The Larger Scope
Before jumping into the deep end, the readers are asked to read one of the blog posts on this site. The title is a bit long:
Who Killed All Those People? It May Not Be Who You Think.
It is found here. https://ca23rd.org/blogs/who_killed_all_those_people.htm
<a href="https://ca23rd.org/blogs/who_killed_all_those_people.htm">Who Killed Them</a>
It is important reading because is categorizes the general behavior of the Republican party. It puts their behavior into the perspective of world history. Please read it before continuing here.
This web page documents reasons why many of the elected Republican officials should be removed from office. This site takes the position that the Republican Party and far too many of its members have lost the concept of a democracy and/or a republic.
From my perspective, when election time rolls around, it can be difficult to remember all the little things that have happened over the months and years. These few pages are intended to be the list that we need to have in hand for rallies and campaign speeches.
This set of web pages is directed at Republicans in general. There are a few who belong in office, but for the most part, the survival of this democracy is dependent upon the removal of most of them from office. Making that point is the purpose of these web pages.
Suggestions, of all types, are explicitly solicited. Please, add to this ammunition depot being prepared for the 2022 elections.
As I recall, I have never had a screaming match, not with anyone. I don’t like the ugly side of politics.
That said, there are, unfortunately, many times when it works. The Republican Party has been perfecting that art for decades. Now I have concluded that the rational public has little choice but to go ugly back at them. We need to remind the public of the extraordinarily bad behaviors for those elected officials. And importantly, point out that they continue plunge into the depths never before visited by any political party in these United States.
Make no mistake, we need a two-party system. But the Republican party has taken on the task of outright destroying this democracy. We must respond appropriately.
There are a number of books describing the bad behavior of the Republican Party. Two of them from my book shelf begin with The Party That Lost Its Head, by Gilder and Chapman. It is dated 1966, fifty-five years ago. The Republican Party was sufficiently bad a half century ago to write books about its bad behaviors. The authors have since recanted, but from my reading, all their complaints remain valid. In my not so humble opinion, they were not able to correct things and would not leave the party, resulting in a paradox. It was easier to just pretend they were wrong about the party’s bad behavior. After reading the book, their complaints were and still are correct.
A second book is The Republican War on Science by Chris Mooney. My read of this book was quite enlightening. I had not realized just how long the Republicans have carried their antagonisms against science. Like conservatives in general, the attitude is: we want it this way and we don’t care what your facts are! This has been true of conservatives since The Enlightenment. (For a good read on that topic go to Enlightenment Now by Stephen Pinker.) The phrase used there, your facts, is misleading and indicative of the Republican positions. There is no such thing as your facts or my facts or our facts. The concept of alternative facts is outright wrong. This is one of the many things the Republicans get wrong. They continue to double down on it as this is written.
Back to the book, Chapter 11, page 170 of the paperback, is titled Creation Science 2.0. It begins with a reference to the book The Party That Lost Its Head, and explains the reversals made by Gilder and Chapman. They have become staunch conservatives and outright religious nuts. The Republican Party not only completely ignored their critiques, but went far further in the direction they were headed, …, downhill that is.
In my estimation, Gilder and Chapman had it right in the ‘60s, could not stand the separation from their party, completely reversed themselves and tried to lead the Republican charge down into the depths.
Now to the format. This begins relatively short. Major items will be listed here along with links to specific sections and to other pages. As this grows, and hopefully, these pages will become more sophisticated. Maybe a searchable database. Suggestions and guidance are needed. For lack of something better, at the moment, items of note are organized by date.
The List
The below items constitute a short starter list of things to be remembered and used for the upcoming election. As the web site progresses, the expectation is for a set of web pages for various topics.
"The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."
McConnel puts the Republican party far above country.
"100% of my focus is on stopping this new administration."
He has not mellowed one bit.
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died. Within hours, the Republican Party had decided to refuse to honor any nomination by President Obama. This is about 9 months before the presidential election. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is quoted: This vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.” McConnell and the Republicans broke with tradition set since the inception of this country. The intentionally and carefully politicized the Supreme Court.
Then in September 2020, Justice Ginsburg dies. Only about two months before the presidential election. McConnell and the Republicans forced through a Supreme Court nomination. The new justice was seated on Oct 27, one week before the election.
This behavior cannot be over-emphasized. It ranks among the most partisan behaviors in the country, ever.
And you know what he did four and a half years later.
Taken from here: https://www.alternet.org/2021/06/mitch-mcconnell-filibuster/
One of the days to reside in infamy. Out of something like twenty candidates the Republican party nominated Trump. Before his nomination, it was clear that he was, and is, a pathological liar. The evidence for this claim is not only sufficient, but overwhelming. He was and is fundamentally dishonest. Witness over 3,500 lawsuits against him. He did not, and still does not, understand how our democracy works. Yet they nominated him. This is evidence that they should not be trusted.
The Republicans elected him. They doubled down on proving they should not be trusted.
Trump cannot read the constitution. Here is an article describing what happened when he tried: https://lawandcrime.com/awkward/trump-struggled-to-read-the-constitution-said-it-was-like-a-foreign-language-book/
He is a functional illiterate. He can read most (many?) of the words, but cannot understand the story they tell. He is fond of saying that Article II gives him the power to do anything he wants. He has obviously not read it, and cannot read it, must less understand it. But the Republicans voted for him, not just once, but again four year later after he proved he is incapable of fulfilling the duties of the office.
After watching Trump show us that he is a pathological liar, dishonest, ignorant of how government works, and the list goes on and on, over 74 million Republicans voted for him again. While the country was saved by Biden’s count of 81 million, we must not lose site of that 74 million. Those people must not be trusted. The Republican party has proven itself not trustworthy.
This is an ongoing event.
The Republican party is purging those who state that Biden won the 2020 election.
Quote from article: "We are a big tent party," McCarthy insisted, as they purge anyone who refuses to sign off the Big Lie. "And unlike the left, we embrace free thought and debate."
Quote from article: On Monday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. — following in the footsteps of that other, more infamous McCarthy — escalated the blacklisting of Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., for admitting that the insurrection was a real thing that really happened because Donald Trump was really trying to steal an election that Joe Biden really won
Reasons: Voted to impeach Trump, would not shut up about it
Article quote: McCarthy argues that members can have whatever views they want and their constituents will tolerate. But Cheney's leadership job requires her to unite the party against Democrats.
Note, the goal is not to unite Republics to furthering this country, but against the Democrats.