Republicans have shown their stripes
The Republican Party doesn’t believe in the rule of law. They believe in Trump's rule, which is conditional because it comes at the expense of personal freedoms. Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat describes this process as “moral deregulation.”
This devolution means people give up their rights, bit by bit, to a cultist leader who demands obedience and loyalty.
Trump’s version of authoritarianism is cruel, conditional and vindictive. He cultivates and rewards people for their obedience and punishes those who disagree, often at the expense of their freedom, ethics, and Social Security.
Take, for example, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who first claimed Trump was a “con artist” and has broken the law. He then confessed fealty to Trump, who made him Secretary of State. Or Josh Hawley, who feared for his life from Trump-inspired insurrectionists on January 6, only to become a Trump cheerleader.
Many wouldn’t recognize the “new” Marco Rubio or the “enlightened” Josh Hawley. The list of Trump sycophants is exhausting because it now includes a spineless political party incapable of objecting to Trump’s outrageous behavior.
In 2016, two months after he bragged he “could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and wouldn’t lose voters,” he began changing the collective behavior in favor of violence and cruelty. “Part of the problem…is nobody wants to hurt each other anymore.”
The strongman aims to make supporters fear and descend to his level. Permitting Republicans to be their worst selves became the key to his indoctrination of the party.
Trump’s authoritarianism has created a “moral collapse” in our American society. It’s how Vladimir Putin and Victor Orban convinced people in Russia and Hungary to take part in acts of violence, corruption, and sabotage against their fellow countrymen.
By abandoning the rule of law, Trump supporters ingratiate themselves. Their “might makes right” philosophy has little time for the downtrodden and underprivileged. Ethics, honesty, and the rule of law become quaint. Allying with dictators while creating fear has become the condition for greatness.
The insurrection on January 6 pushed the Republicans into a full-blown state of moral collapse. Republicans couldn’t accept that their leader would unlawfully attempt to overturn a free and fair election.
Trump’s “rigging” of the 2020 election became easier to justify, and the lie about a stolen election was easier to explain than justifying how the leader of their party tried to overthrow our democratic republic. Violence and subterfuge became the accepted means to achieve power.
Prejudices, vindictiveness, and greed replaced ideas. Once the Party accepted this rationale, supporting Trump was the result. Republicans have shown their stripes. Unless patriotic Americans stand up for the rule of law, the party of Lincoln will end up in the dustbin of failed states.
David R. James MA, PhD History, Eureka, Montana