Charleston City Paper | Demosthenes, the Greek statesman in ancient Athens,had a saying that applies today: “Every dictator is an enemy of freedom, an opponent of law.”
It’s something for Republicans to remember as former President Donald Trump tries to woo primary voters to cast their lot with him, despite years of lies, corruption, financial shenanigans, conspiracy theories, mistreatment of women and outright bullying. It’s almost inconceivable that this narcissist who rallied a mob to insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is being taken seriously in our democracy, especially since he faces 91 felony counts in four cases ranging from trying to overturn the 2020 election and falsifying business records to obstructing justice and mishandling classified information.
Now there are new fears about Trump’s authoritarian leanings as the former president recently echoed the language of leaders who rose to power in Germany and Italy in the 1930s. Hear what he said on Veterans Day in New Hampshire:
“We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections. They’ll do anything, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America and to destroy the American Dream.”
Wrong. Trump is the one who is an enemy of America with his heartless rhetoric and anti-freedom agenda. Dictators like Adolf Hitler in Germany and Benito Mussolini in Italy used words like “vermin” to dehumanize opponents and encourage violence, scholars write. And now
comes Trump, spewing the same kind of vitriol, fear, grievance and retribution.
Republican voters should be appalled. These are not the words of a normal American president, a sane Republican or Democrat who truly leads and tries to promote the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of all Americans. These are the words of a dangerous despot echoing the fascist rhetoric of Nazi Germany.
Now is the time for GOP voters to reject Trump and turn their support to a conservative, impassioned candidate who seemed like the only grown-up in the room in recent presidential debates — former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley.
We don’t agree much with the worldview or overall politics of Haley. But she doesn’t want to harm America. Haley, now as when she was governor, is unquestionably ambitious, obviously desirous of more attention and power. But she wants America to heal from the division, fear and cruelty of the Trump years. She’s pro-freedom unlike Trump who says he wants to make America great but seems to do everything to keep stirring a nefarious pot.
Haley told a Bluffton crowd this week: “I agree with a lot of his policies, but the truth is, rightly or wrongly, chaos follows him. We have too much division in this country and too many threats around the world to be sitting in chaos once again.”
Haley is right in noting that if Trump were to be elected to a second term, the pillage of freedom and dysfunction in the country would continue.
Trump has toppled over the edge and deserves to go to jail, not to the White House. Haley deserves to be the 2024 candidate to challenge President Joe Biden.
Editor’s note: This editorial was first published in the Charleston City Paper.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!