By Sid Schwab / Herald Columnist
Notwithstanding its faults — slavery, native American genocide, Japanese internment, misogyny, persisting racism, favoring the wealthy, the Electoral College — I’ve always believed America was a respected and trustworthy force for good in the world.
By votes of its people, it made efforts to correct those faults, showing the world that, unlike dictatorships, democracy’s ills can be self-healing.
Trump’s first election challenged those beliefs, but he’d lost the popular vote and, four years later, was rejected and ejected: beliefs restored. Then, despite Jan. 6, 2021, and his election lies, mishandling covid-19, and promises to punish anyone who’d challenged him, he was elected again, though more votes were cast against than for him. Now, only weeks into his second term, Trump’s America is, observably, no longer a force for good. Predictable from how he campaigned, America is siding with enemies, forsaking friends and the health of our planet. Once-true beliefs have become untenable. It’s hard to take.
Amidst a brave war for democracy in a land murderously invaded by a dictator whose enemies tend to become dead, America has switched sides. If it still existed, Trump would have us join the Warsaw Pact; his kind of people.
Knowing it can no longer count on us to stand for and protect freedom, the free world recoils. Trump’s besotted party, which once condemned Russia’s criminal dictator, now praises him. For reasons about which there’s speculation but — yet — no revelation, Trump has always done Putin’s will. Confirming the obvious, Russian state television’s Vladimir Soloviev just said it’s “no coincidence” that, after his conversation with Putin, “the phrases [Trump] is saying are so deep and so correct. They are in total alignment with the way we see things.”
MAGA is Trump’s most dangerous con job. Pretending to make America “great,” he’s blinded millions of gulliblized voters from seeing that he’s eliminating every aspect of its greatness, including standing for freedom around the world. People who’ve never understood or accepted the value of America’s founding principles see what’s happening and love it; trying to descale those eyes is wasted effort. But we’re approaching the point at which the machinery to bring the world’s greatest democracy back into being will have been dismantled forever. More people need to join those speaking out.
The need isn’t subtle.
Dictators have in common controlling all centers of power: first, the military and law enforcement, to make good on threats. Then the press, legislators, investigators, and judges. With no resistance from Republicans and willing capitulation by others (RawStory: tinyurl.com/jeffsaysno), Trump is remaking all of those entities, purging people who’ve stood for the Constitution, replacing them with his most loyal sycophants, guaranteed to do his bidding. Which they already are. The latest example: selecting as FBI deputy director former Foxer and current right-wing screamer Dan Bongino, who describes himself as “all about owning the libs.” For MAGAs, that’s all a resumé needs.
Thanks to America’s most hypocritical senator, Trump has our Supreme Court mostly in hand, too. And he’s been removing from office everyone whose job it is to keep the government from illegal overreach. The U.S. Army’s judge advocates general (JAG), there to keep the military within legal constraints; inspectors general, ethics overseers, and U.S. attorneys who’d been investigating him. Moving us further toward autocracy comes his delusional executive order granting interpretation of laws only to himself and his Attorney Genuflector. In their silence, Republicans, other than Alaska’s Sen. Lisa Murkowski, have purged themselves (Washington Post, no paywall: tinyurl.com/good4lisa).
MAGAs hear Trump refer to himself as “the King,” see the White House officially picturing him wearing a crown (Snopes: tinyurl.com/aking4u), and rejoice. “Command us, Your Majesty. We believe your promises, even as they go unfulfilled. Attack those we fear or hate and we’ll ignore the harm you’re doing, including to ourselves.” (Sick, but not sic.)
Ironically, the victim of the biggest con of all is Trump. The Project 2025 creators he’s hired have convinced him he’s in charge, encouraging his monarchical madness. Meanwhile, they’re getting him to implement their true agenda: erasing the vision of America’s founders, in which they’ve never believed, that individual freedom, defended by the law and by separation of powers, should be paramount in a democratic republic; that ultimate power resides with the people.
It’s starting to feel like this: Following Project 2025 page by page, the Projectors are securing their anti-American dream of a Christian nationalist theocracy, by and for only straight, white, native-born, wealthy males; limiting the vote, if they could, only to them. So certain they were of Trump’s malleability, they published their plan pre-election. With no pushback from them, free to use the presidency as an ego-fondling, tribute-providing ATM, Trump ceded to them the real power. Especially Elon Musk: boastfully, recklessly ruining lives, barely denting the federal budget, lying about reasons and results (New Republic: tinyurl.com/DOGElies2u); convincing MAGAs they’re seeing patriotism at work.
Time is short. Watch this speech by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Its truths are self-evident, its warnings a cri du couer: (YouTube: tinyurl.com/thegov4u). Stay for what begins 4 minutes in.
Email Sid Schwab at columnsid@gmail.com.
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