Political historian says GOP has "become a monarchist party" and "Trump is their king"

[CousinIT]

https://www.newsweek.com/historian-jon-meacham-republican-party-monarchist-trump-king-1477116

A historian has accused the GOP of becoming a "monarchist party" viewing President Donald Trump as it's king whether he's right or wrong.

Jon Meacham, the author of several presidential biographies, told MSNBC on Thursday that Republicans were "following a man" rather than the Constitution, and were willing to do so "whatever the facts may be."

He also contrasted Republicans standing by President Trump through the impeachment inquiry with the aims of politicians in the founding era, saying such behavior was "precisely what we were fighting against."

His comments came as Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee proposed several amendments to the drafted articles of impeachment charging Trump with abuse of power and obstruction.

The failed attempts to amend the articles as they were debated by the Democratic-controlled panel included one amendment that would have removed the obstruction of Congress article, while another would have added "Hunter Biden" and "Burisma" into the text of the articles.

Speaking to the MSNBC show Andrea Mitchell Reports, Meacham said: "The Republicans have basically become a monarchist party. Trump is their king, and their king right or wrong.

[dchill]

1. In a word, yep.

[Thomas Hurt]

2. Conservatism has its foundations in monarchy.

Though I would characterize what the American right wants as a christofascist theocracy.

[calimary]

29. I'm surprised they haven't overthrown trump themselves

so they could anoint Mike Pence as the real “Chosen One”.

[cilla4progress]

3. Where to from here?

How do these things end?

[DENVERPOPS]

15. You don't even want to go there.....N/T

[Fritz Walter]

23. Pitchforks!

My question: should I keep the tines sharp and clean, for easier penetration? Or is it better when they’re dull and covered with microorganisms?

And in case anyone asks, I use my pitchfork to stir up my compost container.

[renate]

4. "Following a man rather than the Constitution"

This seems like a wonderfully pointed and succinct way for Democrats to describe what is going on. It’s applicable to the Trump-as-dictator argument, the party-before-country argument, and the we-are-a-nation-of-laws argument.

[Newest Reality]

5. That's a reasonable assessment

Although I prefer authoritarian tin pot dictator and the consequent ushering in of theocratic elements in order to enforce it and maintain an oligarchical, Fascist dystopia.

[bluestarone]

6. I also feel that the RETHUGS somehow are thinking

The 2020 election is a slam dunk for them! Why are they so sure? I don't know.

[DENVERPOPS]

16. You most assuredly do know

if you witnessed the 2000 and 2004 election.........And they were nowhere rigged as much as the Putin/Trump 2020 upcoming election...

WASF

[MerryBlooms]

7. I wish Meacham had his own show somewhere like PBS...

I love listening to him.

[MFGsunny]

24. +1

[riversedge]

28. So do I. We need folks like him.

[C_U_L8R]

8. Il Douche

It's really pathetic that this corrupt clown has any office at all.

[geardaddy]

20. That's how I like to refer to him

Il Douché

[calimary]

30. That one's good, too.

Il Douche.

‘Cuz he IS one!

[magicarpet]

9. Unitary....

But less like a monarch and more like a Fascist Third World Banana Republic Dictator.

Give this White Trash authoritarian dictator his second and (maybe ?) final term and he will install his permanent Fascist Military Junta. So drastically revamp Democracy -there will be no turning back.

He will normalize the all powerful unitary executive dictator - establish precedent that future presidents will be subject to very limited or no over sight by any branch of government, especially if the GOP is in power.

[DanieRains]

10. Its A Cult Actually

Worse than a kingdom.

[MartyTheGreek]

18. Roger Copy... and the KGOP are False Prophets!

I'm good with the cultist theory. To break the spell of a cultist, somehow we need to introduce a better truth. For these followers, it needs to be a bigger truth. We don't care what it is, but a truth even a stepping stone that carries them away from the fact that many knew all along that they were wrong to start with. They knew it in their hearts, but they will atone. This is a wake up call for many. Even some of my magas are liking my liberal cartoons. Hey, you gotta start somewhere!

[Poiuyt]

22. It's worse than a cult

His base is the cult, but members of Congress are afraid of him. I doubt that all republicans in Congress think he’s a god-like creature, though I’m sure some of them do. The rest are just too afraid to defy him, even if it’s to the detriment of the country.

[VOX]

25. They're also afraid of Trump's vengeful, alt-fascist followers...

Who target “dissenters” to their king. These “true believers” threaten to do this-or-that online.

A fellow DUer recently posted screen caps of a now-deleted Twitter account that threatened the lives of any *Republican* Trump dissenters.

Can’t muster much sympathy, though. These potential “victims” built their own Godzilla over the years, and now that it’s destroying Tokyo (metaphorically, of course), they’re upset, so they bow to their divinely-appointed monarch.

[moondust]

11. Agree.

The "economic royalists" that FDR warned about.

From the Roosevelt Institute:

~
...it is useful to recall that what the South was attempting to establish when it seceded to form the confederacy was a state based on racism and the establishment of a permanent economic elite.
~
http://rooseveltinstitute.org/rise-and-fall-our-economic-royalists/

[JHB]

12. Economic royalists, too, to revive FDR's term...

True believers in Divine Right... of Money.

[FiveGoodMen]

13. They've been trying since Reagan

[ffr]

14. Conclusion, rePuticans are whipped and spineless.

[Jim__]

17. Trump is not acting like a king - he's acting worse.

I was reading something recently - I can't remember where. But it said that a king will never deliberately diminish the status of his kingdom because that diminishes the status of the king. Trump is diminishing the status of the United States and all he cares about is himself. He doesn't recognize any connection between the status of the US and his own status. An American king would not have the contempt for the US that Trump has.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

19. Hair Furor and the Russiapublicans are united against democracy.

They seek an oligarchy just like Putin's.

[BootinUp]

21. They need to be excoriated. K&R

[duforsure]

26. The republicans were the easiest to corrupt and have them compromised

And was probably why putin had trump run as a republican. Putin caught them and had trump deep in debt to them. Both very compromised.

[Ilsa]

27. They've gotten this way since 2000 and

W. There were Rs wanting him to be pres forever.

[Garrett78]

31. The GOP desires a pre-Enlightenment fascist theocracy run by and for white men. Seriously.