The Führerprinzip: Trump, the GOP, and 2019

Friends of Padre Steve’s World,

If you had asked me between 1976 and 2008 when I was a loyal member of the Republican Party if I could have ever imagined saying what I am about to say in this short article I would have scoffed at you. I never believed, even after I left the GOP in 2008 that I could imagine that the Grand Old Party would become a proto-Fascist Party devoted to the preservation of its leader, a man who until he ran for President repudiated nearly everything that the GOP, and its Evangelical Christian base allegedly represented. Financial malfeasance, bankruptcies, multi-times divorced, adulterous, draft dodging, a man who openly mocked Veterans, somehow became the Party nominee, defeating a host of traditional Republicans, in the process mocking them and everything the party stood for, and they fell in line behind him.

He became the Leader, the Führer, and despite all the things his GOP critics, including Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Mitch McConnell, and countless others said about him they fell in line with him. Any American institution that opposed Trump became their enemy as well; the FBI, the Justice Department, the Federal Courts, the CIA, and the Director Of National Intelligence became their targets. Despite obvious connections between the Trump Campaign and Russian Intelligence all rose to his defense. Despite continued threats to the democratic foundations of our Republic they have not only defended the President, but defended foreign enemies devoted to the elimination of the United States as an enemy or competitor.

In the wake of the partial release of the Mueller Report the GOP Leadership, the President, and leading members of his Administration have done all they can to stifle further investigations by the Justice Department and the Congress. The political allies, the cabinet members, and their media allies have done everything they can to follow the underlying tenant of the Führerprinzip “the Führer’s word is above all written law” and that governmental policies, decisions, and offices ought to work toward the realization of this end.”

There is no other explanation of the GOP Leadership’s defense of the President. certainly Barry Goldwater, John Tower, Dwight Eisenhower, and a hoot of past Republican Presidents or Congressional leaders would have endured such shameful abuse by the President. He has attacked and insulted almost every one of them, often worse than he has the Democratic Party opposition.

The fact is that the GOP, a party that I devoted 32 years of my life to promote and advocate for, has now adopted the Führerprinzip in regard to the President’s actions and lies as their baseline. With the exception of Representative Jason Amash of Michigan most seem to be willing to defend the President regardless of where the truth resides.

I just finished the book Hitler’s American Friends by Bradley Hart. It is a chilling read. It deals with the American Fascist movements in the 1930s including the Silver Shirts and the German-American Bund, the cooperation of business leaders and corporations, including Henry and Edsel Ford, leaders of General Motors, Standard Oil, University and Student organizations at major U.S. Colleges and Universities, and members of Congress and the Senate to Support Nazi Germany, promote anti-Semitism, and keep the United States out of the war. The America First Movement was the final stage of this attempted Nazi takeover of the United States. If you haven’t read it you need to if you want to understand what is happening today.

Mark Twain quipped that “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” Those are wise words. The fact is with very few exceptions the political party that was the GOP is dead. It is now the party of Trump, and nothing will change than until Trump, the GOP, and maybe our country end up on the ash heap of history.

I am sure that I will have more to write about this, especially if Trump patrons convicted or charged American war criminals this coming weekend.

So until tomorrow,

Peace,

Padre Steve+