Every time I think that today’s Republican party dominated by Trump maniacs has gone as low as it’s possible to go, the gang proves me wrong. They reach new depths in their downward assault on American values and democracy.
This past week it was the Tennessee legislature. Apparently, it wasn’t enough to respond to children being murdered in their schools by instead focusing on the danger of drag story hours. No, they had to find a way to show they were against first amendment rights, democratic debate and black people in one fell swoop.
For those who somehow missed it, the Tennessee GOP-led legislature rammed through the expulsion of three Democratic legislators for having the temerity to show their support for gun control legislation during a public demonstration at the legislature. They dared to continue talking using a bullhorn after the GOP leader cut off their mikes. The charge: lack of decorum and breaking of house rules. Never mind how the GOP leaders themselves misused parliamentary maneuvers to suspend rules and call the question. Then these legislators capped it all up kicking out only the two black legislators and not their white female fellow demonstrator. Uh, what exactly was the difference?
Unfortunately, there’s nothing unusual or unexpected about what happened in Tennessee. In Wisconsin last week, voters loudly (by an 11% margin) voted for the liberal supreme court judge candidate over the anti-abortion, gerrymandering-supporting conservative. The immediate response of the Republican hierarchy of the state was to suggest impeaching the new judge before she had even served one day in office. So much for democracy. But what can you expect from a party whose candidate was an architect of the plan in Wisconsin to substitute Trump-supporting electors for the real ones back in 2020?
Down in our less-than-favorite state of Texas, a Trump-appointed judge basically ruled by fiat for the entire country. In his desire to outlaw abortion everywhere, he threw out the authority of the FDA to approve drugs—in this specific case, a drug that was first approved in the USA over 20 years ago and which has been widely approved and used around the world for years longer. And I thought Republicans were against activist judges.
Then there’s that Florida guy named DeSantis. (For once, I agree with a Trump sobriquet: Ron DeSantis is sanctimonious, as well as a sore loser.) When he didn’t like that Disney disagreed with his far-right policies, he sought revenge by taking back authority from a key board controlling Disney World land policies. Disney in its own sleight-of-hand basically had that board give up its powers, leaving the score Disney, one, DeSantis, zero. Now, in his typical bullying way, DeSantis is threatening to levy taxes and tolls that would only affect Disney World.
What is so odd is that Disney is one of the key supporting pillars of Florida’s economy. This fight truly does feel like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
But isn’t that what the GOP has become? Angry white Christian men—eager to push their agenda on women, people of color, and anyone displaying any diversity in sexuality, religion or belief—and quick to pout and scream and retaliate when they don’t get their way.
One can only hope that the other news of the week featuring a glowering Trump under indictment in a Manhattan courthouse portends the fate of all legislators, governors, judges and cultural grand poohbahs who have so little interest in serving the common good. We don’t deserve you and we don’t want you.
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