In their latest attempt to distract from their own incompetence, Republicans have resorted to “Cancel Culture” to shift the focus onto various non-issues as they try to destroy democracy.
Like whataboutism, where rather than respond to discrepancies in their candidates during the 2016 elections, using "cancel culture," Republicans are stoking fake outrage to discredit Democratic progress on the pandemic, the economy and America’s re-emergence onto the world stage.
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The Facts
Republicans have given up on any illusion that they are trying to take an active part in government. Instead of holding those accountable for the January 6th insurrection, they want to hold hearings on security lapses. Instead of addressing the pandemic, they argue about government spending. Instead of working in a bipartisan fashion, they accuse President Biden of governing by fiat because of his multiple Executive Orders aimed at reversing the policies of the Trump administration -- much established by Executive Order.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has asserted that his top legislative priority is to “100 percent” oppose President Biden’s agenda. Much like his declaration to make President Obama a one-term president, Moscow Mitch is locked in on a program of obstruction and denial.
Even though Joe Biden had the exact same electoral votes as the winner of the 2016 election, almost 70 percent of Republicans refuse to believe that Biden legitimately won. They are so vehement in their belief they will censure anyone who denies this, or tries to hold the previous administration accountable for the January 6th insurrection. Many states are seeking to adopt restrictive voter suppression laws aimed at limiting access to the ballot box, presumably for those who voted for the Democratic ticket.
Republicans are so adamant that the election was stolen that they are conducting yet another recount of votes in a single Arizona county that is heavily Democratic. This audit is being conducted, not by verifiable pollsters, but by a right wing organization that spearheaded the “stop the steal” campaign, Cyber Ninjas. This process is shrouded in secrecy and highly biased, yet the hope is to overturn the results in Arizona and use this as a springboard to overturning the election results in several other states that Biden won.
Anyone who opposes this effort, and any other claim that goes against the Republican assertion that the election was stolen, faces political retribution. Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) was ousted May 12 from her #3 position in the Republican Party for refusing to toe the party line that there was massive voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
Cancel Culture
Republicans attempt to deflect from their heinous actions by accusations of a prevailing “cancel culture” they claim “woke” Democrats are attempting to inflict on the nation. With everything from Mr. Potato Head to red meat to Dr. Seuss, the implication is that Democrats are out to destroy America by eliminating everything that “real Americans” hold dear. Like MAGA, it hearkens to a simpler time, which only existed in the imagination of the cult that Republicans have become.
Despite their assertion that Democrats are the purveyors of cancel culture, it’s Republicans who are guilty of this action. When NFL players took a knee to protest police brutality, Republicans boycotted the NFL. When Major League Baseball moved the All Star Game out of Atlanta to protest a new voter suppression law, there was a call to boycott baseball.
And in the ultimate cancellation, Republicans are trying to cancel the votes of millions by claiming a stolen election and cancelling any Republican who voted to impeach the former president for his role in inciting the January 6th insurrection.
So, Republicans' claim that all Democrats care about is “canceling” everything that offends them rings hollow in the face of their own numerous actions.
Alternate Reality
Republicans are living in an alternate reality. It’s one where Joe Biden lost the election, COVID magically disappeared and they still held the majority in the Senate after winning both run-off elections in Georgia.
The conspiracy theories of a Deep State have been uncovered, Democrats have been imprisoned or, in some cases, executed in televised events that became the new “must see TV”. Antifa has been destroyed and Black Lives Matter driven underground as “Law and Order” is keeping America safe from the hostile nations of NATO.
And, of course, there is a beautiful Wall stretching from coast to coast preventing the evil brown people from infecting our nation and stealing our jobs.
First they tried through the courts. Multiple failed lawsuits were launched in various states, challenging the election results. There were even cases brought before the Supreme Court, as judges appointed by the previous administration apparently believed the justices would choose loyalty over the law to overturn the election results.
The January 6th insurrection was no less than an attempt to make this reality happen. The hope was to force then Vice President Mike Pence to nullify the election and declare Republicans the victors. It was the most violent attack on the Capitol since the War of 1812, and there are still many who haven’t been held accountable.
With the failure of the insurrection, conspiracy theorists set their sights on Inauguration Day. Despite the soon-to-be former president leaving Washington prior to the inauguration ceremonies, conspiracy theorists believed that, prior to Biden’s being sworn in, his predecessor would triumphantly return and, backed by the military, Biden would be arrested, executed on the spot and the “true president” would take his rightful place.
When this failed to materialize, the QAnon kooks reset to March 4th, the original Inauguration Day, as the time for “the Second Coming”. They reasoned that, since the date of the inauguration was changed, there were no other legitimate presidents since. They conveniently ignored the fact that it also meant that the 45th president would then be illegitimate.
The Future
What is the future of the Republican Party? Will they continue to devour each other, or will they come to their senses and finally do the job they were elected to perform?
Current trends are that they will continue their journey down the rabbit hole, pinning their hopes on the 2022 elections, where their aspiration is to retake both the Senate and the House. The problem is, following the insurrection, thousands left the party, and the latest polling, which Republicans have hidden from the twice-impeached, one-term, former president, shows his unfavorable ratings to be 15 points higher than his favorable numbers.
Still, a majority in Congress continue to support Trump. The question is why? As a social media presence, he has been effectively defanged with his Twitter account permanently disabled and his Facebook page temporarily suspended. Yet, they still fear “the base”; those who took part in the insurrection and are currently under the watchful eye of the Justice Department.
So, the future looks bleak for rank-and-file Republicans, which is why they continue to launch fake conspiracies and false controversies. They are at risk of becoming victims of their own “cancel culture”.