Hopeful Signs

 

This summer has brought us hopeful signs for justice and democracy in our country.

The U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol has done an excellent job in establishing the factual narrative of Trump’s coup.

The sworn testimony from Trump’s own people confirms his intent to strong arm state officials and the Justice Department into corrupting the election. They reveal his plan to send illegal electors and his House toadies to overturn the election.

And chillingly, they also reveal his personal attempt to lead his armed mob to storm the Capitol.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has finally made it clear the Justice Department is actively investigating Trump and his inner circle of seditionists.

This is all good news, but we still have a long way to go.

There must be indictments and convictions for the guilty. If there are no severe consequences for their crimes and abuses of power, their fascist inclinations will only be encouraged. The groundwork for someone worse than Trump will be set.

The rest is up to we the people. Americans need to wake up to the radical Right’s ongoing war on our democracy and rule of law. We cannot let any of them be above the law.

This can only happen if the Republican Party is defeated soundly for siding with Trump and party over Constitution and country.

American fascists will prevail if we fail in any of three critical fronts in defending our republic.

1. Trump must be indicted and convicted.

2. Massive voter turnout is needed to assure the Republicans lose seats in 2022.

3. Massive voter turnout in 2024 will be needed to assure Democratic control of Congress and the White House.

Then we can talk about expanding the Supreme Court, enforcing a code of ethics, and impeaching the corrupt perjurers and insurrectionist Justices.

Even after jumping these hurdles, we must never forget the threat of fascism is always lurking in our radicalized Right.

Trump just emboldened them to come out of the woodwork.

Americans need to understand the struggle against fascism will never end, because its racist authoritarian roots run deep in our culture.

We defeated General Lee, but the racism and treason of the Confederacy still poison our Union.

We defeated Hitler and Mussolini, but Nazis and fascism still infect our population.

This is because radical Right propagandists keep religious, low-information white people as ignorant, misinformed, and frightened as possible. Gullible white Evangelicals make excellent sheep for fascism. It’s a good sign that some of them are finally turning from Trump, but they will always be the Republican base.

Trump's "I love the poorly educated", reveals their game plan. A powerful propaganda network still agitates, frightens, enrages, indoctrinates and deludes the radical white Right.

It boils down to our one last hope for democracy and human decency.

The Republican Party must be defeated and dishonored for their loyalty to Trump and their enthrallment with Trumpism. They must be defeated and dishonored for their embrace of the Big Lie, and their war on voter rights and fair elections.

There are cracks in the dam. Elderly voters are abandoning the Republican Party. Younger people are opening their eyes to the looming threats to their future.

We need more Republicans to find their conscience and learn what real patriotism is. They need to learn that Trumpism, voter suppression and partisan control of elections are the antithesis of patriotism and our experiment in a democratic republic.

If justice is not done, and we fail to unite and vote with most Americans in this cause, then we have only seen the beginning of a great darkness that will cover our land.

We did it last election. Let’s do it even better this year.