Ever since the Trump administration turned present-day American into the worst kind of reality TV show, I’ve tried to turn my attention to the past and the future as a method of self-preservation.
That hasn’t helped.
Since the Revolutionary War, several hundred thousand U.S. citizens have lost their lives in armed conflicts fought here and abroad to defend the Constitution, which is the fundamental document that protects the American way of life.
But today, significant parts of American history are being erased; there are blatant abuses of presidential power on a daily basis; vital social nets are in grave danger; governmental checks and balances are being ignored; people are being incarcerated without due process; free speech is being stifled, political retribution has become the norm. October 18’s ‘No Kings’ protests in about 40 towns throughout Connecticut prove I have plenty of company. It’s my hope that most of my fellow protestors feel the same as I do not only about what’s at stake, but the price that has already been paid.
After all, in my view, those hundreds of thousands of souls mentioned earlier died in vain. They gave their lives for an America that no longer exists. Some of our elected Congressional leaders, by their actions, spit on those graves every day.
Now let’s turn to the future.
When I was a young adult, I didn’t have to be afraid to speak out against politicians with whom I disagreed. But if things progress as they are, my children and grandchildren will almost certainly have to worry about that. When I was a young adult, I knew I could trust the authorities to make sound, informed decisions about such things as vaccines, the environment, community safety. If things progress as they are, my children and grandchildren will almost certainly have to worry about that. When I was a young adult, I was not concerned about antisemitism and trusted that the never again mantra was taken seriously by most Americans. If things progress as they are, my children and grandchildren will almost certainly have to worry about that, too.
Federal agents sent to San Francisco area, which mayor says is meant to incite ‘chaos and violence’
I have lived through seven Republican presidents and six Democrats. But until now, none of them ignored the Constitution and willingly alienated half the country by actions, policies, and rhetoric. Almost all Congressional Republicans are in lockstep with the office, which makes me wonder who’s more to blame, the president or the party.
I think it’s the party.
Until the last few decades, both major parties, despite significant ideological differences, at least had some integrity. Today’s Congressional Republicans appear to lack even a scrap of it. Remember—Republicans in the 70s, not Democrats, were the ones who ultimately brought down Richard Nixon. Today, it seems as if almost all of them seem hellbent on defending the indefensible and remaining willingly blind, deaf, and dumb to unconstitutional behavior and rising authoritarianism.
After years of observation, it seems to me that many Republicans worry a lot. They worry that everyone (other than their fellow Republicans) tries to get away with things they don’t rightly deserve; they worry that everyone (other than their fellow Republicans) wants to scam the system; they worry that people who do not look like them, think like them, talk like them, or believe what they believe constitute a growing minority that will eventually render white Republicans obsolete; they worry that our nation is not guided enough by religion—or more specifically, their religion (which is ironic since so many of them behave in ways contrary to what their religion teaches); they worry about being told what to do by people they don’t trust, particularly if the other party eventually comes to power (another irony, considering that authoritarianism is the definition of someone telling them what to do); they worry that a diverse, open-minded, compassionate, and empathetic America is synonymous with a lost and wayward America.
I realize the following piece of advice for Congressional Republicans will be mercilessly ridiculed, and that it will ultimately be as effective as a bandage on a corpse. But here it is anyway:
Stop worrying so damned much. If you simply loved the Constitution as much as you hate Democrats, things will work out, and this country will have a better present and a glorious future.
Joel Samberg is a Connecticut novelist and a magazine columnist. His latest novels are “Almost Like Praying” and “Jackie Jester.”
