The upending of democracy

The Jewish Democratic Council of America stated "Yesterday, President Trump used Nazi terminology to praise Henry Ford, a known anti-Semite who was awarded the Nazi Party’s Grand Cross of the German Eagle in 1933. Speaking before a group of Ford employees, Trump started his remarks by praising Ford’s “good bloodlines. "This language was used by Hitler to target Jews in the Holocaust. Since then, the theory of “bloodlines” or eugenics, has been used by white nationalists to legitimize anti-Semitism, racism and other forms of bigotry and hatred.  Given his ongoing emboldening of anti-Semitism and white nationalism, we are deeply concerned, but not surprised, that President Trump chose to invoke a Nazi theory to praise an anti-Semite. In response to his vile and dangerous words, we have some words of our own – enough." 

A film of interest is an HBO production entitled "The Plot Against America" as described in the following synopsis: "Characters live in an alternative history in which Franklin D. Roosevelt was defeated in the U.S. presidential election of 1940 by Charles Lindbergh."  It is a film of fiction but presents a narrative that easily could have happened in Depression era America of the 1930's.  The name of Henry Ford, well known in antisemitic circles and by historians of that era and our present one, is included in this too-close-for-comfort work of fiction. It is also very much about the Jewish experience in America during that period. It should chill you as it did me for its eerie similarity to the right wing extremist Trump era of our time.  It can happen here.

A "Study: White Supremacist Groups Are ‘Thriving’ On Facebook, Despite Extremist Ban""With many Americans vulnerable to fascist ideologies during the pandemic, the study warns, Facebook could be fertile ground for recruitment."

The following is a short -- yes, a short -- list of groups on the fanatical right wing fringe: American Nazis, Proud Boys, Aryan Nations, Atomwaffen Division,  The Daily Stormer,National Socialist German Workers Party (Nebraska), White Aryan Resistance,Church of Jesus Christ Christian, American Confederate Knights of the Ku Klux Klan to name but a few. There are many many more.

"Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or related ideologies. Common aspects of modern-day neo-Nazism include hatred or fear of minorities such as blacks, Hispanics, lesbian, gay, and transgender people, non-white immigrants, and sometimes even Christians, but their main hatred is focused on the Jews." To be on the fringe of right wing extremist thought barely registered a historical look but since Trump these noxious hateful groups receive credibility from him.

Trump has also upended the balance of power our Founders Constitutionally expressed creating a division of power between three coequal branches of government -- the legislative (the Founders placed as the first branch), executive and judicial branches.  The Founders' goal was to have power disbursed through these three coequal branches and not entrenched in an all powerful unitary executive or a king.

I believe the Founders would be horrified to see the dismantling of our democracy by Trump and his allies in Congress as well as his group of steadfast supporters he calls his base to which his extremist views are forwarded.  He has done this through numerous executive orders, the firing of numbers of neutral Inspectors General formed after Watergate to supervise agencies against corruption, he has inordinately claimed executive privilege thereby denying Congress its subpoena power, refused to submit his taxes for congressional review through a 1924 law that gives the House Ways and Means Committee authority to demand returns.  He put in power attorney general William Barr who has become the president's lackey and his own personal advocate in the genus of Roy McCarthy-era Cohn.  He rules through bullying and intimidation of his perceived opposition firing many.  He has even placed a chill on physicians and medical experts dumbing them down, silencing the once excellent Centers for Disease Control in the middle of a pandemic, intimidating virologist experts and denying the truth of science.  Internationally he has insulted allies and threatened to undo a relationship with WHO (World Health Organization) whose valued expertise is so needed to confront the COVID-19 pandemic. He has advocated for a dangerous drug in which his family holds stock. He has threatened to withhold aid from states if they vote by mail which he constitutionally cannot do. There are, of course, many more instances of Trump's subversion of democracy.  

Cruelty and stupidity rule the day in Trump world. Yesterday's extremist clap trap is today's viable occupant in the panoply of ideas.   A lady once asked Benjamin Franklin what type of government the Founders created.  He answered "A republic if you can keep it." Keep it we must.   VOTE BLUE UP AND DOWN THE TICKET TO SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY!