by PATRICK MARTIN
While Trump and his top fascist aides, like Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi, speak the language of civil war and openly incite violence against the American people, the Democratic Party, the supposed opposition party in Congress and the states, is doing everything it can to disarm the public and block any systematic response to Trump’s drive to establish a presidential dictatorship.
Even as Democratic governors in states like Illinois, Oregon and California have denounced Trump’s authoritarian actions, including the invasion of their states by heavily armed federal agents and National Guard troops, the congressional leadership of the party proceeds on a business-as-usual basis in Washington, pleading with Trump and congressional Republicans to carry out “negotiations” and reach “compromises” on policy.
The extraordinary events of the past five days, with Trump calling up National Guard troops for deployment to Portland and Chicago, and Stephen Miller denouncing unfavorable court orders—issued by judges appointed by Trump himself—as a “judicial insurrection,” have not prompted the Democratic Party leadership to declare that this is a government that seeks to overthrow the Constitution and establish Trump as king in all but name.
The Democrats treat the deadlock over the federal budget that led to the partial shutdown of the national government on October 1 as though it was a mere repetition of previous budget clashes and shutdowns over the past two decades. They went to the White House last week for talks with Trump and continue to beg for a deal in which they would approve funding for Trump to continue his authoritarian rampage in return for minor concessions on healthcare spending.
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