WILLIAMS: There, He Finally Said It!

After a quick, informal poll, I determined that no one in my circle of friends was surprised. Yes, I refer to the statement made in antagonistic opposition to our nation’s 234 years of constitutional governance and tradition by Donald J. Trump.

Among the pragmatic, those who were willing to cast a more critical gaze, this revelation was little more than an “I told you so” moment. Although “subtle” and massaged with incredulous rationale by him and his acolytes, Trump’s past conduct gave the thoughtfully pessimistic among us justification to label Trump as racist, xenophobic, fascist, intolerant and authoritarian. Now the only real question is to what extent and past what boundaries is Trump willing to take this country to achieve his goal of reshaping this country into one which reflects his ideals and gives him the lasting power and control he craves?

Had we actually been a nation of “character” and “principle,” Trump would have been rejected before his orchestrated spectacle of riding down his golden escalator. (You do remember he paid actors to stage the visual of a supportive crowd as he announced his candidacy.) His false allegation of President Obama’s Kenyan birth would have disqualified him.

Had we actually been a nation of “character” and “principle,” his “grab ’em by the p—y” statement would have caused a massive rejection of his chauvinism at polling places across the nation. Or his “good people on both sides” statement on Charlottesville would have caused principled leaders of his party to chastise his flawed analysis. Or his public lies numbering into the tens of thousands would have created a public outcry which would have destabilized his ability to govern. Or after election defeat and a subsequent “Stop the Steal”-inspired insurrection, his adjudication is stymied by “his” political party caught somewhere between disregard and disbelief. Instead …

Disrupting a tranquil Saturday, Trump used his social network, Truth Social, to call for the results of the 2020 election to be overturned and his reinstatement as president with the following statement:

“Do you throw the Presidential Election Results of 2020 OUT and declare the RIGHTFUL WINNER, or do you have a NEW ELECTION? A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution…Our great ‘Founders’ did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!”

One day after Trump’s pronouncement, amid an absence of response by Republican party “leaders,” Liz Cheney denounced his statement. “Donald Trump believes we should terminate ‘all rules, regulations and articles, even those found in the Constitution’ to overturn the 2020 election. That was his view on 1/6 and remains his view today. No honest person can now deny that Trump is an enemy of the Constitution.”

There is no longer room for debate — that TRUTH is out. Trump is just the public face of a growing movement of hatred, intolerance, and autocracy that threatens the foundations of our government. Thousands cling to the political myths, hatred, and protectionism inspired by Trump, but do so without the restraint and limits imposed upon the actions of public figures. Like the “conservative” audience member at an October 2021 Turning Point USA rally who asked, “When do we get to use the guns? … That’s not a joke. I’m not saying it like that. I mean, literally, where’s the line? How many elections are they going to steal before we kill these people?”

Like the opened mythical Pandora’s Box, chaos, confusion, and instability have been released upon us. This type of malignant hatred can only be lessened by those who have chosen to benefit from and exploit it — the Republican Party.