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The GOP’s Electoral Suicide

In 2016, Donald Trump beat a horribly flawed Hillary Clinton with a huge assist from James Comey and the Russians. That election was his high water mark. Since then, the Republican Party has been on the losing side in national, state and local elections in 2018, 2020, and 2022. Why? Because Donald Trump either hand-picked candidates solely for their willingness to be loyal to him, or because the Democrats made the election into a referendum on Trump. Except in extremely GOP-loyal areas, being tied to Trump is a guaranteed way to lose in a general election.

Donald Trump is the ultimate puppet master – he pulls the strings and the GOP leadership dances. While the majority of American voters are appalled at Trump’s calls for vengeance and violence, the GOP House Leadership is locked into their own conservative media echo chamber and reacting only to the loudest voices from the radical fringe right. They are eagerly following Trump’s wishes in mischaracterizing the pending legal actions; once again linking themselves to a paranoid narcissist who’s only allegiance is to himself.

As the leadership ties itself ever more tightly to the January 6 insurrectionists and Trump, they are committing electoral suicide. By supporting him now, they are making it impossible to distance themselves from him in the future. By the time of the 2024 Primaries, Trump is likely to be under criminal indictments by New York City, Fulton County Georgia, the DOJ, and possibly others. Trump has already lost one case against the State of New York, and he’s at risk of being banned from owning any business in New York. Trump’s lawyers will slow walk the legal processes so that none of these cases will have gone to trial, so he will do anything he can to get elected and be safe. As the investigations progress, he will hurl more unhinged and vulgar accusations at all who are accusing him. His rhetoric will virtually guarantee that one or more of his devoted followers will unleash violence which, because of their embrace of Trump, the GOP will then own.

Because of Trump’s devoted hardcore base among the 30% of GOP voters most likely to vote in Primaries, he will likely still win the nomination. Given the power he has in the party, he will again recruit unelectable candidates for numerous national and state races on the basis of devotion to him. If GOP voters eventually wise up and he is not the nominee, he will declare the Primaries rigged and sabotage the Party’s choice.

Beyond the core GOP base, Trump has no support and no ability to increase or broaden his base. He only wants true believers, and he has no interest or ability in wooing independents. Unlike in 2016, all Americans now know who he really is. His numbers can never go up – only down.

Donald Trump wants to become President so that he can use the power of the Presidency protect himself from indictments and to extract revenge on those who have wronged him. Americans understand this, and the vast majority of them have zero interest in being complicit in it. In a national election, his ability to attract more than 40% of the electorate is nil. Not only can he not win the recent battleground states, in a presidential election he would likely lose even solid GOP states. And as Trump goes down, so will countless other GOP candidates in elections at all levels.

None of this is lost on the strategists in the GOP. Since 2016 the GOP leadership has held its nose and supported Trump, fearing that without his base they had no chance. Now, as long as Trump is around they are doomed. If they had either brains or courage, they would cut Trump loose, knowing that they would pay a short-term price. But they have neither, so they will follow him to their doom.

What Does it Mean to be ‘Woke’?

Hint: Do unto others …

Ron DeSantis, and a vast array of like-minded Republicans are constantly railing against those who are ‘woke’. DeSantis even prompted the compliant Florida legislature to pass the “Stop WOKE Act” which he gleefully signed into law. On the stump he regularly says that “Florida is where woke goes to die”. He’s not alone. Nikki Haley recently declared that “Wokeness is a virus more dangerous than any pandemic, hands down,”. To the GOP, ‘woke’ is bad.

But what does it mean to be ‘woke’? In a trial in 2022, Ron DeSantis’ administration was asked by the judge to define woke. DeSantis’ general counsel, Ryan Newman, responded that the term means “the belief there are systemic injustices in American society and the need to address them.” Given that Republicans of all stripes are constantly complaining about the systematic injustices of the liberal press, it’s hard to understand why they would fault the very thing they decry. So if ‘woke’ doesn’t mean what DeSantis’ administration says, what does it mean? To Republicans, ‘woke’ means recognizing the existence of and attempting to address some systematic injustices, specifically racism, discrimination against LBGTQ people, women’s inequality, etc.

But attempting to help those who are oppressed or discriminated against is not a new concept. In fact, it is a founding belief of most of the World’s major religions. It’s most famous expression came from Jesus Christ, who lived in a world where the strong ruled without mercy and the weak suffered. His “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is the essence of ‘wokeism’. And he wasn’t the only one. The Fundamental Buddhist teaching ‘Noble Eightfold Path’ includes the concepts of “Right Understanding”, “Right Intention”, “Right Speech” and “Right Action”. Together these beliefs correlate almost perfectly with being ‘woke’.

The GOP believes just the opposite. In their world, ‘might makes right’. They have the power and money, and they have no interest in sharing either with people who are oppressed. If the GOP actually believed in the moral teachings of Jesus, they would agree that being ‘woke’ to injustice in our society is essential to being a Christian. But while the majority of them claim to be Christians, they in act in ways that betray the teachings of Jesus Christ. They have no shame.

DeSantis Intends to be an Emperor

Florida has been the test run. The United States is next.

Ron DeSantis wields unprecedented power as the Republican Governor of Florida. The Florida Legislature and Supreme Court are completely in his thrall and will obey his every whim. With his recent landslide victory, his mastery of Florida is so total that there are no checks and balances on his ability to single-handedly act as the single Ruler of the state.

DeSantis and his minions control Florida’s executive, its law enforcement, school systems (both public and higher-ed) and health care systems. While claiming to support freedom, he has used and abused the power of his office to punish local schools, locally elected officials, and private individuals in ways that violate norms and the rights of others with impunity.

He is a very smart and very ambitious person. He has his sights set on the White House, and is rapidly becoming the first choice of the huge numbers of GOP voters who have become disenchanted with Donald Trump and his losing ways. Although the GOP nomination is by no means automatic, DeSantis is clearly in the driver’s seat and biding his time while Trump flails as his legal challenges overwhelm him and his campaign collapses. With a recession potentially looming, the possibility of DeSantis being elected President in 2024 is very real.

The recent actions taken by DeSantis show us what kind of a President he would be. He is completely opposed to the rights of the LGBTQ, black, or other minority communities (other than anti-communist Cubans). He has stifled public protests by limiting free speech, taken revenge on Disney for opposing him, flown unknowing immigrants to MA, appointed an unqualified anti-vax Surgeon General, destroyed a liberal arts college, crippled public schools, and shown an unwillingness to protect the vulnerable people of Florida against natural disasters because “that’s liberal stuff”. He recently started a grand jury investigation aimed at criminalizing Covid vaccines. The bulk of these actions (with more every day) are in complete defiance of the wishes of the majority of Floridians. He cares nothing for the people who elected him – rather his actions are all designed to gain him plaudits on Fox News and financial supporters for his ambition to become President.

His version of the cult of personality has taken hold within the Christian right so much so that he (and they) are starting to see him as the second coming of Jesus – albeit an evil Jesus who stands for everything Jesus preached against.

Given the degree to which he has used and abused the Governor’s office, if DeSantis were elected President his powers would be virtually unchecked. Trump, despite his massive incompetence, has shown that laws and norms are no stronger than the people who are elected to enforce them. DeSantis, a graduate of Yale and Harvard Law School, is infinitely smarter than Trump.

With a willing Supreme Court at his side, he would find ways to eviscerate democratic norms and safeguards and bypass any Democratic controlled legislatures or state governments, ruling – as he does in Florida – with an iron fist. Anyone in any field – Government/Corporate/Technology/ Entertainment/Education/Sports – who would dare stand up to him would be crushed under the heel of his dictatorial boot.

DeSantis would remake public education at all levels to be an indoctrination into his Christian white supremacy cult of personality – creating an American version of the “Hitler Youth”. He would eliminate freedoms for everyone: the press, voting, the internet, women, public health records, corporations, educators, entertainers, and more.

With the willing help of cooperative Republicans, he would, over a very short period of time, assume dictatorial powers with virtually unchecked authority. Florida has been the test run. DeSantis has succeeded in becoming the Emperor of Florida. The United States is next. He must be stopped.

Trump Will Burn Down the GOP

In either case, he will once again bring the GOP to a catastrophe in the 2024 general election.

After all the analysis of the 2022 election cycle, one thing is very clear. The tighter a GOP candidate embraced Donald Trump, the poorer that candidate performed in a contested general election. Those GOP candidates who performed well in 2022, like Ron DeSantis and Brian Kemp, typically kept quite a bit of distance between themselves and Trump. This allowed independent voters to see them as mainstream GOP thinkers, even though both have a strong streak of Trumpy behaviors. While many GOP candidates did embrace Trump and still win they were either in heavily GOP areas, or, as in the case of JD Vance in Ohio, they scraped in while vastly underperforming other GOP candidates in the same geography. There is now a widespread realization that Donald Trump’s focus on the 2020 election is a millstone for the GOP.

As we enter the landscape of the 2024 election, Trump has already announced his candidacy in an ill-conceived attempt to ward off the upcoming indictments from the DOJ. Its still not clear how many GOP candidates will challenge him. It could be as few as two or three, but it could also be as many as six or more.

In Trump’s ideal scenario, numerous weak candidates (everyone except Ron DeSantis) will run, therefore splitting the potential opposition votes and letting him win GOP primaries with his 30-40% GOP base vote. That would make him the 2024 GOP Presidential candidate, and likely put him into a rematch with Joe Biden. It’s also very conceivable that the US economy could be in a long recession for which Biden would receive (fairly or not) much of the blame. So, in that scenario, could Trump win re-election?

The simple answer is Hell No. With Trump at the top of the ticket, the GOP would go down to a massive, crushing defeat across the board in 2024. Leveraging his power as the leader of the party, Trump would use the 2024 primary season to once again pick GOP candidates that would pledge undying loyalty to him personally; such candidates would lose in the general elections in such numbers that the Democrats would win control of both houses of Congress, the White House, and multiple additional statehouses. If Trump is the GOP candidate, he will set the party back for years.

But what if he is not the candidate? This scenario assumes that over time the Trump show becomes less and less attractive to enough GOP voters that they slowly lose belief in him. The GOP leadership, realizing that Trump has no chance to be elected, coalesces around a single alternative (likely DeSantis) who then polls higher than Trump in the primaries and wins a messy battle to become the GOP candidate.

What will Trump do? Will he put the party first and support the GOP nominee? Of course not. His narcissism will never allow him to support another GOP candidate, least of all Ron DeSantis. He will claim that the election was stolen, and tell his supporters that the entire party is corrupt and that they should stay home or vote for the Dems just for spite. He may even launch a third party bid, but that would take a lot of work and he’s not likely to want to bother. His goal won’t be to win, just to extract revenge on those who have wronged him. In either case, he will once again bring the GOP to a catastrophe in the 2024 general election.

What about all the legal issues that Trump faces? What impact will they have in 2024? Other than keeping Trump on the defensive and reminding voters what a menace he is, they won’t be definitive. The legal cases need to proceed effectively to ensure that justice is served. The Democrats must do all they can to stay above the fray, and maintain their integrity in the eyes of voters. Then stand by as the GOP self-destructs.

Is there a third scenario? Yes. If Trump dies before Primary season, the GOP would be free of his narcissism and could win it all. Other that that, it’s a done deal.

Take Trump’s Power Away

If the majority of the high-profile MAGA candidates lose their elections it will convince the non-Trump aligned party leaders that following Trump is NOT the way to regain power.

Trump has total control of today’s Republican Party. Senate, Governor, Congressional, and other GOP slates across the country are dominated by Trump approved MAGA candidates. These candidates have made no attempt to disguise the fact that if they are elected to office, they will do all that is in their power (and more) to hand Trump the Presidency in 2024. There is no question that the GOP is all-in for Trump. This is a grave danger to our democracy as previously described here.

But the leaders of the GOP are not complete idiots. They know that, despite their best efforts to suppress votes and gerrymander districts, they ultimately must win the votes of a significant number of the electorate to be able to obtain and retain power. So, maybe for the last election, the people still have the power to stop the MAGA GOP from taking power. And by stopping MAGA, we can take Trump’s power away.

It won’t happen overnight. But if the majority of the high-profile MAGA candidates lose their elections it will convince the non-Trump aligned party leaders that following Trump is NOT the way to regain power. And those leaders, which today are a silent plurality within the GOP, will see their power grow while the MAGA-aligned leaders will see their power fade.

And as the MAGA power fades, Trump will be reduced in stature and power. He will still have his MAGA followers and he will still be a danger to the country. But his ability to dictate events will be much reduced as more and more GOP leaders will move away from him. Will that lead to more Q-Anon fueled violent insurrection attempts? Possibly – and if so they must be dealt with lawfully until the MAGA fury burns itself out.

Will this ultimately lead to a stronger GOP? Possibly. But more importantly, it will lead back to a GOP that believes the democratic process and in (relatively) free elections. And that will mean that we have, for the moment saved democracy.

The message is clear: Vote for Democrats. Defeat MAGA Republicans. Save democracy.

GOP Wins in 2022 Guarantee Trump Steals 2024

If enough MAGA candidates win in 2022, Donald Trump will be a pre-determined, guaranteed winner in 2024.

There is no question that the GOP is the party of Trump. Trump’s handpicked MAGA candidates have a near-perfect record of victories in the 2022 GOP primaries, even in cases where the candidates are horribly flawed and GOP voters had more mainstream choices. The core of the GOP believes absolutely in Trump and the candidates selected by the party prove that to be the case.

The Trump-approved candidates all share a commitment to the big lie that the 2020 election was stolen. They also all agree that, if elected, they won’t allow it to happen again. How will they keep that promise? Simple: No matter how the voters of their state vote in the 2024 election, they will override the will of the people and certify Donald Trump the winner.

Trump MAGA candidates who believe in Donald Trump more than they believe in democracy are running for offices of Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State in key battleground states:

Massachusetts
Maryland
New York
Pennsylvania
Florida
Texas
Michigan
Wisconsin
New Mexico
Nevada
Arizona

Every state in which the MAGA candidates win in 2022 is a pre-determined, guaranteed win for Donald Trump in 2024. The battleground states on this list control the election. If enough battleground states vote for MAGA candidates in 2022, the votes cast in the 2024 election will become meaningless. No matter how the voters vote, the MAGA officials will use their powers to certify their states for Donald Trump.

All voters must understand: a vote for a GOP MAGA candidate in 2022 is a vote to end democracy. If the MAGA candidates control a state, the voters will have ceded power to Trump’s willing lackeys. What happens in the next 60 days determines the future of America. Forever. Because if Donald Trump regains power, he will never give it up.

Will This be the Last Free Election?

If the GOP gains control of enough state governments, we will never have free elections again.

As the primaries come to a conclusion and the candidates for the 2022 elections are selected, the strategy of the Republican Party has become clear. Despite the fact that every court, every recount, and every honest accounting has shown that the 2020 elections were completely fair, the GOP has, in almost all cases, nominated slates of 2020 election deniers across the board. This incudes an overwhelming number of candidates for Governor, Attorney General, or Secretary of State:

Geoff Diehl for Governor in Massachusetts (likely)
Rayla Campbell for Secretary of State in Massachusetts
Lee Zeldin for Governor in New York
Doug Mastriano for Governor in Pennsylvania
Dan Cox for Governor in Maryland
Michael Peroutka for Secretary of State in Maryland
Alan Wilson for Secretary of State in South Carolina (Incumbent)
Wes Allen for Secretary of State in Alabama
Bill Lee for Governor in Tennessee (Incumbent)
Greg Abbot for Governor in Texas (Incumbent)
Ken Paxton for Attorney General in Texas (Incumbent)
Ron DeSantis for Governor in Florida (Incumbent)
Ashley Moody for Secretary of State in Florida (Incumbent)
Tudor Dixon for Governor in Michigan
Matthew DePerno for Attorney General in Michigan
Kristina Karamo for Secretary of State in Michigan
Diego Morales for Secretary of State in Indiana
Tim Michels for Governor in Wisconsin
Eric Toney for Attorney General in Wisconsin
Amy Loudenbeck for Secretary of State in Wisconsin
Kim Crockett for Secretary of State in Minnesota
Audrey Trujillio for Secretary of State in New Mexico
Jim Marchant for Secretary of State in Nevada
Mark Finchem for Secretary of State in Arizona
Kari Lake for Governor in Arizona

This list is far from comprehensive, and of course it does not include the massive numbers of GOP legislative candidates who deny that the 2020 election was fair – even in many cases when they were themselves elected to office!

These election deniers have all stated that the 2020 election was stolen and that, if elected to office, they will not let it happen again. But given that the 2020 election WAS fair, what they really mean is that, if elected, they will not certify any election unless their candidate wins. So, if they are in power their preferred candidates will be declared the winners in future elections despite the true will of the people.

In other words, if they are are given power, there will no longer be fair elections ever again in those states. The staggering number of GOP candidates who potentially could be given this power will collectively control enough states to dominate all future national elections. This year is our one and only chance to stop the Republicans from stealing democracy. The 2022 vote will determine if the United States remains a democracy or becomes an authoritarian theocracy.

Our entire future depends on the 2022 election. If the GOP gains control of enough state governments, we will never have free elections again. We must do EVERYTHING we can to elect Democrats.

How to Save our Democracy

Millions of people will have their rights taken away permanently if the GOP gains control. People MUST stand up. They MUST vote.

The MAGA dominated GOP has no use for Democracy as an institution. As detailed here and here, they fully intend to finish imposing a theocratic autocracy on the United States. We have only a short time remaining to save this country as a Democratic nation based on the rule of law.

The GOP is making no attempt to hide its plan nor its contempt for us, the citizens. Moves are already underway in many states to make abortion (including, in some cases, all past abortions) a crime, to eliminate gay marriage, criminalize LGBTQ behavior, outlaw contraception, and many more. If the GOP gets its way, they will enact laws to make these bans nationwide. And its very clear that the GOP-based Supreme Court will cheer them on and rubber stamp the elimination of any freedom not expressly documented in a Constitution written by slave-holding white plantation owners 200+ years ago.

There is only one opportunity to stop this from occurring. Democrats, Independents, and anyone from any party who believes in freedom MUST organize, turn out, and VOTE in 2022 against the GOP at every level, local, state, and Federal.

While is true that there are some Republicans who still believe in the rule of law, unfortunately they have become a minority in their party, and have no power. Instead, power is in the hands of the MAGA extremists who still spout the Trump lies and have no intent of ever giving up power if they achieve majority status in Congress. Indeed, in many states where they do wield power, they have so completely stacked the deck via gerrymandering that even when their party gets less votes they still retain power in the legislature. This is what autocratic minority rule looks like. The more power they obtain in the next election, the fewer free elections will ever occur in this country again.

The GOP knows that a majority of Americans does not agree with their agenda, but they are hoping that voters aren’t paying attention to what they are really doing. Their plan is that with gas prices up, inflation on the rise, and the stock market in free fall, Americans will blame the President and vote against the Democrats. This cannot happen. People must look beyond the day-to-day and see the big picture. Their very rights are at stake.

Millions of people will have their rights taken away permanently if the GOP gains control. People MUST stand up. They MUST vote.

If you believe in the rights of women – you MUST vote.
If you believe in the right to love anyone you choose – you MUST vote.
If you believe in the right to use contraception – you MUST vote.
If you believe in the right to worship as you wish – you MUST vote.
If you believe in the right to marry anyone of any race, creed, or gender – you MUST vote.
If you believe in the right of all citizens to vote – you MUST vote.
If you believe in the right to be free from senseless gun violence – you MUST vote.
If you believe in America – you MUST vote.

We ARE the true majority in this country. TOGTHER we can all protect our freedoms. Together we can defeat the MAGA-controlled GOP.

GOP Coup V2 is Coming

Donald Trump, even with his narcissistic and self destructive personality, almost succeeded in coup attempt version 1.

Donald Trump has done the GOP a great service. Although his coup attempt failed to take control of the government, it provided the GOP with enough of a roadmap that they have worked out a plan for the next presidential election that will have a much greater chance of success. This plan no longer requires the leadership of Donald Trump, and in truth much of the GOP leadership will be happy if the January 6 committee tarnishes him beyond redemption (or better yet, sets him up for prison).

Make no mistake, Donald Trump, even with his narcissistic and self destructive personality, almost succeeded in coup attempt version 1. Think of what would have happened if the January 6 mob had caught Mike Pence or any member of congressional leadership. They would have killed him/them (maybe on live TV), thereby preventing the transfer of power from taking place as defined in the Constitution. In the ensuing turmoil, Trump would have invoked the insurrection act, retained power, and nullified the election entirely. It would have soon ended up at the Supreme Court, but with no Vice President, the Originalists may very well have decided that there was no legal way to transition to a new President, leaving Trump in control. Who knows what would have happened next – possibly true Civil War as the 81 million people who had been disenfranchised fought the 74 million people who voted for Trump.

The January 6 mob violence attempt was the only option left to Trump to retain power after all other potential coup options had been closed off. But the Trump administration identified many other options and the rest of the GOP took notes. The alternative that could have worked was to have the House of Representatives decide the contested election based on the Contingent Election process in which each state receives one vote. Because the GOP controls many more states in Congress, this would have given them a victory.

Version 2 of the coup will be much more thoroughly planned and will be executed much more deftly. The key is at the state level. In 2020, the Trump administration attempted to coerce multiple state Governors, Secretaries of State, and Legislative bodies to officially endorse alternative slates of Electors in states that were won by Joe Biden. Not a single state did. Although some state GOP parties endorsed alternative Electors, they were so obviously without any legal basis and therefore easily dismissed.

The GOP intends that 2024 will be different. The huge numbers of Ultra-MAGA election deniers already in place and those running for office in 2022 all have one goal in mind. They KNOW that the 2020 election was a fair fight, and they are not willing to not let that happen again. There are multiple elements in this plan:

Increase the difficulty of early and absentee voting.
Suppress the votes of those in minority groups and the young.
Control the voting process so that many votes from the above groups can be disallowed.
If needed, override the will of the people by declaring the results invalid.

Through the use of some or all these techniques, GOP officials intend to subvert election results in their states. In their best case scenario, they suppress/disallow enough votes so the the GOP candidate becomes the winner. But if that doesn’t work, the next best option is to declare that the result is in doubt and select an official alternate slate of Electors to send to Congress. If they succeed in doing so in most or all of the key battleground states in 2022, then their path to victory in 2024 is clear.

So here’s how version 2 of the coup works:

Gain enough seats in Congress (and ideally the Senate) to win control.
Gain control of battleground state offices.
Using that control, suppress/disallow votes.
If needed, sow doubt to justify selection of alternate slates of Electors.
When votes are counted, use the doubts to object to the process, and throw the vote to the House.
On the basis of one state, one vote, elect the GOP candidate as the next President.

The GOP leadership sees Donald Trump is a useful fool. The more he rants about the “stolen” 2020 election, the more he riles up the base, and the more cover he provides for the MAGA election deniers. They all (including Trump) know that its a Big Lie, but as long as they don’t admit it, their dupes (i.e. voters) will a) send Trump money, and b) vote for their authoritarian agenda. By no means do they want Trump to run for office again. They know he is completely unelectable. But as a martyr, self-proclaimed or for real, he is helping them achieve their goals. It would work out perfectly for them if, after the 2022 elections, he is convicted for one of the many crimes he committed while in office.

With Trump out, the GOP frontrunner for President in 2024 is clearly Ron DeSantis. DeSantis incorporates Trump’s base-provoking white nationalist instincts and authoritarian tendencies with the smarts of a graduate of Yale and Harvard Law School. He is a very dangerous man, because while he is every bit as amoral and evil as Donald Trump, unlike Trump he has proven over and over that he can and will accomplish his goals. Under DeSantis and the GOP, the United States will be transformed into an authoritarian white Christian theocracy with a bleak future.

Can the Democrats prevent the GOP MAGA DeSantis administration from becoming a reality? Yes, but it won’t be easy. That will be the subject of my next post.

The Right’s Brilliant Master Plan

The pieces are all in place for the GOP to gain complete control of the US government over the next few years.

The Right has a brilliant master plan to take control of the United States in ways that reach far beyond anything before. The plan is composed of multiple interlocking elements that all work together to create a complete and seemingly unstoppable juggernaut. The plan is composed of the following key elements:

Generate fear and hatred among lightly educated and poorly informed white people. There are many potential objects of fear: immigrants, muslims, blacks, Jews, hispanics, LBGTQ types, intellectuals, liberals, environmentalists, uppity women, socialists, hollywood elites, etc. The Great Replacement Theory that is so popular on Fox News wraps this all up in one tidy sentence. The beauty is that there are so many options and potential targets for your fear and hatred. You can even profess love for a few of the groups and still hate the others.
Maximize the number of people who have guns, the power of those guns, and the lethality of those guns. Fear also plays a critical role here.
Wrap the entire package in a quasi-religious set of eighteenth-century rights that have the effect of greatly reducing the chances that you or your children will be exposed to new and different (e.g. dangerous) ideas.
Build a culture of lies so as to remove the dangerous viability of truth in any discussion. Call Fake News on those who speak truth. While Donald Trump is the absolute master of this element, there are many others who practice it with no shame or apologies.
Promote autocratic leaders and countries as ideals to be envied and emulated. This eases the transition to their own planned autocratic form of government.
Give the rich what they want – more money via little to no taxation, and the ability to protect themselves (see #2), so they will continue to fund all the other items even if they may not be fully onboard with the package.

Taken together, these policies have succeeded in created three archtypes of right wing converts:

The mainstream Republican: This group, which constitutes 1/3 or more of American adults, is mostly onboard with the GOP agenda. They will vote Republican and if they have money and influence, will use it willingly. They tell themselves that they aren’t racists, but deep down, most of them are.
The radical MAGA Right: This group, which before Trump was no more than a few percent of Americans, is now 10% or more and growing. What’s worse, many of these people have been elected to political office and many more are currently running to do so. This group has fully bought into the entire GOP agenda, and they are so radicalized that they don’t believe in the true exercise of democratic rights. They use the Great Lie that the 2020 election was stolen as the means to set themselves up to steal future elections. They believe in suppressing the vote, and if necessary, changing votes. They believe in storming the halls of government, kidnapping elected officials, stopping vote counts, etc.
The MAGA Terrorists: This group is small but growing every day. They have lost all sense of reality, and are so radicalized by hate and fear that they will kill for their cause. Every time one of them commits mass murder in the name of the GOP, more are radicalized to this concept and the cycle repeats. The existence of this group is not an unintended consequence, rather the pinnacle of the GOP plan. The terror it creates is useful to the GOP in creating ever more fear. Today it is undirected and random. Soon, they will explicitly direct it.

The pieces are all in place for the GOP to gain complete control of the US government over the next few years. They are already in the process of destroying voting rights at the state level. The right to an abortion is about to disappear. Making abortions illegal will follow. LBGTQ rights will also be eliminated. By controlling the Supreme Court, they will continue to eliminate rights of those who oppose them, and put more guns in the hands of more zealots. By controlling elections, and increasing domestic terrorism, they will consolidate power to eliminate democracy in all but name. Then will come the next wave of repressive laws: rolling back the rights of women, LBGTQ, blacks, non-Christians, etc.

Although Donald Trump played a major role in bringing this plan to life, it is now much bigger than him. The next generation leaders of this GOP takeover are already in place: in right-wing news, Governorships, Congress, the Senate, and in every state legislature. This group needs Trump, but they realize that he’s too narcssisitic and dumb to play more than a cheerleader’s role. The next generation of committed, ruthless and smart GOP leaders are jockeying on all fronts to take control. Make no mistake that they are ready and waiting to take total and complete power. Their goal is to create a Christian dictatorship in which they control every act, and if possible, every thought of the powerless masses.

The GOP plan, evil as it is, can be stopped. It will take the courage of Democrats, political independents, and those Republicans who still believe in democracy. Voters must not be deceived into thinking this election is about mundane issues such as inflation or vaccines. This election is about freedom. If you believe in democracy, there will only be one chance to save it. Make your voice heard. Organize. Speak up. Protest. Most importantly, VOTE in 2022. Vote against the GOP and all it stands for.