How the GOP abandoned democracy and became an accomplice to insurrection, and what must be done now.
That, of course, was not the end of
Adolf Hitler. America needs to remember that history if we want to preserve our
democracy from the right-wing forces rallied by Donald Trump today.
As Congress gathered to formalize
Trump’s election defeat, he and his extremist followers launched their own beer
hall putsch. “We will not take it anymore,” Trump told them. “You’ll never take
back our country with weakness, you have to show strength.”
With these words, Trump unleashed
the frenzied horde.
Hitler's failed 1923 coup - the Beer Hall Putsch
They breached the barriers around
the Capitol and fought their way in, brutally killing a police officer and
assaulting many others. They broke into offices, smashed windows, looted, and
forced Congress to cease its operations. Outside, they built a gallows.
Many rioters carried weapons and
some had plastic handcuffs. Their obvious goal: to take hostages and force
Congress to award Trump a second term.
Trump is responsible, but not him alone. The mob he sent had accomplices: a second mob of Republican officials who laid the groundwork by enabling Trump’s lies.
The second mob includes the eight Republican senators and 139 House Republicans who
voted against certifying Joe Biden’s election, as well as the 17 Republican attorneys general who supported
a bogus lawsuit to throw out the election.
Finally, it includes the Republican
office holders who refused to tell their voters the truth: Trump lost. There
was no “steal,” as 60 court rulings — including many by
Trump-appointed judges — unanimously concluded.
These Republican politicians knew this,
but they still insisted Trump be installed as president, confirming their
opposition to elections and hostility to constitutional democracy.
The second mob misled Republican
voters so well that 45 percent of them actually support the criminal attack on
the Capitol. Those tens of millions of people represent a potential mass base
for fascism.
So, what should we do?
First, Trump should be impeached, removed,
and charged with inciting a riot and other crimes. And criminal charges are
obviously in order for the terrorist violence committed by the first mob.
Experts also suggest expelling members of the second mob from Congress or boycotting them from public life.
Accountability is vital. But the
Democrats who will now control Congress and the White House must also double
down on efforts to restore and strengthen American democracy.
They should act swiftly to limit the
power of money in politics, restore the Voting Rights Act, and eliminate needless
obstacles to voting. And Washington, D.C. should be admitted as a state, so its
citizens have full voting rights and powers.
Finally, the Democratic Party must
fight to enact bold programs to deal with the massive problems Americans face —
from climate change to the pandemic to the declining living standards of
working Americans.
Half-hearted steps will only leave
ordinary Americans feeling that that government does not work, priming the pump
for more right-wing radicalization. But a full-throated campaign for real,
understandable change — even against Republican obstruction — can help
voters understand that democracy can work for them when it isn’t hijacked by
the super-rich and their servants.
The assault on the Capitol has
uncovered the true nature of right-wing Republican politics in America: a
thinly veiled war on constitutional democracy and majority rule. The way to
prevent the next authoritarian coup attempt is to build a robust democracy that
demonstrates it is responsive to the needs and interests of real people.
A slap on the wrist for the coup
plotters and a swift return to the status quo isn’t enough, as the beer hall
putsch should have taught us. We need a real commitment to reverse the erosion
of our democracy.
Mitchell Zimmerman is an attorney,
longtime social activist, and author of the anti-racism thriller Mississippi
Reckoning. This op-ed was distributed by OtherWords.org.