New Model for the United States Government Unveiled

NEW MODEL FOR UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT UNVEILED

By Thomas Coffin  

The plans by one political party for reconstructing life in America are unfolding in the run up to the 2024 election. The grooming of the victims, a class consisting of all the American people who support our freedoms, rights, privileges, and life under a democratic system with a Constitution reinforced by its firm foundation of the sacred rule of law, is nearing its sacrilegious objective—the utter demolition of that system.

We have already been exposed to remarks from the leading Republican candidate for president that, if elected, he will immediately dismiss, without cause, a substantial number of federal employees, including law enforcement and intelligence officers responsible for our national security, replacing them with only those who will swear loyalty only to him, not our Constitution. That in itself is a direct rejection of the core principles of our more than 200 years existence as a democratic system of governance. It was preceded by previous statements from Trump that he detests the Constitution and he only swore to defend it, not “support” it, when he was sworn in on the occasion of his first term. Such nonsensical equivocation is absurd; keeping one’s finger crossed when taking a solemn oath of loyalty to the Constitution is a damnable lie.

But there is more, much more. Trump has promised to exact retribution on all of his political enemies and fill the Department of Justice (which will become an oxymoron) with hirelings who will prosecute those whom he orders them to file charges against. We will be under the iron fist of a tyrant, whose edict is that whatever he decides is a criminal offense must be punished as such.

In case anyone missed it, Trump recently spoke at a campaign rally in which he quoted the views of dictators Vladimir Putin of Russia and Viktor Orban of Hungary condemning American democracy. Orban’s totalitarian government enacted a law recently making opposition to his government (e.g.  criticizing it) a crime punishable by imprisonment. Putin throws critics off tall buildings or into jail cells.  And these are the sources Trump cites for his audiences?

But beyond Trump’s views, where stands his party—the GOP? Its silence is itself deafening. As the saying goes, silence is consent. Trump’s platform is or will be the Republican platform. The GOP is not running from the views of its leading presidential candidate by refusing to condemn them. Rather, it joins the chorus of the likes of that trio—Putin, Orban, Trump —in singing the dirge over our centuries of freedom. The Republican Party should salvage its own dignity and stature by immediately issuing a statement to its members and the rest of America affirming its committed to democracy and strongly rejecting the guidance of tyrants to dump democracy. But it won’t happen.

Some people may dismiss these concerns by classifying all the above as circumstantial evidence, campaign rhetoric, or overblown fears, and they may point out that Trump hasn’t yet been convicted in the four current criminal cases against him.

I have several responses: When you have a candidate for the highest office in the nation, his speech must be evaluated very critically because that is the best opening to his mindset. You don’t need a conviction to judge his fitness. Trump has openly revealed his plans to transform our system of government into an authoritarian model and you must take him at his word. He has also stated he will be a dictator on Day One if he wins. You can take that as evidence as well, with this caveat—no dictator voluntarily stands down after one day on the seat of ultimate power over his subjects.

Finally, ask yourselves: What has Trump’s party said publicly about his speeches to his base? Virtually nothing which would distance the party from Trump’s express intentions to terminate American democracy. As I stated earlier, the GOP’s silence must be recognized as affirmation.

The ultimate question is this: Do the people of this United States want the Putin-Orban-Trump (and perhaps Republican) new model of government?

Only “We the People” can prevent this fatal outcome to our democratic system of governance. Only we can preserve our freedoms and rights and pass them on to the future generations. We must vote in record turnouts in 2024 to assure the survival of a government that serves the people, instead of one that crushes the people.

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Thomas Coffin was the keynote speaker at the Blackberry Pie Society’s Political Party in February, 2020 and at Politics and Pie in October, 2022.  He is a retired federal magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon and a former professor at the UO Law School. Thomas retired in 2016 after 24 years on the bench, prior to which he had a career as a federal prosecutor spanning 21 years. He is married with 7 children.  The Blackberry Pie Society is pleased to include a collection of his essays on our website.  We will post them as they become available.

posted 1.2.2024