Letter to the Editor - For today's Republicans, falsehood is truth

Editor,

The Republican party is in the process of destroying American democracy. Its organizers have infiltrated the highest echelons of state and federal government and have instigated acts of violence directed against elected officials. The threat is real and the target is the 2024 presidential election.

Trump limped from the White House, roundly condemned for having instigated the insurrection Jan. 6 with the help of Republican lawmakers. The reality was stark and undeniable. Trump is a petty autocrat, willing to torch democracy to cling to power.

The inflection point came during the second impeachment trial, when Republican senators had the opportunity to join Democrats in condemning Trump. Seven Republican senators voted along with all 50 Democrats to convict, leaving the Senate 10 votes short of the 67 needed to hold Trump to account. The acquittal served as the first step to the further radicalization of the Republican party. Ten months ago, McConnell castigated Trump for spinning “increasingly wild myths about a reverse landslide election that was being stolen.” Now these same myths have been elevated to first principles of the Republican party and the party has effectively closed its doors to those unwilling to lie about the 2020 election. In today’s Republican Party, a falsehood is axiomatic truth.

Sincerely,

World War II veteran Joe DeMarco

Jay, New York