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Whether most Americans realize it or not, we’re all in the middle of another plot by Donald Trump to sabotage American democracy. But there were two important political events last week fighting back to protect democracy in the U.S. and around the world.
The first was President Biden’s impassioned speech to the nation linking steadfast U.S. support for Israel to defend itself from the terrorist attack by Hamas with America’s continuing assistance for Ukraine to repel Russia’s military invasion.
Biden laid out the parallels: “Hamas and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin represent different threats, but they share this in common. They both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy.”
Protecting each nation is vital for America’s own security, Biden said. “History has taught us when terrorists don’t pay a price for their terror, when dictators don’t pay a price for their aggression … they keep going, and the cost and the threats to America and the world keep rising.”
Wider World Wars?
Biden is right, of course, and a majority of Americans in both political parties support the president’s efforts to prevent the attacks on Israel and Ukraine from spiraling into wider world wars in the Mideast and Europe. So do both Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate.
Unfortunately, the dysfunctional Republican majority controlling the House of Representatives is no longer capable of carrying out its most basic governmental functions. Three weeks ago, a small group of ultra-rightwing House Republicans fired House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The House has been unable to elect a leader ever since to conduct any business.
Here's what should be obvious to everyone by now. That’s exactly what the radical MAGA Republicans targeting McCarthy intended to accomplish. McCarthy was thrown out of the speaker’s office because he refused Trump’s demand the House shut down the federal government to sabotage Biden’s presidency.
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Trump had his own successor ready to replace McCarthy—Jim Jordan, the ex-president’s rabid House attack dog who worked tirelessly spreading Trump’s election lies and creating imaginary reasons to impeach Biden. Jordan stayed in phone contact with Trump throughout the violent insurrection updating the vote in the House to throw out Biden’s electoral votes.
But not even the fear of Trump’s wrath by cowardly Republicans could prevent Jordan’s defeat for speaker on three straight ballots by more votes each time. It also was the first positive sign elected Republicans are sick of being threatened not just with political opposition but real violence for failing to pay sufficient tribute to Trump.
Extreme Rhetoric
The extreme political rhetoric of Trump and the worst MAGA Republicans like Jordan have always been steeped in anger, hatred and violence. It’s grown even worse ever since the Republican party gave a pass to Trump for sending his violent mob of political supporters to chase both Republicans and Democrats through the halls of the Capitol running for their lives to try to stop elected officials from certifying Biden’s election.
It was only natural for Jordan and other ultra-MAGA extremists to resort to the same violent tactics to install their most disruptive member as House Speaker to keep democracy in turmoil throughout 2024. Trump has convinced Republicans that voters will blame Biden for all the chaos in government they’re causing. If that doesn’t work, maybe the next violent Republican insurrection will succeed.
There’s another far more positive scenario for democracy, of course. It’s based on the fact a majority of American voters already know how dangerous Trump and his violent supporters are. That’s why Democrats have won political victories in three straight national elections ever since Trump was elected in 2016.
The continuing threat to U.S. democracy from Trump’s grip on Republican primary voters combined with the dangerous and deadly conflicts in Israel and Ukraine call for Biden’s stable American presidential leadership, not Trump who more closely personifies a raging bull in a China shop.
The longer the unmanageable Republican chaos in the House continues—and at this moment there’s no end in sight—the longer it puts in jeopardy the elections of 18 House Republicans in congressional districts that voted for Biden in 2020. Those House Republicans are sometimes humorously referred to as moderate Republicans, but moderation is no longer tolerated by MAGA Republicans.
That’s why most of the so-called moderate House Republicans voted for Jordan, one the most vicious, diehard enemies of politically compromising with Biden and Democrats in congressional history. It also increases the likelihood Republicans will lose their four-vote majority in the House in 2024.
2024 will be the last time either Biden or Trump will be presidential candidates. If Biden’s reelected, he’ll continue to restore the damage to our democracy from the previous president, stand up for democracies around the world and serve as a bridge to the next generation of progressive Democrats.
You already know what Trump will do. Save the Republican party by defeating Trump’s plot to destroy it.
