MAGA Republicans Are A Threat To Our Democracy

[Rick Plant]

'Mastriano's motives are frightening because they are pure' Ex GOP veteran sends a warning

In Pennsylvania, the gubernatorial campaign of Republican nominee Doug Mastriano has been a major source of anxiety to Democrats as well as Never Trump conservatives. State Sen. Mastriano, a Christian nationalist and conspiracy theorist who believes the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump, is even to the right of Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — and he believes that Pennsylvania Republicans should be able to simply throw out any election results they don’t like.

One of Mastriano’s critics on the right is veteran conservative columnist George Will, an ex-Republican who has no use for former President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. In a September 25 column for the Washington Post, Will lays out some reasons why Mastriano is not only dangerous for Pennsylvania, but also, for the United States on the whole. According to Will, Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race is “the 2022 election that poses the most risk to the nation.”

“Suppose voters pick the Republican candidate, Doug Mastriano,” the 81-year-old Will warns. “And suppose that late in the evening of November 5, 2024, Gov. Mastriano thinks Pennsylvanians picked the wrong person to receive the state’s presidential electoral votes. Today, candidate Mastriano promises that, as governor, he will have the executive power, and a mandate, to intervene, thus plunging the nation into chaos.”

One thing that separates Pennsylvania from other states is the fact that its governors, not voters, pick the secretary of state — or as it’s called in the Keystone State, “secretary of the commonwealth.” The Democrat who currently holds that position in Pennsylvania is Leigh M. Chapman, who was chosen by Democratic two-term Gov. Tom Wolf.

“A member of the House of Representatives is 1/435th of one half of one of the federal government’s three branches,” Will explains. “A senator is 1 percent of the other half. There are limits to how much actual, as opposed to aesthetic, damage a rogue legislator can do to the nation. A governor, however, can do important things on his own, especially if, as in Pennsylvania, he appoints the secretary of state, who administers elections…. Mastriano has raised money on a social media network frequented by anti-Semites, including the one who is accused of murdering 11 at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, but what makes Mastriano more than an especially exotic political exhibit is his vow to appoint a secretary of state ‘who’s delegated from me the power to make the corrections to elections, the voting logs and everything. And I can decertify every (voting) machine in the state.’”

Will continues, “In the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, Pennsylvania was decided by 0.7 and 1.2 percentage points, respectively. In 2024, the state probably will again be closely contested, and its electoral votes could determine the national winner. So, imagine Mastriano, who has neither evidence nor doubts that Trump won the 2020 election, decreeing ‘corrections’ to the election. His motives are frightening because they are pure: He has the scary sincerity of the unhinged whose delusions armor them against evidence.”

The conservative columnist writes that “fortunately,” the Democrat Mastriano is up against is “two-term” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Some of the polls released in September have shown Mastriano trailing Shapiro by 11 percent, including a Muhlenberg College/Morning Call poll released on September 16 and a CBS News/YouGov poll that came out several days earlier.

“From the first census, 1790, until that of 1940, Pennsylvania was the second-most populous state,” Will observes. “In 1960, it had as many electoral votes, 32, as California, which today, has 54 to Pennsylvania’s 19. This fall, however, the state will matter more than any other, as its voters’ choice of governor will either imperil or reassure the nation that began here.”

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

Kari Lake’s Dangerous Campaign: Fueled By Vitriol and Conspiracy Theories
https://www.americanbridgepac.org/kari-lake-campaign/

[Rick Plant]

Republican extremism threatens American democracy

Political extremism in America is not new, but it has taken a dangerous hold of the Republican party. It was not long ago when you would hear the complaint that “it doesn’t matter who you vote for, Republican or Democrat — humpty dumpty or dumpty humpty.” The choice was immaterial to any consequence. Not so anymore, is it? Republican extremism in America has reached the stage of threatening our very lifestyles and our democracy. Oh, you say: “Just leave me alone; our democracy is rock bed solid. More than 200 years of history demonstrates its resilience.” How so very much I wish this rosy view to be true, but it’s not.

Let’s take a close look at Republican extremism, starting with congressional Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). She is unabashedly anti-Muslim; claims Democrats are the party of pedophiles; speaks favorably of white supremacy; proudly claims to be a Christian nationalist who believes the church is supposed to direct the government; is an adherent of the Q Anon ideology, and threatens colleagues with aggressive remarks. On a Facebook post, her campaign showed Greene posing with a military-style rifle juxtaposed with photos of three liberal Democratic congresswomen and the caption “The Squad’s Worst Nightmare.” Her behavior resulted in her removal from her two-House committee assignments with 11 House Republicans voting with all Democrats to remove her.

Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert is another Republican extremist that garners much media attention. Her extreme right wing stances range from absolute opposition to gun control to questioning the effectiveness of vaccines and the outcome of the 2020 presidential elections. She speaks loudly about the evils of immigration, critical race theory and gender transitions; and often makes demeaning comments about Joe Biden’s mental capacity. Among other Republican House members, she was proud of her attempt to block the certification of President Biden’s election. She frequently attacks Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota colleague who is Muslim. In one of her more bombastic remarks, she tells a story: “One of my staffers, on his first day with me, got into an elevator in the Capitol, and in that elevator we were joined by Ilhan Omar. It was just us three in there and I looked over and I said, ‘Well, looky there, it’s the Jihad Squad.’ She doesn’t have a backpack, she wasn’t dropping it and running so we’re good.”

Another extremist colleague is Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) who has ties to Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, and America First. He has been seen with far-right fringe figures and the white supremacist Nick Fuentes. He promotes conspiracy theories and was censured by the House of Representatives for an anime cartoon that depicts a character killing a character meant to be Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Not to be outdone by his extremists Republicans is Doug Mastriano, the gubernatorial candidate for Pennsylvania governor in 2022. Mr. Mastriano promotes election 2020 fraud theories, embraces QAnon, and supports the idea that America should be a “Christian nation.” He bused supporters to Washington for the “Stop the Steal” rally that precipitated the Jan. 6 insurrection. He tried to overturn Biden’s victory in the Pennsylvania State Legislature. As a Pennsylvania state senator, he supported legislation to mandate teaching the Bible in public schools and allowing adoption agencies to discriminate against same-sex couples.

There is not space here to identify an endless list of Republican extremists’ intent on disrupting life in America and threatening to trash our democracy. But we are at an unusual historical turning point in which a major political party in the U.S. has been captured by extremists. Alarm bells should be ringing loudly — but are they? President Biden called out the MAGA extremists in his speech in Philadelphia. “MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution. They do not believe in the rule of law. They do not recognize the will of the people. They refuse to accept the results of a free election.” Perhaps it is time for every Republican and Democrat to take Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney’s admonishment to heart: “I love my party. I love its history. I love its principles, but I love my country more.” Republican extremism must be rooted out of the Grand Old Party.

https://www.reporterherald.com/2022/09/19/donald-menzel-republican-extremism-threatens-american-democracy/

[Rick Plant]

Once again, here are the 147 Republicans who tried to steal the 2020 election from the American people by voting to overturn election results because they were angry with the outcome.

[Rick Plant]

MAGA Republicans in Congress are pro insurrectionists and support the MAGA rioters.

So, MAGA does support political violence and are indeed a direct danger to our democracy because they will use political violence as tool when they lose elections.


New video shows brutal beating of D.C. Metropolitan Police officer during Jan. 6 riot

As Officer Michael Fanone screamed in agony, one rioter's voice could be heard over the noise: "I got one!"

Watch:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-video-shows-brutal-beating-d-c-metropolitan-police-officer-n1267210

[Joe Elliott]

'Mastriano's motives are frightening because they are pure' Ex GOP veteran sends a warning

In Pennsylvania, the gubernatorial campaign of Republican nominee Doug Mastriano has been a major source of anxiety to Democrats as well as Never Trump conservatives. State Sen. Mastriano, a Christian nationalist and conspiracy theorist who believes the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump, is even to the right of Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — and he believes that Pennsylvania Republicans should be able to simply throw out any election results they don’t like.

One of Mastriano’s critics on the right is veteran conservative columnist George Will, an ex-Republican who has no use for former President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. In a September 25 column for the Washington Post, Will lays out some reasons why Mastriano is not only dangerous for Pennsylvania, but also, for the United States on the whole. According to Will, Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race is “the 2022 election that poses the most risk to the nation.”

“Suppose voters pick the Republican candidate, Doug Mastriano,” the 81-year-old Will warns. “And suppose that late in the evening of November 5, 2024, Gov. Mastriano thinks Pennsylvanians picked the wrong person to receive the state’s presidential electoral votes. Today, candidate Mastriano promises that, as governor, he will have the executive power, and a mandate, to intervene, thus plunging the nation into chaos.”

One thing that separates Pennsylvania from other states is the fact that its governors, not voters, pick the secretary of state — or as it’s called in the Keystone State, “secretary of the commonwealth.” The Democrat who currently holds that position in Pennsylvania is Leigh M. Chapman, who was chosen by Democratic two-term Gov. Tom Wolf.

“A member of the House of Representatives is 1/435th of one half of one of the federal government’s three branches,” Will explains. “A senator is 1 percent of the other half. There are limits to how much actual, as opposed to aesthetic, damage a rogue legislator can do to the nation. A governor, however, can do important things on his own, especially if, as in Pennsylvania, he appoints the secretary of state, who administers elections…. Mastriano has raised money on a social media network frequented by anti-Semites, including the one who is accused of murdering 11 at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, but what makes Mastriano more than an especially exotic political exhibit is his vow to appoint a secretary of state ‘who’s delegated from me the power to make the corrections to elections, the voting logs and everything. And I can decertify every (voting) machine in the state.’”

Will continues, “In the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, Pennsylvania was decided by 0.7 and 1.2 percentage points, respectively. In 2024, the state probably will again be closely contested, and its electoral votes could determine the national winner. So, imagine Mastriano, who has neither evidence nor doubts that Trump won the 2020 election, decreeing ‘corrections’ to the election. His motives are frightening because they are pure: He has the scary sincerity of the unhinged whose delusions armor them against evidence.”

The conservative columnist writes that “fortunately,” the Democrat Mastriano is up against is “two-term” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Some of the polls released in September have shown Mastriano trailing Shapiro by 11 percent, including a Muhlenberg College/Morning Call poll released on September 16 and a CBS News/YouGov poll that came out several days earlier.

“From the first census, 1790, until that of 1940, Pennsylvania was the second-most populous state,” Will observes. “In 1960, it had as many electoral votes, 32, as California, which today, has 54 to Pennsylvania’s 19. This fall, however, the state will matter more than any other, as its voters’ choice of governor will either imperil or reassure the nation that began here.”

Watch:

Excellent information. George Will is someone I have always listened to. Yes, Pennsylvania bears watching. I am confident about next November. But it is a critical election. Trump's candidates must win in November 2022 in order for him to have a chance in November 2024. And make no mistake. I don't expect any trial to accomplish anything. The news about Trump has no impact on his base because they need a criminal to break the law, to negate the votes of the people. The more bad information about Trump that comes out the more they want Trump. And barring any changes in Trump's health, he will be the Republican nominee for President in 2024.

[Rick Plant]

The rise of "QMaga": Conspiracy theorists, Christian nationalists unite as MAGA movement gets darker

GOP is "now willing to follow Trump further into the depths of fearmongering and madness," columnist writes



During his 2020 campaign, former President Donald Trump made a point of being vague when discussing the far-right QAnon movement. Trump refrained from overtly promoting QAnon and its conspiracy theories, but he wouldn't say anything critical of them either and claimed that he "didn't know much about" their movement.

Times have changed. Trump is now openly promoting QAnon and is using exact phrases associated with the group, including "the storm" and their slogan "where we go one, we go all." And Trump is hardly the only MAGA Republican who is embracing QAnon.

Mother Jones' David Corn describes the intersection of QAnon, MAGA and "Christian nationalism" as "QMaga," attacking it as an authoritarian threat to U.S. democracy in an article that was originally published in his Our Land newsletter and was republished by Mother Jones on September 23. Extremism in the GOP is a subject that Corn also tackles in his new book, "American Psychosis: A Historical Investigation of How the Republican Party Went Crazy."

"For years, Trump had played footsie with QAnon, claiming he didn't know much about it but praising its adherents' supposed patriotism, their opposition to pedophilia and, naturally, their cultish love of him," Corn explains in his Mother Jones/Our Land article. "Offered the chance to denounce this perverse craziness, he bobbed and weaved…. No more. He went full QAnon the other day when he posted online a photoshopped image of him wearing a Q pin. To make the message clear, this picture proclaimed, 'The Storm Is Coming' — a QAnon catchphrase referring to that ultimate showdown between Trump and the evildoers. And it contained the abbreviation for the QAnon slogan, 'where we go one, we go all.'"

The fictional "evildoers" that Corn is referring to are, according to QAnon's outlandish conspiracy theory, an international cabal of child sex traffickers, ped*philes, Satanists and cannibals who have hijacked the United States' federal government. Trump, as QAnon sees it, was elected president in 2016 to fight the cabal — and QAnon believes that Trump's battle against the forces of darkness didn't end when he lost the 2020 election. Members of QAnon were among the far-right Trump supporters who violently attacked the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021.

"The insanity of a former, and possibly future, president bear-hugging QAnon cannot be overstated," Corn warns. "And this was no one-off, late-in-the-night s****posting from the former guy. He zapped out other posts with QAnon references. Then four days later, at a rally in Ohio, he delivered an apocalyptic speech against the backdrop of music resembling the QAnon theme song. It was here that Trump supporters raised their hands and pointed a finger — possibly signaling 'one,' in an allusion to that QAnon slogan."

Corn continues, "The supposed purpose of the event was to whip up support for GOP Senate candidate J.D. Vance. But the gathering demonstrated the fusion of MAGA extremism with QAnon and Christian nationalism. The crowd cheered as Trump proclaimed the country had become a hellhole with a crumbling economy, rampant crime, and no freedom of speech. It was all lies, but the fervor of the crowd and the arm waving were reminiscent of a religious revival meeting."

According to Corn, the MAGA movement "has morphed into QMaga."

"The irrationality has spread from the evidence-free belief that sinister players — China, Venezuela, the CIA, the media, Democrats, voting machine companies — conspired to steal the election from Trump to the conviction that American politics has become a clash between patriotic Christians and cannibalistic Satan-worshipping pedophiles," Corn explains. "The Ohio arena was not full, and the empty seats indicated that Trump's mix of conspiracism, cult of personality, end-times ravings, and fundamentalism may not be a bestseller. But many of the GOP election denialists running in state elections this year — including gubernatorial candidates Doug Mastriano, Pennsylvania, and Kari Lake, Arizona — have ties to QAnon."

Corn continues, "Both Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert were QAnoners before they were elected to Congress in the last election. But perhaps of greater concern is that the entire GOP, which has supported Trump's authoritarian Big Lie crusade, is now willing to follow Trump further into the depths of fearmongering and madness."

https://www.salon.com/2022/09/26/the-rise-of-qmaga-conspiracy-theorists-christian-nationalists-unite-as-maga-movement-gets-darker_partner/

[Joe Elliott]

"For years, Trump had played footsie with QAnon, claiming he didn't know much about it but praising its adherents' supposed patriotism, their opposition to pedophilia and, naturally, their cultish love of him," Corn explains in his Mother Jones/Our Land article. "Offered the chance to denounce this perverse craziness, he bobbed and weaved…. No more. He went full QAnon the other day when he posted online a photoshopped image of him wearing a Q pin. To make the message clear, this picture proclaimed, 'The Storm Is Coming' — a QAnon catchphrase referring to that ultimate showdown between Trump and the evildoers. And it contained the abbreviation for the QAnon slogan, 'where we go one, we go all.'"

Where we go one, we go all.
And where the one says we all go, but the one does not go, we all go anyway. And get arrested for breeching the Capitol. Because we are all a bunch of stupid dupes. And when we all go before the judge we all go alone, with no support from the one unless it is to his advantage.