Editorial rights purchased from iStock. Photo by gguy44.
There was a time when policy differences could be used to differentiate between Republicans and Democrats. There was a time when Republicans played by the rules enshrined in our system of democracy. That time has passed.
Democrats can no longer afford to project their concepts of fairness and equality onto a Republican Party that doesn't believe in them.
Today, the Republican leadership of this country has only one goal: to maintain power at all costs — even at the expense of the financial and political stability of this country.
Democrats are problem solvers / Republicans are not
Democrats are problem solvers. They have historically found creative ways to address some of society's biggest challenges. Democrats brought us the New Deal, including Social Security and Medicare. They brought us the Civil Rights Movement and gave women the right to decide whether or not to have a child.
Democrats gave us the Affordable Care Act, providing healthcare for millions of previously uninsured people. And Democrats have been working on solutions to climate change as well as fighting to codify rights for LGBTIQ+ people and other minorities.
Republicans are not problem solvers. Republicans create problems so they can solve them and then use them as evidence to show what great problem-solvers they are.
For example, in the name of voting integrity, Republicans in 43 states have proposed 250 laws whose net effect will be to limit the number of voters who can legally vote. Proponents of these bills say they're necessary to instill voter confidence, but the lies of the Republican Party created this confidence deficit in the first place.
Democrats promote policies / Republicans promote lies
Republicans aren't running on platforms or policies that appeal to their constituents, so they must convince them that Democrats are evil. Their approach has been simple: they accuse Democrats of crimes so heinous they can't possibly be defended.
Take the accusations of treason against Speaker Pelosi made by QAnon supporters like Marjorie Taylor Greene. Greene has accused CNN of targeting her by citing some of her most outrageous posts, but these posts were found on Greene's social media accounts — everything CNN used in its reporting came from Greene's own words.
You may also recall that in the lead-up to the 2020 election, Trump's campaign gave up on policy entirely and focused instead on accusing both Biden and Pelosi of pedophilia and cannibalism. As absurd as these claims are, Republicans understand that once you get people riled up about child sex trafficking and baby eating, you have them where you want them.
Accusations are remembered even after they've been debunked
Republicans are not better at governing than the Democrats. But they are better at discrediting their opponents. Republicans don't let morals or truth inhibit their efforts to smear their political enemies or convince their constituents to vote against their best interests.
I'm talking about Republican leadership in this country — people like Kevin McCarthy and Lindsey Graham. These old-school operatives rely on the Old Boy Network, believe in keeping lists of other people's dirty secrets, and view every meaningful relationship as a vehicle for a quid pro quo of some kind. In other words, they operate like Trump.
Democrats want the freedom to be themselves / Republicans want the freedom to oppress others
Democracy is anathema to Republicans in leadership today. A true democracy does not support a ruling class that discriminates against those not born to their level of privilege.
There isn't a lot of personal freedom among the ruling class, however. You have to go along to get along. But the benefits are enormous. If you are not born into this elite group, there are other ways to gain entry—but you have to be willing to play by their rules.
You might work hard, get a scholarship, and end up at an Ivy League school where you meet the children of the rich and powerful. If you have potential value to them, you may be invited to participate in their privileged society at some level. But make no mistake, you will be discarded the minute your usefulness is in question.
Donald Trump was born into wealth and privilege. While considered a business failure by many, he used his media savvy to attract and cultivate those willing to defend him at all costs. Michael Cohen was one of those people. He was loyal to Trump and thought Trump was loyal to him. But when the Stormy Daniels scandal broke, Cohen became Trump's fall guy.
Now Trump is in the unenviable position of becoming the fall guy for the Republican Party. Even FOX TV has lost its appetite for promoting the twice-impeached disgraced ex-president.
Where does the Republican leadership turn to regain power if Trump is out?
They turn to Putin, of course.
The Republican plan takes a page from Putin's Playbook
On October 20, 2022, Dave Troy published an article on Medium titled Duty to Warn: The Coming Debt Limit Crisis.
In his piece, Troy outlines a detailed Republican plan to dismantle democracy by systematically disrupting various systems simultaneously. The goal is to create the kind of chaos that would allow Republican strongmen to take power regardless of who might win in the next election.
Troy believes that Republicans are planning to create financial chaos if they manage to gain seats in Congress during the 2022 midterm elections. He thinks they are willing to risk the full faith and credit of the United States of America in 2023 to ruin Biden's chances of a presidential victory in 2024. This is another example of Republicans creating a problem so they can pretend to solve it. First, they'll tank the economy while Biden is president, then blame him for the mess. Then they'll promise to fix it if a Republican president is elected.
The plan is solid if all that matters is keeping Republicans in power. But if what really matters is the economy — then you definitely don't want Republicans to take over Congress. Here's why.
Republicans have already threatened to refuse to raise the debt ceiling
They've done it before. They usually pretend it's all about fiscal responsibility — but it's not — it is irresponsible in the extreme.
Raising the debt ceiling doesn't create more debt — It is merely a tool for managing the debt we've already incurred. Refusing to raise the debt ceiling means the government is limited in how much it can borrow to pay off its current debt.
It's like saying I bought it but don't want to pay for it.
Or as Washington Post op-ed columnist Catherine Rampell puts it, "Refusing to raise the debt limit is like going to a restaurant, ordering the lobster and a $500 bottle of wine, and then declaring yourself financially responsible because you skipped out on the check."
Refusing to raise the debt ceiling jeopardizes the credit rating of the United States government. That may sound like a minor thing, but when the entire global financial system considers the United States government to be the safest investment on the planet, a lowered credit rating for the U.S. government affects everyone, everywhere. It won't matter much if, as in 2011 (the last time Republicans refused to raise the debt ceiling), the issue is resolved within a relatively short period — but what if it isn't?
McCarthy threatens reductions to Social Security and Medicare
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has already gone public with his strategy to use the debt ceiling negotiations to force Democrats to reduce benefits that Congress has already approved.
McCarthy's not the only one who's in on this scheme. Senator Ron Johnson suggested that Social Security and Medicare should be eliminated as permanent federal "entitlement" programs. Instead, Johnson thinks they should be considered "discretionary spending."
If Johnson gets his way, Social Security and Medicare benefits would have to be voted on every year, and there would be no guarantee that benefits would be equivalent from year to year. (I'm still trying to understand how something I paid into for over 40 years is considered an entitlement. It was supposed to be an investment in my future.)
If Republicans want to reduce Social Security and Medicare, they can present Congress with a plan for the proposed reductions, but they won't do that because they know they don't have the votes to pass it.
Once again, Republicans are trying to find a workaround to our system of democracy. Whether it's the votes of elected members of Congress or the votes of the American people in free and fair elections, Republicans have made it clear that what the people want isn't important.
Republicans threaten aid to Ukraine
Social Security and Medicare are not the only programs that will be at risk if Republicans gain control of Congress. Aid to Ukraine will also be in jeopardy if Republicans take the reins after the midterms.
Holding the debt limit hostage to achieve results that cannot be achieved through the appropriate process is tantamount to blackmail. But if Republicans take over Congress, what's to stop them?
Republicans cannot be trusted to tell the truth or to govern our country
Are we going to leave the future of our democracy in the hands of people who make up lies to discredit their opponents rather than create legislation that supports and protects the American people?
Will we risk the safety net provided by Social Security and Medicare so the elite ruling class can continue to grow their wealth while taking away the programs we’ve spent our lives paying into?
The upcoming midterm elections may be the last opportunity for your vote to count. If Republicans get their way, Republican state legislators will overturn any election results they disagree with. If that's not what you want, vote for Democrats. It may be your last chance.