Perhaps the most exciting…and terrifying!…bit of news coming out last week was that newly pardoned Michael Flynn, along with a small but determined number of other Trump supporters, have called for nothing less than a military coup to keep their Orange Duce in power. Specifically, Flynn and the rest of the crowd have called for Trump to declare martial law, suspend the Constitution, and re-conduct the election under military supervision.
Frankly, this is horrific.
I suppose that you could say that the more extreme elements among Trump’s Deplorable followers shouldn’t be taken too seriously, any more than extreme left wingers among Biden’s followers should be taken seriously. And, maybe, if pressed, you could say that Flynn himself wasn’t so much genuinely arguing for a coup as he was simply trolling the libtards, snowflakes, SJWs, and soy boys — i.e., us.
Michael Flynn Crosses The Rubicon
Yet, let’s confess, this is terrifying. For two hundred years, American politics have been conducted on the assumption that elections matter, and that who shall occupy the highest office in land shall be determined by some kind of voting, even if that voting is flawed (as it was, say, in 1876 and 2000, both of which seem to have been fixed to the advantage of the Republican Party).
But, now, we’re in completely new territory. For the very first time in recent memory…maybe since the Revolution…we have significant figures within one of our major political parties openly suggesting that elections be overturned by force.
I would submit that we have crossed a Rubicon here. Whether Flynn and his Deplorable ilk are serious or not is irrelevant, because others will take them quite seriously, and some will plot rebellion and dictatorship.
I would further submit that one of two things will now happen. Either we will enter an era of American politics in which force and violence will play an increasing role in our government, and minority rule will be ever more the norm…or, we will as a nation overcome these people, marginalize them, and embrace what is best in the American political system and the American character.
Unfortunately, it could go either way. And given the fact that over 70 million Americans voted for Trump in 2020 …
Well, let’s just say that whatever our ultimate destination…utopia or hell…
The road will not be easy.
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Until next time…
Onward and upward.
~mjt
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