GOP Attacks On Press And Protest Are Driven By Fear And Weakness, Not Strength

The Trump administration’s unprecedented action in blocking a number of prominent news organizations from an off-camera press briefing has created understandable outrage. It is a blatant attack on the freedom of the press and shows no regard or understanding of our Constitution, not an unusual occurrence among Republicans these days. In fact, suppressing a free press and free speech has become a staple for Republicans around the country.

Besides the bill in Arizona that I  linked to above, Martin Longman runs down the list of GOP bills in the states that are purely designed to stifle dissent. “A Florida Republican introduced a bill that would make it easier to run over protesters with your car without being legally liable. North Dakota and Tennessee Republicans have done the same. In Minnesota, Republicans are pushing a bill that would allow the police to charge protesters for the cost of policing their rallies and marches. Not to be outdone, Mississippi Republicans want to make blocking traffic a crime punishable by a $10,000 fine and five years in prison. There are also a bunch of bills coming out of states like South Dakota, Colorado, and Oklahoma aimed at greatly stiffening penalties for interfering in the operation of pipelines. So far, none of these bills have become law, and most of them are unconstitutional. But they indicate a certain mood.”

In yet another example, aTrump adviser in the White House decided to call one of his critics in the media at home and berate him for his criticism. Sebastian Gorka, a White House terrorism advisor, used his personal cell phone to contact his critic and threaten to sue him. Gorka has long been a fringe figure who was never considered a terrorism expert and has been associated with anti-Semitic groups in Hungary.

All of this is frightening for our democracy just on the face of it. Trump’s banning certain elements of the mainstream media is indicative of “dictatorships” and that’s quoting Sean Spicer from just to months ago. And the repression of free speech and free assembly fits in that category as well. These are blatant attacks on our democracy, which, sadly, have been a hallmark of the Republican party for the last quarter century. When people and parties had real respect for the Constitution, they would never put forward or pass a bill that was knowingly unconstitutional. But the GOP in particular has made it a habit for decades to pull these kind of stunts simply to signal and trigger their base. In reality, it debases our democracy.

But it is also important to understand that this current crackdown on the press and free speech is borne out of weakness and, even more so, by fear. Certainly Trump’s fear of an aggressive press is based on his own vulnerability. Hidden behind all of the Trump administration’s attempts to discredit the Russian story and the attacks on the media is the plain fact that the administration has NEVER issued a blanket denial of the charge that there were ongoing contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia during the election.

And hidden behind the GOP legislatures’ attacks on free speech and free assembly is the fear and realization that they are truly a minority party and demographics make clear their minority status will only get worse. They currently hold the levers of power due the structure of our democracy, extreme gerrymandering, voter suppression, and the failure of the Democratic party at the state and local level. For the nation as a whole, they are a clear minority. In any other country that calls itself a democracy, the party that won 3 million more votes in an election would wield at least some significant power. (Which makes you wonder what kind of democracy we really have left in this country.) But the important point is that, while the GOP may have substantial political power right now, most of their actions are driven by the weakness of their position, the fear that generates, and the knowledge that most of the country does not agree with their policies. And that is a point of attack for Democrats. Why are Republicans so afraid of the press and protests? Trump and the GOP love to protect this image of strength. But, as the Chinese and others have found out, when confronted they really are paper tigers. And Democrats’ relentless resistance will make that clear to all.