To the Editor;
The election of Joe Biden engendered optimism among some Progressives that Trump’s control over Republican legislators would diminish, facilitating a return to a more rational politics based on a respect for Constitutional principles and democratic processes. The hope was based on the assumption that most if not all Republicans continued to honor traditional Republican values such as a belief in small government, fiscal conservancy and a reverence for individual initiative. Recent events, however, have called this assumption into question.
The invasion of the Capitol revealed the extent of Trump’s control over his base who demonstrated their willingness to resort to violent insurrection at his instigation. A motley collection of fascists, white supremacists, neo-Nazis and deluded conspiracy theorists attempted to subvert a democratic election and threatened the lives of political opponents on the basis of Trump’s lies aided by crackpot internet speculation.
Such an overt attack on the foundations of democracy should have been met with comprehensive condemnation. It largely was—except for many right wing Republicans, most of whom had actively participated in the wrongful effort to overthrow election results. During Trump’s second impeachment, over 100 House Republicans continued to support his election lies and voted not to impeach him. Subsequently, only seven Republican senators voted to find him guilty of instigating an insurrection even in the face of overwhelming evidence.
Several state Republican Committees have censured the Senators who voted to convict Trump. Republican controlled state legislatures are currently engaged in crafting voter suppression legislation to preserve their control over state elections. House Republicans failed to censure Marjorie Taylor Greene, the harebrained Georgia Representative who has publicly supported the preposterous ramblings of QAnon and other bizarre conspiracy theories.
These events indicate that the Party of Lincoln has become the Party of Trump and is not likely to honor traditional values any time soon. They indicate that a fundamental social and economic divide now separates Republicans and Democrats and will continue to mark an era of political conflict. The Republican base is largely comprised of white, middle class working people living in the heartland and rural areas of other states. This group has chafed at the loss of well-paying blue collar jobs to globalization and technology that has resulted in the stagnation of working class wages while educated elites in coastal cities have prospered. The relative economic decline has generated a deep disdain for global and coastal elites by the Trump base accompanied by a resentment that they have been betrayed by politicians in both parties.
The Republican base also consists of a large and vocal group of Protestant fundamentalists (such as Evangelical Christians) who see coastal elites as morally debased and Progressive politicians as a threat to their religious values. The abortion debate clearly indicates this divide.
Additionally, this rural white working class views the influx of brown and black immigrants as a threat to their cultural and ethnic identity. As they see the U.S. becoming a majority minority country, they see themselves and their birthright being displaced and their culture being eclipsed.
The convergence of economic, religious and cultural concerns among the white rural working class has provided Republican demagogues with an aggrieved political base with disturbing characteristics. It has produced a populist movement based on a racist nationalism that harkens back to an idealized historical period (e.g. MAGA). It has elevated an authoritarian demagogue to its leadership and demonstrates an emotional and often irrational attachment to him. The invasion of the Capitol has demonstrated that it will resort to violence in the effort to achieve the political ends defined by its leader. You do not have to be a political scientist to recognize these characteristics. They are a textbook definition of fascism. A large faction of the Republican Party led by Donald Trump has become a fascist party. It should be recognized as such and seen as a threat to Constitutional, democratic governance.
Robert D. Russell, Ph.D.
Harrisburg, Pa.