LJ Schaffnit: Republican Party transformed from party of Lincoln, Reagan to party of Big Lie

To The Daily Sun,

Our former POTUS has successfully transformed the Republican Party from the party of Lincoln and Reagan to the party of the Big Lie. He has turned a once proud party into a rolling circus act while shredding the institutions of democracy.

While I have often voiced my distain for political parties; believing them to be self-seeking and divisive obstacles in the way of unanimity, national purpose, and dangerous to the stability of the American society, I have great respect for opposing views up to the point of those views becoming blatant lies disseminated for the sole purpose of smashing anyone with a differing opinion. With the inflammatory rhetoric and conspiracy theories engaged in by the Republican Party/conservatives, we have become engaged, not so much in a struggle of ideas, as in incessant disingenuous fear mongering and lies; this attitude only helps to widen the divide and fuel the discontent across the country.

It’s frightening for me to witness how easily conservative contributors to this forum have dismissed our constitution and the rule of law. They routinely attack our most cherished institutions: the courts, the media (free press), the intelligence community, the electoral process, the IRS, the United Nations, foreign allies, international accords, federal workers, the Justice Department, etc. — this is the strategy of autocracy.

It’s just been over a year since a Republican president attempted to overthrow democracy, and still the GOP explicitly or implicitly supports this coup. The attack on our Capitol and our Constitution resulted in the deaths of five individuals, either directly or indirectly, injuries to 138 police officers, and repair costs to exceed $30 million. Yet, the cowards in the GOP, fearful of losing the backing of former President Donald Trump, lie to the American people by claiming this action was just “legitimate political discourse; the party of “law and order”, defends the crimes of these “ordinary citizens” (ordinary citizens committing criminal acts). By Republican standards, are we now to define riots in various cities throughout the United States as “political discourse”?

Recently, we have learned that if you are a Republican representative with integrity and willing to speak the truth and vote your conscience, you will be censured (punished) by the GOP. It has thrown itself into a moral pit, and rather than seek the truth, the Republican establishment has chosen fealty to the “Big Lie” and the big liar.

L.J. Schaffnit

Gilmanton