As Trump’s massive lie of a stolen election started ricocheting throughout America in November 2020, Arizona’s Republican legal professional common, Mark Brnovich (pronounced “Burn-o-vich”), spoke out forcefully on nationwide tv. He instructed the general public that Donald Trump was projected to lose the swing state, and “no info” recommended in any other case. (On the time I believed to myself, “Good for him. Possibly extra Republican attorneys common will present some backbone.”)
That was then. Just lately, Brnovich – now operating for US Senate from Arizona – got here on to Steve Bannon’s far-right podcast with the alternative message: Brnovich mentioned he was “investigating” the 2020 vote and had “critical issues”. He went on: “It’s irritating for all of us, as a result of I believe everyone knows what occurred in 2020,” with out explaining what he meant by “what occurred.” (Bannon titled the podcast section “AZ AG On Interim Report On Stealing The 2020 Election.”)
It will be unhealthy sufficient had been Brnovich the exception. However he exemplifies what’s occurred to the Republican get together during the last 19 months. Republican politicians who initially instructed the reality have since then embraced Trump’s massive lie with a view to achieve Trump’s favor (or keep away from his wrath) of their 2022 races. (Brnovich launched his “evaluation” of the 2020 vote in Arizona in response to a broadly ridiculed “audit” commissioned by Arizona Republican lawmakers.)
It’s the identical story with JD Vance, Republican candidate for the Senate from Ohio, who initially instructed the reality in regards to the 2020 election however then pushed Trump’s deceive curry favor with Trump – and was rewarded final week with Trump’s endorsement and $10m in marketing campaign funds from rightwing billionaire Peter Thiel.
It’s the identical with the Home minority chief, Kevin McCarthy, who held on to his scruples for a couple of minutes after the January 6 revolt – when he publicly criticized Trump and instructed Home colleagues he’d urge Trump to resign – however then promptly did a 180 and traveled to Mar-a-Lago to show his complete loyalty to Trump, even bestowing on his insanity a jar of his favourite pink- and red-flavored Starbursts. (McCarthy has denied ever telling his colleagues he’d urge Trump to resign however was caught on tape doing simply that.)
And the identical for the Senate Republican chief, Mitch McConnell, who initially condemned Trump. Early within the morning of seven January McConnell instructed the New York Instances reporter Jonathan Martin (based on an excerpt launched this week from Martin’s and fellow reporter Alexander Burns’s forthcoming ebook): “I really feel exhilarated by the truth that this fellow [Trump] lastly, completely discredited himself. He put a gun to his head and pulled the set off,” including, “Couldn’t have occurred at a greater time.” McConnell vowed to crush the extremist “sons of bitches … within the major in 22”.
And now? McConnell received’t utter a unfavorable phrase about Trump – or about these extremist “sons of bitches”.
Up and down the ranks of the Republican get together, the brand new litmus check for gaining dollars, votes, and the coveted Trump endorsement is to embrace the massive lie that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.
For the remainder of us – and for posterity – it must be a unfavorable litmus check for politicians to position ambition over precept, narcissism over responsibility, and cowardice over conscience.
How are Republican voters ever to know the reality when these toadies, sycophants, and unprincipled pawns repeat and amplify Trump’s lie? Totally 85% of Republicans now consider it (35% of Individuals general consider it).
The Republican get together now stands for little greater than the massive lie – not for fiscal prudence or smaller authorities or stronger protection, not for state’s rights or non secular freedom and even anti-abortion, however for a pernicious deception. The lie is now the lifetime of the Republican get together.
How can what was as soon as a noble get together – the get together of Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt – descend to such putrid depths, sowing mistrust in our electoral system and within the peaceable transition of energy that’s on the coronary heart of democracy?
The true query – extra within the realm of social psychology than political science – is how one profoundly sick, pathologically narcissistic man, who's obsessive about by no means dropping, has been in a position to impose his obsession on one in every of America’s two political events?
Which raises an much more troubling query: How can American democracy ever perform when virtually all Republican politicians are prepared to promote out their oaths to the US structure with a view to kiss the derrière of this demented man? Why are not more than a handful of Republican politicians, corresponding to Consultant Liz Cheney, prepared stand as much as this monstrosity?
That is how fascism begins.
Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public coverage on the College of California at Berkeley and the creator of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Widespread Good. His new ebook, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Repair It, is out now. He's a Guardian US columnist. His publication is at robertreich.substack.com
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