OP-ED: In The Wake Of Mar-a-Lago Raid, Republicans Show Their True Colors

by Michael Downes, PCP

First of all, I want to acknowledge that not all of us have favorable opinions of law enforcement–including ICE, the local police, the FBI, heck, even the National Guard sometimes. In fact, I agree with some of those complaints, though I do agree that especially in this time we need to enforce good laws, so the rule of law isn’t tarnished and dragged into an an abyss of chaos and anarchy. I could talk about how we could fix the police to work better in our communities. However, as the title of this op-ed suggests that is not what this is about.

Rather, it’s on the propaganda talking point of law and order, which the GOP or that disgusting thing we used to have as a President doesn’t even have the guts to care about. This is that famous dog whistle of law and order, which I find a little hilarious that many in the GOP elected offices–even Kevin Mccarthy among others–in light of the recent raid on Mar-a-Lago by the FBI have taken to extremes. What I mean by this is the sheer stupidity of attacking the FBI, even though it is a part of the police and they criticize Democrats for defunding the police.  I mean, isn’t attacking the FBI and calling for it to be disbanded the same thing as defunding the police? In fact, the police have actually just had to restructure itself ever since the pandemic, but it still exists, and despite what might be claimed last time I checked they never got abolished.  Even Biden said he wanted to fund the police, not defund it, at the last State of the Union.

Also, if I recall correctly, the man that attacked the FBI in Cincinnati was involved in the domestic terrorist attack at the Capitol on Jan 6th, 2021, and did so after Trump unleashed his so-called toxic mouth at the FBI.

This Blue Lives Matter movement is meant to support the police, but those same people just seem to use it as a slogan for political points, and they are the ones who let funding fall through the cracks. In other words, the GOP seem to be hypocrites and be the party of not just corruption and death, but also ironically enough–the party of defunding the police. Now the Democrats should be wise to use this to their advantage, and should point that out. The Dems need to teach those members of the GOP some actual common sense–for example, that the FBI are the police, and how even Steve Doocy from Fox and Friends (who I can’t believe I actually agree with him on something) said this to Steve Scalise:  What happened to backing the boys in blue?  A reference to the police…which, again, “Screw them,” as Trump would think or, “Ah well, I can’t admit my feelings, because I have no spine,” as the GOP enablers are probably thinking. An almost ironic and personal point to me:  I actually prayed that Steve Scalise would survive, which he did, that 2017 incident.

Anyway, my main point is this:  people like me hate hypocrisy and that’s definitely true of Gen Z and other groups, even if not in public, but in private too.  Even certain GOP officials hate Trump too and the GOP has been ripped apart.  So my point is the Democrats should double down on this one topic and maybe run ads on this too, stating that actually the GOP party is the one that seems to want to defund, demolish and destroy the very agencies that are meant to enforce the laws (we can agree to disagree on how well they do that sometimes) and bring about instability, chaos and incineration of the constitutional officers of the law–from just your everyday copper to accountability in government. As a side note, they also helped sow distrust and poured acid on an already polarized country in order to tread on it. One can only hope good people see this for what it really is–not weaponization of the FBI, DOJ, IRS, etc, but good old-fashioned political chaos, because, let’s be real, they never cared about that at all.

I mean, just ask Andrew Clyde–he campaigned on law and order, but ended up hiding on the wrong side of that when it got dangerous for him inside the Capitol.  Only to say it was a tourist visit–really, tourists don’t wear MAGA hats and have weapons with them.

Regardless, any aspect of the Big Lie, should be called out for what it is–a big atrocity.

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