Author: James E. Garcia
It’s been almost four years since I wrote that “The Republican Party may not be dead yet, but it’s probably time to put an end to our misery.”
GOP acolytes probably thought I was being mean. Looking back, I think I was generous.
As it turns out, the GOP is not only dead, but has now degenerated into an army of partisan zombies, utterly determined to kill democracy.
in the aftermath Thursday’s guilty verdict against former President Donald J. Trump, the latest incarnation of the undead (or maybe just brain dead?) is led by a growing phalanx of pro-Trump sycophants.
Trump found guilty of 34 crimes in New York hush money trial
Reacting to the news of Trump’s 34-crime conviction, House Speaker Mike Johnson called it “shameful” U.S. Senator John Cornyn of Texas called the decision “disgrace”, adding: “Now more than ever, we must unite around @realdonaldtrump, take back the White House and Senate, and get the country back on track.”
I’m typing with X, Republican Congressman Steve Scalise declared that he would not “stand by while the leader of our party is ambushed by our own government.” His post included a link to Trump’s fundraising page.
And finally, quite disingenuously, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, said Trump’s trial was a “sham.”” and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott called it a “hoax” even as he argued that the American justice system is one “hunts Republicans while protecting Democrats.” (Stefanik and Scott, unsurprisingly, are vying for Trump’s vice president.)
“Real” zombies are, of course, notable for biting into the brains of their victims. In a fresh take, these guys seem content to simply infect their prey’s senseless heads with outright lies and demagogy.
Doesn’t the GOP claim to be the party of “law and order”? Or maybe law and order applies only to Trump’s critics and political opponents?
The Republican Party has degenerated into an army of partisan zombies, utterly determined to kill democracy.
– Don’t forget to add the author
To be clear, Trump was found guilty by a jury of his peers on charges of committing business fraud in order to conceal the fact that he had sex with a porn star because he believed that if news of this (not the first) extramarital dalliance came to featherlight this could paralyze his campaign before the 2016 presidential elections.
In the face of Trump’s deluded zombie base, all I can do is repeat the question I asked a close relative after he blew off news of the New York jury’s verdict as “BS.”
– So you don’t think it’s a crime? I asked semi-rhetorically. “Not to mention that while the jury didn’t consider it, it also turns out to be immoral. Or maybe none of this matters to you?”
I wouldn’t defend what Trump did if my own father or son had done it. So why do his supporters believe that we should tolerate any crime on the part of a man, no less a former president, who once swore on the Bible to uphold the laws of our nation and “preserve, protect and defend”, the main legal model of this country, United States Constitution.
Can’t Trump do anything to let his supporters see him for what he is: the most corrupt and dishonest man to ever run for president in American history?
Ultimately, I take comfort in the knowledge that 12 average citizens found Trump guilty, and that no amount of threats and insults, highly paid lawyers, or endless lies from the former president could dissuade them from their jury duty.
The jury simply did its job. And we should congratulate them.
To Trump’s brainwashed zombie army: I hope you eat yourselves alive.
James E. Garcia is a journalist, playwright and communications consultant based in Phoenix. As a journalist, he worked as a reporter, columnist, editor and foreign correspondent. He was KJZZ’s first Latino affairs correspondent and the first Latino editor of the major progressive news weekly in the U.S., The San Antonio Current. James has taught artistic writing and nonfiction, ethnic studies, theater, Latino literature and politics at ASU. Founder and artistic director of producer New Carpa Theater Co. James is the author of over 30 plays, including the upcoming “The Two Souls of Cesar Chavez.”
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