Lie, lie, and lie some more. Check.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 rampages unchecked, and the presidential transition is obstructed, hampering the new administration’s ability to hit the ground running to bring Covid under control. It’s almost as if they want Biden to face the pandemic at its worst, the better to cast blame.
Note my choice of the word “they.” It’s not just DT, it’s the Republican Party (save for a brave few who have spoken up) that’s overwhelmingly complicit in this malevolent charade. It’s disgraceful; it’s unpatriotic; it’s unchristian; it’s treasonous, really; and it’s a very dangerous game they are playing with our democracy. The Cylons could not have done it better.
We may be more dependent on the honor and oath of our military command than we (or I, at any rate) imagined would actually happen in real life. The day may come when the generals will have to say No to their commander-in-chief when he orders them to choose between serving him, and serving the Constitution. I believe they are up to the challenge.
Meanwhile, we the people, if we want our democracy to survive, are going to have to be vigilant, indeed.
[Flag image by Brett Sayles]
Crystal
Wow, I couldn’t have said it better myself. No really, I couldn’t have. . .
Frances B Giuffre
Beautifully said, Jeff. I totally agree Fran
Jeffrey A. Carver
Thanks, guys!
Reg Caton
Scary times. PBS is running a series of how the Nazis’ came to power. Their rallying cry – “Make Germany Great Again”.
Sound familiar.
Reg Caton
jeffreyacarver
Sounds like an interesting series, Reg. What’s the name of the show? And yeah… MGGA sound like MAGA with a stutter.
Reg Caton
It’s called “Rise Of The Nazis” . It’s on PBS and goes back to the very beginning in1930 when Germany was a liberal democracy.
Only episode 1 has been aired out here in the Pacific NW. and it is totally absorbing. Iwas born in London in 1940 and I thought I knew something about it. I didn’t know the half.
Cheers,
Reg
jeffreyacarver
Yes, I see just one episode has aired so far: https://www.pbs.org/show/rise-nazis/. I’m going to check it out.
David Oliphant
You’re a sick man Jeffrey.
jeffreyacarver
I’m not the one lying and undermining faith in the system to hang onto power, David.
David a Oliphant
That is the democrats, the party of the trail of tears racism, slavery, jim crow, segregation Jeffery.
Jeffrey A. Carver
Clearly you haven’t been paying attention, David. The party that supports racism, homophobia, and all the rest is the Trump party. Formerly the Republican party. Which once had some integrity, but hasn’t for quite a number of years now. And everything Trump has been doing is so similar to what Hitler did in Germany that anyone who’s paying attention has to be worried for our democracy.