“Do Republicans believe in democracy?” It is a question that on the surface might seem dismissive or even divisive. Certainly the answer for many Republicans is a resounding yes. However, the facts are what they are. And as journalists we need to follow trails of inquiry, even if they lead to uncomfortable places
It goes without saying that the GOP has become something dangerous to the country, but this simply could not have happened if the "opposition party" were strong and capable. Over the past 30 plus years, the Democratic party has failed time and again to find the strength needed to be a true opposition party and instead, became an enabler for the GOP. Much of the weakness has been the failure to keep their own noses clean but also that they have had reasons/excuses to allow the GOP to drift unchecked into their new totalitarian-wannabee universe. Money and codependence top the list, but these alone were enough to give the GOP the push they needed into extremism.
As long as there is a significant percentage of the US population thirsty for the “Big Lie”, politicians and the media will continue to peddle it. Neither (politicians or media) are the root cause or the solution. This country continues to dance around the the most salient issue that will ultimately determine whether we survive as a democracy...racism. The “Big Lie” is predicated on the belief that people of Color (POC) are both inferior and a danger to White people; that POC don’t have the intellectual capacity or the right to participate as equals in our elections, specifically, and in our society, in general. Further, the “Big Lie” endorses the fear that equal rights for POC somehow infringes on or diminishes the rights of Whites. Until we, as a nation and a people, confront these irrational untruths, there will continue to be politicians & members of the media who will exploit them for their own purposes.
Strange, but with all that happening since, 2017 right up to and through January 6, 2021, I've been asking myself "is Democracy supposed to last"? It's over 200 years old and looks today nothing like the Democracy I learned about in school in the 50s and 60s! Even though as a young Black girl I could see it wasnt applied equally to my parents and grandparents, ancestors anc others, at least it gave the impression/rhetoric that is was supposed to be or one day going to be! But that ship has sailed, or been blown out of the water! I've been wondering, is it "democracy or Democratic Republic designes to last forever, or has it just want its course? Is it evolving into ?? I don't know!
If the answer to question number one is "No" there is little reason to ask the others. The Big Lie has canceled out all possibility of working with them.
I have heard several politicians in past weeks refer to winning as the all-important basis of their arguments, and also very carefully NOT refuting the big lie, but skirting the issue. If we cease to confront these issues, we will give way to autocracy and possibly civil war. The free press can be helpful or hurtful throughout this unstable time. We can support democracy as a nation or let fear give way to autocracy, dictatorship, what have you. Just as the Republican party has lost it's identity, we are in danger of losing our identity as a country. And, yes I am guilty of using the "trump" pun myself. Let's get that card out of the deck please. This is all still so heartbreaking and disturbing. I do see some other possibilities here, though besides doom and gloom. We can take this opportunity to be more fair, more supportive and more democratic. Just because some of us voted for people who do not uphold the values of democracy does not mean you need to support them now at all costs. The cost could be your life as you know it.
I have always thought of myself as Centrist. Up until the past four years, I thought it meant making an effort to reach across both sides. After what I have seen of the GOP in the last four years, however, such a reach towards them would prove futile.
Thank you for these and all your words, Mr. Rather. I have been pondering this same question myself. When will the liars own up to their lying? It's not "spin" to say that Mr. Biden won the presidency, or that Mr. Trump lost it. It's just a fact. If the presidency was (inconceivably) stolen by the Democrats, why then did so many down ballot Republicans get elected? If the ballots are contestable, then all the ballot winners are contested. Makes no sense, but neither does all the gaslighting. And that's a fact too... ONWARD!
Today I changed my voter registration from Republican to Unaffiliated. Colorado allows residents to be Unaffiliated and choose which party's primary ballot they want to vote on. I plan to continue voting in the Republican primary.
I have been a registered Republican for 40+ years; my parents and their parents were Republicans. Over time, I have probably voted for as many Democrats as Republicans, with a few Libertarians and Independents included.
The current Republican party doesn't look anything like the "Party of Lincoln" that I remember. Neither of the two main political parties appeal to me and my values. All I see is arguing, demonizing the other party, and near-worship of a disgraceful president. That isn't me, and I will not be part of either party. I have always voted for people and where they stand in relation to my values, and I will continue to do so.
We must continue to open voting for as many people as possible. I still refuse to believe politics in a democracy is a zero sum game. Democracy only works if EVERYONE has a place at the table.
Why do Sunday political shows allow peddling of ‘the lie’? If someone says the sky is pink, the Earth is flat, etc., it’s not ‘giving both sides a voice’. It’s enabling liars/truly disturbed individuals. Challenge! Don’t let them blithely spout lies.
We know that Fox is a propaganda outlet for the GOP and over years has created the space for their Frankenstein's monster to materialize. Fox undermines our democracy daily, not the least of which includes beating the drums for racial resentment and the culmination in the Big Lie.
I have never met a Trump supporter who didn't watch Fox News. I am angry that many of my family members have been suckered in by Fox, rendered immune to reason, and indoctrinated into repeating racist tropes, which they had never done before, and which has caused potentially irreparable rifts in our family relationships. The Fox/Trump cult has taken over their world view.
Having the most prime time cable viewers of any news network makes Fox News powerful. We know that Fox spews lies under the protection of "freedom of speech." However, why aren't there any effective checks on this type of behavior?
Why isn't Fox being held accountable by their "peers" in journalism? Why won't legitimate journalists and journalism outlets call out Fox News directly by name? Why is the criticism directed at "certain conservative cable news networks," when we all know that those are just code words for "Fox News"? Is there an unspoken agreement among the press that they can't criticize those in their industry?
Why do power players still allow the Murdochs into their inner circles and parties? Why isn't there a greater movement to hold Fox advertisers responsible for their financial support of this attack on our democracy?
Fox is the primary vehicle for indoctrinating Americans every day as they sit in front of their TV. This country will not heal with Fox still operating.
Of course it is another time here to thank you Mr. Rather. All that is written here by you is appreciated and it comforts me that it will be here to review when Graham and the insurgent crowd bring back Trump in a few months.
Of course though, the bottom line problem is that over the past years of Trump we have seen and heard the correct words only being given by those that can be labeled as, "Former." Former generals, former CIA, former attorney generals and former international news interviewers.
Maybe those of us now living in the twilight can accept it and move on but by doing so we have failed our children and grandchildren far worse than the monetary debt we are leaving them.
I am still trying to juggle my concerns about our democracy with maintaining my relationship with my son and his family, which includes my grandchildren. They are die hard Trump supporters, and it's like talking to a wall. Still, I don't want to lose those relationships over politics. It's been fracturing my relationship with my husband, who is much less inclined to be generous.
It goes without saying that the GOP has become something dangerous to the country, but this simply could not have happened if the "opposition party" were strong and capable. Over the past 30 plus years, the Democratic party has failed time and again to find the strength needed to be a true opposition party and instead, became an enabler for the GOP. Much of the weakness has been the failure to keep their own noses clean but also that they have had reasons/excuses to allow the GOP to drift unchecked into their new totalitarian-wannabee universe. Money and codependence top the list, but these alone were enough to give the GOP the push they needed into extremism.
As long as there is a significant percentage of the US population thirsty for the “Big Lie”, politicians and the media will continue to peddle it. Neither (politicians or media) are the root cause or the solution. This country continues to dance around the the most salient issue that will ultimately determine whether we survive as a democracy...racism. The “Big Lie” is predicated on the belief that people of Color (POC) are both inferior and a danger to White people; that POC don’t have the intellectual capacity or the right to participate as equals in our elections, specifically, and in our society, in general. Further, the “Big Lie” endorses the fear that equal rights for POC somehow infringes on or diminishes the rights of Whites. Until we, as a nation and a people, confront these irrational untruths, there will continue to be politicians & members of the media who will exploit them for their own purposes.
Strange, but with all that happening since, 2017 right up to and through January 6, 2021, I've been asking myself "is Democracy supposed to last"? It's over 200 years old and looks today nothing like the Democracy I learned about in school in the 50s and 60s! Even though as a young Black girl I could see it wasnt applied equally to my parents and grandparents, ancestors anc others, at least it gave the impression/rhetoric that is was supposed to be or one day going to be! But that ship has sailed, or been blown out of the water! I've been wondering, is it "democracy or Democratic Republic designes to last forever, or has it just want its course? Is it evolving into ?? I don't know!
If the answer to question number one is "No" there is little reason to ask the others. The Big Lie has canceled out all possibility of working with them.
I have heard several politicians in past weeks refer to winning as the all-important basis of their arguments, and also very carefully NOT refuting the big lie, but skirting the issue. If we cease to confront these issues, we will give way to autocracy and possibly civil war. The free press can be helpful or hurtful throughout this unstable time. We can support democracy as a nation or let fear give way to autocracy, dictatorship, what have you. Just as the Republican party has lost it's identity, we are in danger of losing our identity as a country. And, yes I am guilty of using the "trump" pun myself. Let's get that card out of the deck please. This is all still so heartbreaking and disturbing. I do see some other possibilities here, though besides doom and gloom. We can take this opportunity to be more fair, more supportive and more democratic. Just because some of us voted for people who do not uphold the values of democracy does not mean you need to support them now at all costs. The cost could be your life as you know it.
I have always thought of myself as Centrist. Up until the past four years, I thought it meant making an effort to reach across both sides. After what I have seen of the GOP in the last four years, however, such a reach towards them would prove futile.
Enjoying your essays.
Thank you for these and all your words, Mr. Rather. I have been pondering this same question myself. When will the liars own up to their lying? It's not "spin" to say that Mr. Biden won the presidency, or that Mr. Trump lost it. It's just a fact. If the presidency was (inconceivably) stolen by the Democrats, why then did so many down ballot Republicans get elected? If the ballots are contestable, then all the ballot winners are contested. Makes no sense, but neither does all the gaslighting. And that's a fact too... ONWARD!
Today I changed my voter registration from Republican to Unaffiliated. Colorado allows residents to be Unaffiliated and choose which party's primary ballot they want to vote on. I plan to continue voting in the Republican primary.
I have been a registered Republican for 40+ years; my parents and their parents were Republicans. Over time, I have probably voted for as many Democrats as Republicans, with a few Libertarians and Independents included.
The current Republican party doesn't look anything like the "Party of Lincoln" that I remember. Neither of the two main political parties appeal to me and my values. All I see is arguing, demonizing the other party, and near-worship of a disgraceful president. That isn't me, and I will not be part of either party. I have always voted for people and where they stand in relation to my values, and I will continue to do so.
We must continue to open voting for as many people as possible. I still refuse to believe politics in a democracy is a zero sum game. Democracy only works if EVERYONE has a place at the table.
Why do Sunday political shows allow peddling of ‘the lie’? If someone says the sky is pink, the Earth is flat, etc., it’s not ‘giving both sides a voice’. It’s enabling liars/truly disturbed individuals. Challenge! Don’t let them blithely spout lies.
We know that Fox is a propaganda outlet for the GOP and over years has created the space for their Frankenstein's monster to materialize. Fox undermines our democracy daily, not the least of which includes beating the drums for racial resentment and the culmination in the Big Lie.
I have never met a Trump supporter who didn't watch Fox News. I am angry that many of my family members have been suckered in by Fox, rendered immune to reason, and indoctrinated into repeating racist tropes, which they had never done before, and which has caused potentially irreparable rifts in our family relationships. The Fox/Trump cult has taken over their world view.
Having the most prime time cable viewers of any news network makes Fox News powerful. We know that Fox spews lies under the protection of "freedom of speech." However, why aren't there any effective checks on this type of behavior?
Why isn't Fox being held accountable by their "peers" in journalism? Why won't legitimate journalists and journalism outlets call out Fox News directly by name? Why is the criticism directed at "certain conservative cable news networks," when we all know that those are just code words for "Fox News"? Is there an unspoken agreement among the press that they can't criticize those in their industry?
Why do power players still allow the Murdochs into their inner circles and parties? Why isn't there a greater movement to hold Fox advertisers responsible for their financial support of this attack on our democracy?
Fox is the primary vehicle for indoctrinating Americans every day as they sit in front of their TV. This country will not heal with Fox still operating.
Of course it is another time here to thank you Mr. Rather. All that is written here by you is appreciated and it comforts me that it will be here to review when Graham and the insurgent crowd bring back Trump in a few months.
Of course though, the bottom line problem is that over the past years of Trump we have seen and heard the correct words only being given by those that can be labeled as, "Former." Former generals, former CIA, former attorney generals and former international news interviewers.
Maybe those of us now living in the twilight can accept it and move on but by doing so we have failed our children and grandchildren far worse than the monetary debt we are leaving them.
Everyday I get my money back on my subscription. The only thing better would be the Dan Rather Evening News on YouTube.
Thanks Dan!
Excellent essay! I’m saving it so that I can remember to ask some of these questions of my state and local representatives.
I am still trying to juggle my concerns about our democracy with maintaining my relationship with my son and his family, which includes my grandchildren. They are die hard Trump supporters, and it's like talking to a wall. Still, I don't want to lose those relationships over politics. It's been fracturing my relationship with my husband, who is much less inclined to be generous.