Media Finally Awakens To How Anti-Democratic The GOP Has Become

It’s nice to finally see the mainstream media finally realize how anti-democratic the Republican party has become and that it cares for nothing except maintaining its grip on power through whatever means possible, now even at the expense of the defense of our country. Finally confronted by McConnell’s unwillingness to defend against Russian interference in our elections and even turning that around and calling the simple act of asking election officials to be aware of potential security issues an act of partisanship, the media is finally taking notice. New York Magazine says, “Even the most cynical observer of McConnell — a cynical man to his bones — would have been shocked at his raw partisanship. Presented with an attack on the sanctity of his own country’s democracy by a hostile foreign power, his overriding concern was party over country.” But the reluctance to actually state what the reality of what is right in front of our noses continues. Even Paul Krugman is seemingly unable to make the direct charge that the GOP has become an anti-democratic, or as political scientists Mounk and Foa call it, an antisystem party. Krugman says, “Democratic norms have been and continue to be violated, and anyone who refuses to acknowledge this reality is, in effect, complicit in the degradation of our republic.” But he links this primarily to Donald Trump without specifically calling out the Republican party as well.

It would have been nice if the media had perhaps called the destruction of governing norms exactly what it is, a threat to democracy, before the election, rather than waking up and realizing it after. McConnell’s refusal to allow even a hearing on Merrick Garland was treated by the media as a political ploy and the analysis invariably focused on whether this strategy would be an issue in the campaign. The reality is, of course, that it was a clear subversion of democracy and attack on the very foundations of our government. You can hide behind the fact that there is no constitutional requirement for the Senate to hold a hearing; there is, however, a certain governing and societal norm that we all agree to live under. Having broken that norm, is there anything really stopping the Senate from never giving a President’s Supreme Court nominee a hearing. Ted Cruz and others certainly offered that idea before Trump’s surprise election. Donald Trump simply refused to release his taxes, again breaking no law but shattering another tradition that comes with governing. Tell me what incentive any candidate from here on out would have to release their taxes. I’m betting Mitt Romney wishes he hadn’t, but the difference is that Mitt refused to go where Trump did. And the rot extends all through the Republican party. There were apparently GOP legislators who were very concerned about the Russian hacking and were on board with a bipartisan statement of vigilance. When McConnell refused to go along, those so far unnamed Senators remained silent.

I could go on and on regarding this issue and I have, for months now. It is nice to see some in the calling GOP behavior out for what it is. The question is whether it is too late to save our democracy as we know it.