A look inside a Heart of Darkness
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| QAnon in red shirt, by Marc Nozell, CC BY 2.0 |
Despite the wins in 2020, American democracy has never been in graver danger.
All over the country, the Grand QAnon Party is passing voter suppression legislation in service of the big lie in addition to flagrantly unconstitutional protester legislation. This is on top of the coup attempt/terrorist attack on January 6.
It is clear that this is a party beyond redemption.
Nevertheless, it will be helpful to step inside this heart of darkness.
Some love power so much they will sacrifice anything and anyone to get it. For these people, power is not a means to an end; power itself is the goal.
Think the Communist Party inside the Soviet Union during the 1970s to the fall of the Soviet Union, the Nazi Party after 1942, or INGSOC from 1984.
Even though he is more than a little racist and misogynistic, Trump himself falls into this category, as does much of his inner circle. Given what is known about Matt Gaetz, I suspect he is in love with nothing more than power as well—same for Senator Mitch McConnell and Representative Kevin McCarthy.
There is nothing wrong with liking power. The problem is being so in love with power that you will do anything to get it.
The other part of the GQP leadership are true believers in Trumpism.
In this case, Trumpism is White supremacy (the idea that White people have more intrinsic value than people of color, Black people especially) reformed for today’s age. Other elements include nativism, a disrespect for expertise, magical thinking, misogyny (the subordination of women as a group), and an attitude that violence is cleansing in of itself.
Think Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert. Stephen Miller is in this category as well. For historical context, think of the Germans who fought on despite Hitler committing suicide or young men who will kill themselves as suicide bombers for ISIS because they believe in their mission that strongly.
That is the GQP: a mixture of power addicts and true believers in an ideology as demented as fascism, Nazism, and communism.
A full 46 percent believe that Chauvin should have gone free for murdering George Floyd despite the overwhelming evidence against him. Over half believe that the 2020 election was compromised despite Trump’s own elections security expert saying that it was among the most secure in American history.
Worst of all, a large portion of this base are ready and even eager for violence.
Relying on the extreme right media ecosystem for information, most of the base, I would wager, are true believers in Trumpism.
But the true belief the base has makes them in some cases even more dangerous than the upper echelons of today’s GQP. They are far faster to resort to intimidation and violence and are in fact the main driving force behind the GQP becoming what it is today.
These are the people actively calling for elections to be nullified because they don’t like the outcome, who are comfortable working with foreign adversaries, and who are itching for a civil war.
They are one of the (if not the) most serious national security threat the United States is facing today.
If anyone needs a reminder, remember January 6. Never forget.
Fundamentally, these people can’t be reasoned with because their thought process is not reasonable at all. The base is willing to sacrifice their health, their quality of life, and even their lives in the service of Trumpism. They cannot be reasoned with at this point.
With the fact they cannot be reasoned with in mind, economic boycotts against states that target voting or LGBT rights may be the best option around. I know it’s a bad one, but there are no better options right now.
Here are two words on how to deal with terrorists no matter who they are: No mercy.
All over the country, the Grand QAnon Party is passing voter suppression legislation in service of the big lie in addition to flagrantly unconstitutional protester legislation. This is on top of the coup attempt/terrorist attack on January 6.
It is clear that this is a party beyond redemption.
Nevertheless, it will be helpful to step inside this heart of darkness.
Top Leadership
The leadership of today’s GQP is motivated by a few simple things.Some love power so much they will sacrifice anything and anyone to get it. For these people, power is not a means to an end; power itself is the goal.
Think the Communist Party inside the Soviet Union during the 1970s to the fall of the Soviet Union, the Nazi Party after 1942, or INGSOC from 1984.
Even though he is more than a little racist and misogynistic, Trump himself falls into this category, as does much of his inner circle. Given what is known about Matt Gaetz, I suspect he is in love with nothing more than power as well—same for Senator Mitch McConnell and Representative Kevin McCarthy.
There is nothing wrong with liking power. The problem is being so in love with power that you will do anything to get it.
The other part of the GQP leadership are true believers in Trumpism.
In this case, Trumpism is White supremacy (the idea that White people have more intrinsic value than people of color, Black people especially) reformed for today’s age. Other elements include nativism, a disrespect for expertise, magical thinking, misogyny (the subordination of women as a group), and an attitude that violence is cleansing in of itself.
Think Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert. Stephen Miller is in this category as well. For historical context, think of the Germans who fought on despite Hitler committing suicide or young men who will kill themselves as suicide bombers for ISIS because they believe in their mission that strongly.
That is the GQP: a mixture of power addicts and true believers in an ideology as demented as fascism, Nazism, and communism.
The Base
Scarier, however, is the base of today’s GQP.A full 46 percent believe that Chauvin should have gone free for murdering George Floyd despite the overwhelming evidence against him. Over half believe that the 2020 election was compromised despite Trump’s own elections security expert saying that it was among the most secure in American history.
Worst of all, a large portion of this base are ready and even eager for violence.
Relying on the extreme right media ecosystem for information, most of the base, I would wager, are true believers in Trumpism.
But the true belief the base has makes them in some cases even more dangerous than the upper echelons of today’s GQP. They are far faster to resort to intimidation and violence and are in fact the main driving force behind the GQP becoming what it is today.
These are the people actively calling for elections to be nullified because they don’t like the outcome, who are comfortable working with foreign adversaries, and who are itching for a civil war.
They are one of the (if not the) most serious national security threat the United States is facing today.
If anyone needs a reminder, remember January 6. Never forget.
Fundamentally, these people can’t be reasoned with because their thought process is not reasonable at all. The base is willing to sacrifice their health, their quality of life, and even their lives in the service of Trumpism. They cannot be reasoned with at this point.
With the fact they cannot be reasoned with in mind, economic boycotts against states that target voting or LGBT rights may be the best option around. I know it’s a bad one, but there are no better options right now.
Here are two words on how to deal with terrorists no matter who they are: No mercy.