Vermin. It is the word used by authoritarians to dehumanize those they plan to exterminate.
It is also the word used by one Donald J. Trump to describe his enemies. On veteran’s day he posted the following:
“In honor of our great Veterans on Veteran’s Day, we pledge to you that we will root out the Communists, Marxists, Fascists, and Radical Left Thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country, lie, steal, and cheat on Elections, and will do anything possible, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America, and the American dream.”
Leaving aside his use of the word “fascist” to describe anyone but himself, these words should be taken seriously. And we should be feeling fear, for reasons which I will explain.
His ire has mostly been directed at members of the legal community involved in prosecuting him for his many crimes. Up until now.
This post represents an acceleration of the violent rhetoric his political career is based upon.
If he regains official power by cheating or force we know that his definition of the word will expand.
Democrats, in general are already vermin to his MAGA cult. I know because I was attacked by one of them online recently. “Die, liberal scum” were the exact words used.
But, beyond the judiciary and an entire major political party, who else might be involved in the purge?
The only book Mr. Trump ever read was Mein Kampf. He is said to have kept a copy on his nightstand.
So I will turn to his idol, Mr. Hitler, to answer the question. In the 1930s in Germany, the following groups were represented as vermin: Homosexuals, the Romani, the disabled, the mentally ill, anyone not white, and, most of all, the Jews.
This is the likely playbook for Trump and the MAGA cult as well. The resurgence of violent antisemitism is already here. Yes, some of it is coming from the extreme left. But the extreme right has been on the case for years. Remember the shirts at the 1-6 attack on the capitol that said 6MWE? That means 6 million weren’t enough.
Another way of saying “kill all the Jews”. And these are his followers.
But why should we worry? Won’t the system keep him away from reoccupying the White House? One would think so. And be wrong.
There is no foolproof mechanism to prevent him from seizing power. It is unlikely he can win fairly, but that doesn’t matter.
Think about his “Stop the Steal” campaign. This was and is a brazen attempt to steal an election by claiming that the president we inaugurated in 2021 was there by fraud when it is exceedingly clear that he won fairly.
We must not forget that Mr. Trump is a master of projection. Whatever he accuses others of doing is something he did, is doing, or is planning to do.
He is screaming about fraud in 2020 with no evidence when it is almost certain that he actually did steal 2016. But nobody with any real power has the guts to open that steaming bucket of manure.
Are American elections free and fair? They are almost entirely free of the type of fraud claimed by the far right. But, no, they are not free and fair. And won’t be without a powerful voter’s rights act such as the one the senate failed to pass a couple of years ago.
It is not fraud that haunts our democracy, but rather voter suppression, gerrymandering, foreign interference from hostile nations, and massive amounts of dark money. To say nothing of arcane rules with no place in a modern democracy.
If this man, who calls his enemies vermin, and who is one of the chief architects of Project 25, seizes power, it will be by giving the electorate a shovel and making us all dig our collective grave.
The danger is NOW. In political terms the 12 months between now and the upcoming is a blink. The media will not help. They won’t even report the truth.
It is time to fight or flee. It is 1938 in America.
thanks for this
I agree with every word. Complacency and trusting the electoral system to work is not enough. I would wager that there is a huge operation underway at this present time for major election malfeasance in 2024. Trump's freedom from jail depends on it. He and his allies are telling the public with shocking clarity what they have planned. America better wake up!!
If he is not convicted/disqualified prior to election, America may very well find herself enmeshed in the horrors of Nazi Germany. The Trump vermin guy will do ANYTHING to regain power. He (and his 1st wife) have been cozy with Kremlin for many years. We can be certain Russia/China/N.Korea are already assisting in every possible way. American Intelligence Services better get in the game!