_edited.png)
"The rise of this blusterous man bewilders the educated among us, conjoins opposing politicians,
agonizes our international allies, threatens minorities, spits on the disabled,
and touches the hearts of those who just don't know any better."
-- Liselotte Hübner, Germany, 1929
Early in his career, Martin Niemöller sympathized with several Nazi ideas and right-wing political movements. Later, after Adolf Hitler came to power, Niemöller became an outspoken critic of the regime. He spent the last eight years of Nazi rule in prisons and concentration camps. He is perhaps best remembered for saying, “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.”
The quotation is interpreted as Niemöller’s belief that the German people, through their silence, were complicit in the Nazi imprisonment, persecution, and mass murder of millions of innocent people. As a Lutheran pastor, he felt this was especially true of the leaders of the churches throughout Germany.
During World War II, it took the strength and might of the United States military to forcefully put a halt to the spread of fascism in Europe. Today, as the regime of the 47th President of the United States plays fast and loose with democracy, many Americans are wondering, “Who will save us if – or when – this gets out of control?”
Many concerned voters are holding out hope that midterm elections will unseat some vulnerable Republican members of Congress, who currently enjoy a slim majority in both chambers.
I fear such hope is in vain.
Suggesting they've learned nothing from the outcome of the 2024 election, on February 1st the Democratic National Committee elected David Hogg, the self-proclaimed ‘politically toxic’ Parkland shooting activist, as their vice chair. Hogg has been a very vocal supporter of many of the hot-button social causes that resulted in devastating losses for the Democrats last autumn.
Though many people prefer to dwell within their silos, only listening to those who think just like them, it’s worth noting that at least for now, President Trump is enjoying some of his highest approval ratings. Mind you, this is not to suggest that the bar is set incredibly high. Nevertheless, it begs the question: If Democrats are hoping to stage a comeback, why hedge their bets on a radical socialist like Hogg?
This leaves some of us asking the question, "What, then, can we do to stop Trump?"
The answer is nothing.
November 5th, 2024 was the chance to stop him. For a host of valid reasons, the effort failed.
Thus, America has crossed the Rubicon.
With both Congress and the Supreme Court in his favor, checks and balances no longer exist. Granted, some executive overreach will be challenged in federal courts. In time, a handful of those cases will reach the Supreme Court, which has historically ruled in his favor.
In an essay from 1943 entitled, “Religion and Time,” Aldous Huxley wrote, “Reality cannot be ignored, except at a price; and the longer the ignorance is persisted in, the higher and more terrible becomes the price that must be paid.”
America must now pay the price for years of ignoring reckless politics and blatant political ignorance.
We ignored gerrymandering, overlooked voter discrimination, enabled snake oil lobbyists, and disregarded corrupt donations and PACs because, like Niemöller, those things didn’t affect us. In a similar fashion, our inclination to re-elect the incumbent candidate (the “safe” and “easy” option) time and again without giving it a second thought, led to this moment.
It’s been said that ignorance is bliss. We were blissful and content, too comfortable with the status quo, turning a blind eye to politics, focusing our attention instead on football, pop stars, and reality television.
As we largely ignored what was happening in DC, state legislatures, and local governments, the framework for this present coup was being meticulously planned. As a former GOP legislator, I caught on quickly, forced to watch helplessly as it was all taking shape. Despite attacks, I warned for a decade about what was being planned. For my efforts I was dismissed by both sides as "crazy" and "irrelevant."
Democracy is an absurdly fragile experiment. "We the people" are about to learn this reality firsthand. There's no going back now. We had our chance. Regardless of what happens, how long it lasts, and who survives, we only have ourselves to blame. In the meantime, our last best hope is that the MAGA movement implodes from within.