(Photo illustration: Yahoo News. Photos: Corbis (2), AP, Getty Images (2).)
"A republic, if you can keep it” is a famous quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s “founding fathers,” who responded to a woman who asked, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?"
I’m curious to know what Franklin would say 249 years later, as America celebrates its Independence Day while being ruled by a fascist Trump regime that has unleashed the military against its own people.
Franklin, like the other founders, understood that the newly formed United States of America could only function as a constitutional republic and a government by the people and for the people if the citizenry were engaged, responsible, and committed to upholding laws, freedoms, and guardrails against an aspiring King or tyrant. Tragically, the Republicans and right-wing hacks who dominate the Supreme Court, the House, the Senate, and the media have abandoned their fidelity to the country and neutered their own power to prostrate in front of an obscene, corrupt vulgarian who can’t even be bothered to attend security briefings because he’s too busy golfing or making hundreds of millions off of crypto.
Their loyalty is not to the people but to the oligarchs and corporate donors who line their pockets and demand tax cuts for the rich at the expense of helping the majority. This GOP billionaire bill from hell reflects their values and priorities. Republicans have taken $1 trillion from Medicaid but somehow found $175 billion for ICE, which now functions as Trump’s lawless army. Immigrants are being kidnapped and deported, trans people are being erased, and universities and critics are being silenced and punished.
This is what happens in authoritarian regimes.
However, America has been here before. I recall a popular chant back in the day: “No taxation without representation.” When the majority feels their grievances aren’t heard and their leaders aren’t representing them, they find a way to organize, mobilize, and rise. The question is who will fight for our freedoms and democracy against Trump and MAGA’s fascist regime?
I invited legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner, host of Justice Matters, on July 4th to give his thoughts on how Americans can use our respective voices and power to resist fascism and reclaim our democracy. He also makes predictions about Trump’s end game and what could happen if the majority refuses to wake up.
Give us a watch!
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