In the Feb.12 edition of the Kent County News, Tatiana Croissette (past chair of the Kent County GOP) has chosen to complain about the Democratic gerrymandering in Maryland. I really don’t have any quarrel with the general premise, but she goes on,” They have taken universal notions that once fell under the umbrella of “democracy” and cynically distorted their meaning to champion and promote a majoritarian, authoritarian superstate.” I would say that shows that she has learned well from the master of cynical pomposity. But if you change “majoritarian” to “oligarchic” you have the perfect description of the Trump regime. She complains that “the newly proposed gerrymandered map for the 1st District, spanning the Eastern Shore, ….. is designed for a single purpose: to eliminate the last Republican congressional seat in the state of Maryland.” ….“to effectively eliminate Maryland’s sole Republican seat in Congress — the 1st District, represented by Harris.” First I would say, ”Duh.” Second, I could point out that Republican states started this mess, egged on by the head mess maker himself, but I would rather question her support for Mr. Harris, who she suggests, represents her views and values.
Andy Harris’ views and values are questionable, at best. Keep in mind that he has used your support to attach himself to the Trump Train, something he has supported early and often. It makes me wonder, what’s in it for Andy? I don’t think much of the 4 billion dollars the Trump family has socked away in the Donald’s 1st year will trickle down to dear Andy. Just think if Hunter Biden has been so masterful.
Andy’s support for Donald is built on a basic falsehood. That Donald Trump won the 2020 election. Something he continues to kvetch about. He maintains that there were millions of illegal votes cast that deprived him of his rightful place on that gilded throne, there ensconced he could indulge his woeful will. He has even instructed his minions to create something wicked. They cynically call it the Save America Act. This is an Act whose premise is built on a the Trumpian lie that he didn’t loose. Our Andy is in lockstep with the Big Lie.
Question #1, Do you support Andy’s refusal to certify the 2020 election, and his refusal to honor the police that defended the Capital on Jan. 6. Do you really believe the Big Lie, that Trump won in 2020? I think this is the fault line dividing our country. Truth and justice vs the Big Lie. Rule of law vs MAGA world.
Question#2, Do you support Andy’s, and the Freedom Caucus’s statement of Jan. 27, “The House Freedom Caucus stands behind you and the men and women of ICE and CBP in carrying out their duty to protect the American people, defend the rule of law, and remove dangerous illegal aliens from our communities. We thank them for arresting and removing hundreds of thousands of criminal illegal aliens over the past year.….” Talk about a devious and cynical version of reality. Very few of those rounded up are criminal or dangerous. “Protect the American people”? That has never sounded more hollow. “Defend the rule of law”, really? Andy didn’t defend the rule of law on Jan. 6. “Removing hundreds of thousands of criminal illegal aliens”? Let’s brag about their effectiveness with an invented number (hundreds of thousands), and let’s bear down on the idea that they’re removing criminals.
Question#3, Do you support Andy’s defense of ICE? With it’s extra billions of dollars we have a paramilitary force, made up of J6ers and Proud Boys. Sign up, and they’re given masks, vests, and a gun. They’re out there, under the direction of Steven Miller, in sneakers and jeans, with no ID, creating terror, maiming and killing, in the name of American freedom. Does this make you proud? Andy doesn’t want to rein them in, refusing to consider the Democratic demands that they be an honorable law enforcement entity. What’s wrong with putting them in uniform with proper ID, and giving them proper training? What’s wrong with removing their masks? The bit about the danger of being doxed is another bit of invented rationalization. They wear them to terrorize. Ask Steven Miller. Somehow Steven Miller has become the author of the administration’s hyper noxious anti-immigration policy. His fanatical xenophobic paranoia has become the US’s official policy. And now he has his own private army to enforce it.
Meanwhile the made for TV drama plays out. The military style attacks against unarmed civilians are staged for their televised impact. Donald Trump is not a real president. He just plays one on TV. To maintain his role he says,”Dear Andy, thank you for your support.”. And Andy thanks you, oh, underrepresented Republican, for your support.
John Ramsey
Chestertown
While John Ramsey is using multi-syllable words and complex sentences to support and defend Democratic Party views, Trump and Company (the elected winners) have taken a different approach. “Wouldn’t you like to punch him in the face.” “You won’t have a country anymore.” “They eating the pets!”
Here’s my view. Moving the voting lines sucks. It rigs elections. Both sides are jerks. It’s time to kill the phony two-party system. And while we’re at it, use artificial intelligence to determine voting districts. We certainly can’t trust our elected officials.
No “both sides” about it unless you mean “jerks” as a personality disorder and not a fascist vs person whose views you disagree with. There is only one party that has abandoned our Constitution and that is the GOP.
Honestly, it is in our face daily and it is seriously terrifying that 30 plus percent of “Americans” are fine with this.
Both parties seek unlimited power. Both parties always cater to the wealthy first. Both parties go to war over global control and economic interests. Both parties push for control of the citizenry. Both parties address climate change without anything really changing. Both parties believe they should be the only two parties. Which party-endorsed candidate for President would be a better choice: a severely mentally declining candidate or a candidate with severe personality disorders? And yes, Deirdre, this is seriously terrifying. A binary choice is almost no choice at all. As American we deserve more choices. Trump is not really a Republican. Bernie Sanders is not really a Democrat. Democrats are running as Republicans to beat the system. Republicans are donating money to beatable Democrats.
It’s time we kill the two-party system.
Hi, killing the two party system won’t work unless we overhaul the entire Electorial system. And even then that invites a new level of issues. Personally I favor one person one vote direct democracy. Until $$$ is taken out of
elections, change will not come., and with the current SCOTUS, good luck with that.
As we are presently, sure both parties have issues. But only one acknowledges and follows the rule of law. That is enough for me at this point.
This reminds me of T.B.T., the time before Trump. When asking friends and acquittances about the state of affairs, I would most often hear that all the politicians are corrupt, so the solution proposed was to get rid of them all . I hear that in your assessment of the current disarray. I might call that the ultimate nihilism. Life without hope. The populist right wing message machine saw an opportunity and ran with it. The next thing you heard was that draining the swamp of it’s reptilian infestation would set us free. Here we are, with the reptiles in control. Survival of the fittest. Might makes right. Who’s the meanest S.O.B. in the valley. I would suggest that we look at the difference in morality. It really should be obvious.
Both parties support hyper-capitalism that stretches an ever-growing income divide.
(Clinton’s bank deregulation was the worst of it.) Both parties have allowed quality health care to be determined by personal income levels. (Democrats and Republicans are beholding to the insurance companies and the AMA, and Obamacare is nothing near universal healthcare) Members of both parties have became very wealthy on government paychecks via Wall Street. (They both leverage insider trading.) Killing the two-party system is not nihilism. It is the optimism of a better tomorrow. This political duopoly must end. The difference in morality between the two parties is questionable. (Political careerism rule the day in both parties.) Of course, the outlier is Trump. He is just a flat-out opportunist that leverages Christian Nationalism to satisfy his dark triad urges. Encouraging a few more political parties could diversify us out of this mess and give voters real choice instead of an either-or take it or leave it. It would be tougher to gerrymander, too.