Those arrested for participating in the January 6th, 2021, attack on the Capitol are not "heroes," or "hostages," or "prisoners of war." Those who beat policemen, broke windows, destroyed property, defecated on desk, and run through the building seeking to find Mike Pence to hang are not heroes. Sure, there may have been some who got caught up in the moment and followed the mob into the Capitol and just stood by and watched. Even being caught up in the moment and following the mob does not make you someone to be honored. The purpose of the riot was to prevent the counting of the electoral college votes. The purpose was to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. In my book, engaging in a riot to prevent the peaceful transfer of power makes you a traitor not a hero. Survive it to say, I will not be attending the Williamson County Republican Party Mix and Mingle.
If Tennessee had party registration, I would have to change my registration from "Republican" to "independent." I have been a Republican all of my life and not just a casual Republican. I have worked in campaigns, worked the polls, stuffed envelopes, made phone calls and gave money to Republican candidates and the various branches and subsets of the Republican Party. Having been an active Republican for so long it is hard to stop being one. However, the people I supported and admired would not be welcome in today's Republican Party. I still believe in the things I have always believe in. I am for a strong national defense and America's leadership role in the world and collective security. I believe in limited government. I believe in a market economy and free trade. I believe in fiscal responsibility. And, I believe in the rule of law and I support the constitution. Unfortunately, I do not think the Republican Party of Donald Trump believes in those things anymore.
I don't know what the future holds for the Party. I fear those who favor some sort of Fascist-like authoritarian regime who favor the popular will over constitutionalism are in firm control. Also, there is a Trumpian intellectualism that influences Republican thought that says democracy has failed, that thinks "traditionalism" and "historicism" are more important factors than American idealism based in natural law and the ideas of the enlightenment. Rather than looking to John Lock, they look to Leo Strauss for philosophical guidance. There are thinkers who say liberal democracy has been a failure.
Maybe the Trump cult will fade and the Party will return to being the party it has been since the end of WWII until the advent of Trump. Maybe this is a phase that will pass. Unfortunately, I am less convinced of that than I was a year ago. Even if Trump loses, I am not sure the Party will return to its past. There are now a set of ideas that have taken hold in the party. There is a farm team of elected officials to continue Trumpism. And, the philosophy of populism and variants of thought such as national conservatism are in ascendance.
Of course, in a system like ours with only two significant parties, when one party changes radically that causes the other party to change also. Extreme liberalism gave rise to neoconservatism. We may see something similar happen to the Democrat Party or we may see the rise of a viable centrist party. Time will tell. In the meantime, I am a political person without a political home. Like I said, I won't be attending the Williamson County Republican Party Mix and Mingle.
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Rod, I agree, the Republican Party (our country!) is in a sad state when rioters are celebrated.
ReplyDeleteWhile I completely understand the sense of alienation, I still look at the GOP as MY party that got hijacked, kidnapped, or whatever. The scary part is that with a hijacking there is a chance the owner will get his car back. Like you, I fear the future of this party doesn't give us that kind of hope. I think there is SOME chance in that when the cult leader is gone I don't believe there is anyone for the cult to cling to, no queen bee to keep the hive together.
But the ideological orientation has also shifted: (1) NATO doesn't have the automatic support it once did here; (2) Ukraine (and for that matter, Taiwan; Israel?) is without substantial Republican support; (3) economic nationalism has a home in what has been the party of free markets. So your position is well-grounded - do we "Reagan conservatives" still have a home, a party? While I think there is still a pretty good movement infrastructure (think Hoover Institution, AEI, Hudson Institute, NR, Commentary magazine), do we have a party? And the line between the nationalists and the fringe has grown fuzzier.
Great piece, Rod!