The GOP Is Now the Sedition Party
We are three days into the new year and the Republican Party has already reached new heights in their quest to undermine democracy.
On the 1st, Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas (and others) filed a lawsuit to try and expand the vice president’s authority to overturn the results of the election on the 6th. When the suit was dismissed because Gohmert had no legal standing in this matter, he went on TV and insinuated that the only option left for pro-Trump protesters was to go out on the streets and be “as violent as antifa and BLM”.
On the 2nd, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas led a group of ten other U.S. Senators in opposition of certifying the electoral college results in Congress, which is (again) set to occur on the 6th. The move was met by outrage, not just from Democrats, but from some (not all) Republicans as well. These eleven GOP senators join Sen. Josh Hawley, who had previously announced his objection to certifying the results as well.
And on the 3rd, a recording was leaked of a phone call between Donald Trump and Brad Raffensperger, Secretary of State of Georgia. In the hourlong phone call, Trump attempts to “subtly persuade” (read: pressure) Raffensperger to give him over 11,000 votes to put him ahead of Joe Biden, his opponent. “I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,” he tells the Secretary of State. And he suggests that criminal prosecution may be in store for the Secretary if he does not comply.
Once again, the president has displayed his willingness to bend the rules for his own electoral benefit, and his party has proven its willingness to bend to his will. It is clear that the Republicans are no longer bound to the Constitution; rather, they’re bound to Trump and their electoral prospects. They are willing to endanger the democratic institutions of this country just to please their leader.
That cannot be allowed to stand. The Democrats have won the presidency, kept control of the House, and they could regain narrow control of the Senate. They must fight this. The GOP has become the party of sedition; they are actively trying to overturn a legitimate election, and Trump has committed at least one impeachable offense in the process. So the Democrats must act: impeach the president again, expel seditious members of Congress if necessary, prosecute Trump for his crimes when he is out of office. The GOP is no party of “law and order”, but the Democrats can restore law and order yet.
It isn’t even a question of retaliation or bitterness, it’s a question of keeping democracy safe. Donald Trump may not be a very competent fascist dictator, but someone else could come along, more competent than he; and they would have a playbook to follow and improve upon. Therefore, the Democrats must swiftly work out the problems in our system, before the time comes.
