Abraham Lincoln's Take on Today's Republican Cowards
The ongoing struggle to destroy our liberal democracy, as predicted by Abraham Lincoln.
Next week, the Republican Party holds its first primary of the 2024 election in Iowa, and there's no reason to believe anything will prevent the disgraced and traitorous ex-president from securing the Party's nomination. The GOP death spiral continues as enablers of this dark movement cloak their true motives (unchecked power in pursuit of unlimited wealth) in lies, conspiracies, white grievance, and victimhood. Former governor and bridge-blocker Chris Christie, the single Republican primary candidate willing to tell voters the truth, has dropped out of the race. All that remains, aside from an insurrectionist, is a governor who bans books and a former governor who denies the true cause of the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln is Rolling Over
In January 1838, when he was just 28 years old, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech on "The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions." The speech focused on the threat to citizen-based self-governance by a “moboractic spirit” driven by individuals of unprincipled ambition. Lincoln saw this threat as an inevitable, given its constant recurrence in human history. The relevance of this speech to our present moment is haunting, and I encourage the reader to take a few minutes to read the entire text. But here are some highlights I wanted to share.
The first quote focuses on the decay that occurs within a nation when lawlessness goes unchecked. In our time, this quote underscores the spinelessness of Republicans, who lack principle and are entirely motivated by shortsighted political gain. For example, the cowardly Rep. Elise Stefanik calling participants in the January 6th mob "hostages" because they’ve been held criminally accountable for their actions.
Here's what Abraham Lincoln had to say.
By instances of the perpetrators of [mob violence] going unpunished, the lawless in spirit, are encouraged to become lawless in practice; and having been used to no restraint, but dread of punishment, they thus become, absolutely unrestrained. Having ever regarded Government as their deadliest bane, they make a jubilee of the suspension of its operations; and pray for nothing so much, as its total annihilation.
The second quote focuses on the threat of a tyrant taking power in the United States. This quote resonates with our current moment as well, particularly as the Republican establishment begins the embarrassing, spineless, and cowardly political maneuver of lining up behind a man we all know to be a serial criminal and a traitor.
Here's what Abraham Lincoln had to say.
But new reapers will arise, and they, too, will seek a field. It is to deny, what the history of the world tells us is true, to suppose that men of ambition and talents will not continue to spring up amongst us. And, when they do, they will as naturally seek the gratification of their ruling passion, as others have so done before them. The question then, is, can that gratification be found in supporting and maintaining an edifice that has been erected by others? Most certainly it cannot. [...] Distinction will be his paramount object, and although he would as willingly, perhaps more so, acquire it by doing good as harm; yet, that opportunity being past, and nothing left to be done in the way of building up, he would set boldly to the task of pulling down.
What was Abraham Lincoln’s proposed solution to such a threat — the threat we find ourselves facing today? He believed in the necessity of American citizens to defend institutions which have been entrusted to us by past generations in order to preserve them for future generations.
Is it unreasonable then to expect, that some man possessed of the loftiest genius, coupled with ambition sufficient to push it to its utmost stretch, will at some time, spring up among us? And when such a one does, it will require the people to be united with each other, attached to the government and laws, and generally intelligent, to successfully frustrate his designs.
Today, and in the future eyes of history, the Republican Party is a complete embarrassment. It’s a political party driven entirely by individual insecurity and an unlimited appetite for fear and anger. The establishment, thinking themselves smarter than the voters they attempt to mislead, now find the tail wagging the dog. The question remains: how many Republicans will allow themselves to be entirely consumed by this darkness? How much deeper will they go? If and when this movement turns to sustained political violence, to what lengths will these Republicans lie to themselves about their active participation in this dark chapter of American history? How many will condone, or fail to condemn, violence and lawlessness?
To us, you and I, the answer to these questions doesn’t particularly matter. The cowards have chosen their side. Now, we must choose ours: silence or confrontation; comfort or truth; illusions or reality; and, most critically of all, tyranny or democracy.
Weekly Jabs
Battle for the Soul: President Biden continues warning Americans about threats to our democracy, delivering his first campaign speech of the new year near Valley Forge. In response to the speech, MAGA Republicans warned their supporters of ongoing threats to bronze-cast Confederate statues.
Law and Order: The Supreme Court has agreed to review the legality of removing ex-president Trump from state ballots under the Civil War-era 14th Amendment to the Constitution which bars those who engage in or aid "insurrection or rebellion" against the United States from holding public office in the United States. The outcome will be determined by whatever side offers Justice Clarence Thomas a 10-day all-expenses-paid vacation. And also a house for his mom. And also untraceable cash.
DEI-ing for Attention: The radical billionaire-backed conservative/libertarian movement continues its assault on general progress made by our society, now turning its focus on dismantling DEI initiatives in an attempt to further divide the working class as wealth consolidation intensifies and worker solidarity persists. It’s the opinion of this writer, based on an understanding of world history when extreme wealth disparity occurs, that dismantling the guillotine manufacturing industry should be the next focus of these nefarious actors.
There are 298 days until the 2024 election. Nowhere is it written that we have to allow the darkness consuming the Republican Party to also consume our country.
And on that note, see you next week!
Nick
Binghamton, NY
January 2024
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Observing an All-American political sideshow — From the steps of Independence Hall to RFK Jr.'s "historic" third-party announcement, I embark on the sobering journey of becoming a serious political pundit.
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