Trump and Vance are already acting as dictators
17 September 2024
Today’s great post by historian Heather Cox Richardson describes in a fuller context what we have all witnessed - Trump and Vance acting as dictators. Much of what Vance says is nonsense but he was correct in calling Trump America’s Hitler,
Trump and Vance are stirring up hatred of immigrants based on lies that are leading to terror and threats of violence - Trump, Vance and most Republicans simply don’t care.
Here are some excerpts from Professor Richardson’s blog:
For the third day in a row, officials today had to evacuate two elementary schools in Springfield, Ohio, citing threats that have led to safety concerns. The city has also canceled “CultureFest,” its annual celebration of diversity, arts, and culture, and the local colleges are meeting virtually out of safety concerns. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles has had to close, as has the Ohio License Bureau.
Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, said that there have been “at least 33” bomb threats against schools and public offices after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio senator J.D. Vance, spread the lie that Haitian immigrants to Springfield have been eating the pets of their white neighbors. DeWine reiterated that the immigrants in Springfield are there legally, and noted that he has authorized troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol to provide additional security at the district's 18 school buildings.
On CNN yesterday morning, Vance admitted to Dana Bash that he had created the story of Haitian immigrants eating pets. He justified the lie that has shut down Springfield and endangered its residents by claiming such a lie was the only way to get the media to pay attention to what he considers the crisis of immigration. Once the pet-eating story was debunked, Vance said that Haitian immigrants are spreading HIV and tuberculosis in Ohio; in fact, new diagnoses of HIV dropped from 2018 to 2022, and the director of the Ohio Department of Health says there has been no change in TB rates.
That a politician of any sort would lie to rally supporters against a marginalized population comes straight out of the authoritarian playbook, which seeks to build a community around the idea that the people in it are besieged by outsiders. But when that politician is running for vice president, with the potential to become the president if anything happens to his 78-year-old running mate, who is the oldest person ever to run for president, it raises a whole factory of red flags.
Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times noted the support of racist ideologue Alfred Rosenberg of the Nazi Party for the antisemitic text “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” a text fabricated in the early twentieth century by officials in czarist Russia. Rosenberg stood by the “inner truth” of the text even though it was fake. Like Rosenberg, Hitler’s chief propagandist Joseph Goebbels wrote, “I believe in the inner, but not the factual, truth of The Protocols.” While Democratic Ohio representative Casey Weinstein has called for Vance to resign, aside from DeWine, Republican lawmakers have not repudiated Vance’s lie.
Astonishingly, Vance is trying to rise to power on lies about the people of his own state, the people he is supposed to represent. Not only have Democratic politicians demanded that he stop, but also amidst the chaos, the Republican mayor of Springfield and two Republican county commissioners would not commit to voting for Trump. The popular backlash against this lie has also been swift and strong. The Ohio-based Red, Wine, and Blue organization has organized the #OHNoYouDont campaign to reiterate on social media their stance against the division Vance and Trump are stoking. More here.
Trump as President/dictator will be bad for everyone, except perhaps the superwealthy. He will be bad for business because he will run the government to benefit himself, not the general public. If you disagree with him, you will be threatened or attacked by the Proud Boys or his other followers. If you are female, an immigrant (or look like one), LGBTQ or nonwhite, you should expect constant threats and attacks. This is what happens when dictators are elected - it is nothing new.
This is why all of us need to vote pro-democracy, which in 2024, means voting for Harris and Democrats at all levels of government. You don’t have to agree with them on all issues - democracy is the most important issue and only Democrats are consistently supportive of the constitution and democracy - Republicans are not. Regardless of what they say, almost all Republicans are afraid to disagree with Trump and will do his bidding (see, for example, the immigration bill fiasco).
It’s not enough to follow the news - we have to act. I am: (a) voting early (absentee ballots arrive in Michigan on 26Sep24), (b) encouraging others to vote, (c) putting up my own signs (contact me if you live in Southeast Michigan and want one), (d) being active in Health Care Providers for Harris-Walz, (d) writing checks to Harris-Walz, other Democratic candidates, Democratic institutions and political causes I support, such as Planned Parenthood, (e) sponsoring our local Voter Challenge, (f) being active in Democratic Party events.
Find something you can do and get started today.
Some possibilities:
Vote Forward is a platform that allows grassroots volunteers to write letters to infrequent, but lean Democratic, voters in swing states and key congressional races, urging them to cast a ballot.
Become a Michigan poll worker
Make sure you are registered to vote and help others to register
Volunteer with Common Cause
Turn 2022 ballot signers for Reproductive Health Care Rights into 2024 pro-choice voters!
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