Taking It To Extremes
– By Ed Kociela –
I have heard a lot of arguments against extremism, usually ending with the statement “on both sides.”
It is an accepted way to position oneself as a peacemaker, the one tossing a life preserver to those washed to sea by the political tsunami that, let’s face it, has consumed all of us.
The chasm was wide to begin with but has grown to epic proportions so no, we cannot all just get along. At least not now.
So, it is time to identify the source of this extremism.
It has boiled over from the far right and infected a fair number of formerly sincere Republicans.
It was not the Democrats who made obscene remarks about women.
It was not Democrats who refused to divest from personal business interests once in office, continuing to milk suspicious cash cows.
It was not the Democrats who requested help from Russia to dig dirt during an ugly political campaign.
It was not the Democrats who floated baseless conspiracy theories about a pandemic that destroyed so many lives and offered unproven cures, rejected masking, and stalled legitimate efforts to fight it.
It was not the Democrats who falsely claimed fraud and irregularities in our voting system and perpetuated the Big Lie that the 2020 election was fixed.
It was not the Democrats who found kind words for a group of White Nationalist thugs spewing hate at a Charlottesville rally.
It was not the Democrats who supported, encouraged, probably even financed the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. capitol and Congress.
It was not the Democrats who stole classified documents from the White House and kept them hidden away at a private residence.
It was not the Democrats who supported the preposterous claims of a rigged election just to stay on the good side of the party’s standard bearer.
And, it is not the Democrats who continue a dangerous assault on our nation and all it stands for as they continue to press the notion of an illegal election, the former president most recently suggesting a suspension of the Constitution so he could be installed as president.
So, no, it is not an act of extremism to oppose Donald Trump, the grand perpetrator of these events. In fact, it is patriotic to stand up against Trump and his followers who would trample the Constitution to illegally retain power.
Some of us saw it a long time ago. For me, the moment of pure clarity came when the former returned from COVID-19 to suggest unproven, ludicrous treatments and took a dramatic Benito Mussolini stance from a balcony on the White House. I had pretty much fallen into that camp that this guy is off his rocker, but the attempt at absolute authoritarianism came in that singular moment. The steely eyes, the stiff body language, the pompous attempt at regal display cemented it for me.
For those who find it difficult to believe, here is what the former president said most recently:
“A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” he wrote on a rightwing social media site as he pleaded for a return to the White House.
It is the sound of a tinhorn strongman, an authoritarian, a dictator.
Now, that is extremism, dear reader. That is a direct attack at a political coup, a plea to shred the document that has shaped this nation, the desperate act of a desperate man.
Do you really believe even Trump believes this stuff?
Of course not.
But, in his twisted mind he sees it as a means to support his claim that the numerous criminal investigations involving him, his presidency, and his business ventures is a conspiracy, a personal attack aimed at stripping his social and financial standing. It is a way to divert attention from his mounting criminal woes and a way to make himself out to be a martyr. Be it known, Donald Trump is not a martyr. He is a narcissist in constant need of admiration with a total disregard for others’ feelings, owning an over-arching sense of entitlement and unable to handle any form of criticism.
This goes far beyond dirty politics. In fact, I would prefer watching a good old-fashioned mud-slinging contest to the sinister acts perpetrated today by the far right and sustained by those too embarrassed to admit that they were duped, caught up in a movement whose seeds were planted by a doddering old man in the 1980s and advanced by those who mistakenly believed Iraq was to blame for the Sept. 11 attacks, justifying a lengthy war that cost much in lives and treasure, then gained momentum on the backs of a witless Alaskan governor and Joe the Plumber. In between, of course, we elected our first African-American president, which sparked anger on the right and inspired a season of White Nationalists and their ilk.
It is not extremism to oppose this lunacy, to expose this man who once took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. Such oaths, you surely must know, do not end when you leave the office or, as a matter of fact, your military station.
It is a wonder how Trump can maintain his hold over the GOP. What sort of blackmail must he have on Mitch McConnell, Ron DeSantis, Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, and the others? There may be a Trump base they do not want to offend, but remember, Trump has never ever won a popular vote. In fact, the last election, more people voted against him than any other candidate in the history of the United States. Yet, he abides and moves as if he holds a clear voter mandate. Let us be clear on that. He does not. Not even close. And after years of investigation, there is not a single shred of evidence that the 2020 election was stolen from him. It makes all of this fealty to the former president even that much more difficult to understand.
Predictably, we are still waiting for the tall dogs of the Republican Party to step up and condemn Trump’s latest mind-boggling statement.
I would not hold my breath, however.
They might be afraid of being called extremists.
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