Trump’s party operates contrary to responsible government
The recent USA’s 250th birthday celebration was frequently characterized by a recurring theme: “We are a nation divided.”
The implication is that opposing factions in this country are ideological, idealistic and inflexible, refusing to work together.
This theme often seemed to be regarded as self-evident and went unchallenged, just accepted as a lament about the state of our political system and culture and how the “two sides” have contributed to a dysfunction.
Political people need to stop accepting and repeating this. It's a distorted description of what is happening.
We do not have two conflicting factions. We have parallel factions, distinct and identifiable by their policies.
We have one group, including the Democratic Party, operating much as they have for decades.
We have another group, the Donald Trump Republican Party, operating contrary to responsible government on a scale not comparable to anything in our history. Abnormality has been normalized. Not all Republicans are intrinsically tied to what has happened to their party, but the vast majority have allowed the MAGA faction to succeed in holding them hostage.
The internal party rot was evident by the original Presidential nomination of a lifelong business failure, a man ignorant of even rudimentary history and government understanding.
After Trump’s first election, the rank and file swallowed their pride and integrity in order to reap the benefit of cult membership. After the second election, it was too late to revive their rectitude- they were drinking the Kool-Aid daily.
The result has been a cowardly acquiescence to corruption, ignorance, and incompetence. Also, we get repeated childish insults, profanity, vindictiveness, juvenile bragging, and just plain buffoonish behavior, all of which have tainted forever the dignity of the Presidency. It’s now just accepted that if Trump’s talking, it’s likely he’s lying. Have you heard much pushback or disavowal of that stuff?
If we are “two sides” creating our country’s problems, what is the equivalent activity by the other side that compared to Trump’s daily lunacy? The opposition is not without fault, but they’re obviously not “communists” or otherwise wildly unconventional. Only one side violently attacked the Capitol and pardoned the attackers.
The difference is self evident and it is self delusional to not see it.
Our crisis is not that we are a “nation divided”, competing with rational ideas. The crisis is that one side of that divide is acting outrageously, supported by followers being lied to and treated as fools.
Mike Levsen is a former Aberdeen mayor and regular contributor to The South Dakota Standard.
Photo: public domain, wikimedia commons
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