June 3, 2018
The news this week has provided the strongest evidence yet of the hollow hypocrisy at the core of Republican orthodoxy. Literally for decades, Republicans have insisted that free trade and unfettered market capitalism are best for the country. In light of that history, consider the major policy decisions made this week.
First, Trump launched a trade war with our staunchest allies, announcing 25% tariffs on steel and 10% tariffs on aluminum imported from Canada, Mexico and the E.U., in the name of national security, (Source: “White House to Impose Metal Tariffs on E.U., Canada and Mexico,” by Ana Swanson, The New York Times, 5/31/18). These inexplicable moves drew an immediate rebuke from Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, who condemned it as “an affront to the longstanding security partnership between Canada and the United States, and in particular, to the thousands of Canadians who fought and died alongside American comrades in arms,” (Source: “Trudeau: Trump tariffs are ‘an affront’ to Canadian soldiers who ‘fought and died’ alongside Americans,” by John Bowden, TheHill.com, 5/31/18).
Another sign that Trump was veering wildly from Republican economic orthodoxy was the announcement that the Department of Energy was contemplating using its emergency authority to prop up struggling coal and nuclear plants by compelling grid operators to purchase their power from them. The proposal represents an unprecedented market intervention that is likely to cost consumers billions of dollars (Source: “Trump Prepares Lifeline for Money Losing Coal Plants,”. By Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Bloomberg.com, 6/1/18). So much for the invisible hand of the market.
Trump’s moves, and the muted Republican reaction to them, expose once and for all, the intellectual rot at the heart of Republican economic theory. They have used fealty to free market absolutism as a litmus test and article of faith to beat back everything from environmental regulations to the expansions of the safety net, but the truth is, Republican economic policies were a Trojan Horse all along, allowing them to camouflage their real aim— the rollback of the social safety net and the erasure of any gains made by people of color in the last 50 years. Stripped of its veneer of intellectual respectability, Republicans’ most consistent and fervently pursued policy goals are the denial of the full measure of citizenship, or even humanity, to people of color, women and LGBT people.
The disturbing truth is that a significant number of Americans fully support this ideology, even at the expense of democracy. This may sound hyperbolic, but consider this week’s jury award in the St. Lucie, Florida wrongful death action brought by the family of Gregory Hill. Hill was murdered by Sheriff’s deputies who were responding to a noise complaint in the middle of a weekday. Although the Sheriff’s office claimed Hill was armed, evidence introduced at trial demonstrated that Hill’s gun was unloaded and in his back pocket when deputies shot him in the head and abdomen, killing him almost instantly for playing his music too loudly. Faced with this evidence, the jury found that the Sheriff’s office were only 1% culpable and awarded his family $4.00 in damages, which was reduced to 4 cents, based on the percentage of culpability!(Source: “Jury Awards $4 to Family of Man Killed by Florida Sheriff’s Deputy,” by Abigail Abrams, Time.com, 5/31/18).
That jury verdict was imbued with a depth of contempt that is truly awful to contemplate, harkening back to the acquittals of the racially motivated murderers of Emmett Till and others that robbed black people of justice in the 50s and 60s, (Source: “6 Decades Later, Acquittal of Emmett Till’s Killer Troubles Town,” by Debbie Elliott, NPR.com, 9/25/15).
The harsh reality, that we ignore at our peril, is that many Americans would gladly jettison democracy if it means any measure of equality for people of color. We are in a state of emergency as a supine Congress sits idly by watching a corrupt, racist and ignorant despot arrogate more authoritarian power to himself by the day. If we want the American experiment to survive beyond its 242 years, it will require everyone among us who still believes in the Constitution and the Rule of Law to mobilize, canvass, contribute and VOTE! There is no time to waste. It is later than you think.
#Bluewave2018
#Vote