America Needs To Save Itself From the GOP

Why it risks becoming the next fascist horror story if it doesn't.

I know you thought things would never get this bad. But they have. America is now at a point where it needs to be saved from the Republican party. And no, that's not an exaggeration. From the resurfacing of white supremacy and evangelical extremism to the rise in misogyny and violence, America has turned into a soft battleground between a nation desperate to hold onto its values and a political party willing to desecrate them for its own twisted gains. And there's only one way this is heading — one of them will tap out. It will have to. Because when the stakes are this high, the divide so fierce, and the willingness to win unshakeable, only one can survive.

Make no mistake — fascism now only has one goal: get America to submit.

And there’s a variety of ways the GOP could make that happen. Violence is probably the first that comes to mind. But there is another; one where they treat this like a marathon and not a sprint. What does that look like? They chip away at American democracy, brick by brick. One small victory after another. Because that, more than anything, is going to test America’s mettle. How long will they be able to hang on when they're faced with defeat after defeat? First, it was Trump’s first acquittal. Then the way they stood by him, silently, as he tried coup after coup. Then it was Trump’s second acquittal, where the GOP not only normalised fascism but declared war on both American democracy and decency. What’s going to come next is anyone’s guess. But it doesn't take much to imagine America eventually being worn down. Perhaps to the point where it just doesn't care anymore. And so the authoritarians double down in dismantling America’s institutions and building the America they've always wanted.

Or is the GOP going to play this as a mixture of the two? Just like they have so far? Because that — chipping away at democracy while sending America into chaos, is not only going to get the job done faster but will be them beating America into submission. And don’t be fooled into thinking that the violence stops just because Trump is no longer president. It was the authoritarians in Congress who handed his army the battle plan to begin with. “But will they really incite violence? Publicly?” If Republicans like Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene have anything to say about it, yes.

And even though I’d argue that the Trump army is beyond the point where it even needs encouragement, the GOP is not going to pass on the opportunity to make that fire burn just a little bit hotter. Why? Track-record. They’ve shown, time and again, that they don't have a conscience. Sure, 7 senators probably disobeyed orders when they voted to convict. But the party as a whole? What evidence has it given you that says they care? Why did they silently enable Trump when he staged coup after coup? Why did they not speak up against Trump’s crackdown on immigrants? The one which involved families being torn apart and the children literally being locked in cages? Why did they not vote to convict when domestic terrorists attacked the Capitol? An attempted coup that not only saw five losing their lives but one that could have resulted in a massacre? One where the vice-president only missed the Trump army by seconds?

This — this isn't just about power. This is about destroying America in order to rebuild. After all, why would they repeatedly go the distance if they weren't serving some higher purpose? It’s time America realised that the fascists who attacked the Capitol and the fascists who sit in it are no different. I’d argue the latter are even worse. Because they are the ones who facilitate, silently enable, and then acquit. They are the villains who work in the shadows. They are the ones oiling the Trumpist machine. Without fascist Republicans, the entire plot to build an America where white supremacy, religious extremism, misogyny, and violence are revered falls apart.

And they’re not going to stop. They’re going to continue to lie, stir anger, and manipulate Republican voters into believing they're being conspired against. And in a situation like that, I do have to ask — with the GOP incessantly adding fuel to the fire, how long is it before the Trump base explodes? Violently? Perhaps in a way that you've never seen before? One that makes the attack on the Capitol seem trivial? And if you’re thinking that’s an exaggeration, wouldn't you have thought the same if someone had told you the Capitol would be attacked before it was?

You see, when you arrive at a time where you see the Confederate flag being paraded around in the Capitol, and the man responsible for inciting that event being acquitted, how can you say anything is off the table? And when a party is willing to go to such extremes, how can you say they’re not going to try again? What you’re seeing is the Republican party just getting started. And if this is what the start looks like, what’s going to happen once they really get going?

Is the answer too horrific for you to imagine? I’d say so. You see, this — this is why America needs to be saved from the Republican party. And that statement is as urgent as urgent gets. Because time is one thing America does not have on its side. Fascism has not only infiltrated the state, it’s now dictating it. It won’t be long before it defines it. And then what? Because America’s not just going to have one problem — it’s going to have fascism and religious extremism working in tandem to solidify white supremacy. And once you get to that point, how do you stop it? Once it’s reached the very roots of the state? Will even voting them out be enough?

This is where America needs to make a choice. Is it going to carry on as if nothing’s wrong, and thereby risk everything going wrong, or is it going to realise that it has to stop itself from becoming another horror story of what happens to a country when fascism isn't stopped dead in its tracks?

And make no mistake — America becoming complacent is a real possibility. If anything, I’d say it’s the likelier outcome. Because Trump is no longer president — enough for the average Democrat-voting American to think “they won.” And besides, did Americans even believe their country could become a fascist haven in the first place? Did they go on believing “this can never happen to us?” They must have done. Because you don’t have people like Donald Trump winning the presidency out of the blue. And, even more worryingly, are Americans still thinking like that? Like I said, Biden won. So, that should mean authoritarianism is dead, right?

You see, thinking along those lines misses the point — fascism is not Trump. Fascism is an ideology that will live on for as long as people will be willing to vote for it. And with 42% of Americans believing Trump shouldn't have been convicted, know that fascism is not only alive and well but is going from strength to strength. Believing it perished with Trump only makes its job easier. Why? Because once you do that, you also take away any opposition. That’s like handing America over on a silver tray, begging them to take it.

And you know something else? Those 42% — they’ll vote. For them, this isn't about Trump. This is about their version of America. That, as evil as it may be, is an incredibly strong motivator. And I do find myself wondering whether the other 58% will take it seriously enough to beat them. Consider the fact that not everyone votes to begin with, and you realise that this will go down to the wire — or even worse.

And you know what that means? Politics is no longer “untouchable.” It is no longer “socially unacceptable.” Because Americans now find themselves in a situation where only they can rescue their country from falling into the pit of authoritarianism. And come the midterms, they’ll either have saved themselves from the Republican party or risked their country becoming the world’s next fascist nightmare.