There has been a lot of tiptoeing around a very startling and threatening truth about our political system. There is only one major political party left in this country that is by and for Americans, the Democratic Party.
The GOP has been openly overthrown by Russia. What’s the evidence for this assertion?
- Russian oligarchs have financed Republicans through surrogates and cut outs.
- Russia has infiltrated the GOP by laundering money to them through the NRA and implanting a spy who became an intimate player in the NRA and the GOP.
- Vladamir Putin and Russia secretly negotiated a massive real estate deal with the GOP’s leader, Donald Trump, DURING his presidential campaign. They have also bribed their way out of sanctions and criminal investigation by “investing” millions via GOP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell into his state of Kentucky.
- Russia hacked into GOP servers and have kept that information secret, available at all times to use for extortion and blackmail as desired.
- Russia has been surveilling and accumulating compromising information on high value Republican targets for decades including Donald Trump, the current U.S. president.
- Russia hacked election-related servers in all 50 states, not all successfully, to benefit Republicans.
- Vladimir Putin stated in his 2018 press conference with Donald Trump in Helsinki that he supported Trump’s election in 2016. It was this same conference where Trump declared that he believed Putin’s denial over the entire U.S. intelligence services, that Russia didn’t interfere in the 2016 U.S. election that put Trump in the White House.
- Republicans promote Russian false propaganda attacks (that U.S. intelligence has informed Republicans are indeed phony disinformation), created by Russia’s FSB security service, to support the Russian lie that Ukraine and not Russia hacked and attacked the 2016 U.S. elections.
- Many high profile Republican congresspeople visited Russia on the 4th of July last year and returned to attack the continued use of sanctions against Russia for invading Crimea and eastern Ukraine as well as for attacking the U.S. in the 2016 election.
And this is only a taste of all the infestation Russia has accomplished in the GOP. Add to all of this, Trump’s otherwise inexplicable allegiance to Russia and supporting across the board, every invasion, assassination and attack on the press and democracy. Adding to this, the GOP’s lockstep support of Trump’s appreciation of Russia’s tyranny.
Through bribery or extortion, Russia ultimately controls the Republican leadership and party in America. Republicans control two and a half branches of America’s three branches of government right now which means the Russians have the final say over many decisions that are made by the government of the U.S..
Trump is fine with this. As their asset and as a purely transactional person, Trump is happy to trade U.S. sovereignty for his own personal power and greater wealth, there is no pesky moral imperative in the way for Trump. In exchange for selling out the U.S. and destroying its alliances and institutions, Trump gets the Russians backing to be in power. Ironically, just like the previous president of Ukraine…before the people revolted and chased him out.
There’s another important factor in this Invasion of the Party Snatchers, something that is symbiotic and through which the GOP and the Russians have bonded.
Like the Russians, Republicans see democracy as the enemy. Republicans have invested a lot of resources in purging legitimate voters from the voting rolls, suppressing and blocking early voting, criminalizing registration drives, closing polling places, refusing restoration of voting rights and a variety of other voting rights suppression issues. Republicans have used their power in states to install voting machines that they know can be easily hacked and they have pointedly prevented paper back-ups that could counter election fraud.
Republicans know very well that they are a minority in this country and that if everyone was able to freely vote, they would lose much of their offices and power. Hence, their extreme and perverse gerrymandering, their typically phony propaganda to demonize their Democratic opponent and their frequent use of criminal acts to sabotage voters such as phone banks spreading false information to voters on Election Day on when and where to vote.
Their actions illustrate a very simple and obvious admission by the GOP, they must defeat democracy to hold or gain power. On this, they see eye-to-eye with Russia, making them natural allies against America’s Constitution and the country’s existence as a legitimate representative government.
Putin didn’t really need to be a genius to recognize that the enemy of their enemy (democracy) is their friend…or in Russia’s view, their willing accomplice.
So Russia put together a robust global strategy of undermining democracies around the world, both attacking them with operations that created division and distrust of democracy and invading political parties and groups to carve out a piece of their resulting power for themselves.
The Russians are well-practiced in figuring out how to attack targets through their moral weaknesses. From using surveillance of sexual affairs they have set up to bribery to financing and supporting “populist” movements that seek to destroy and weaken the governments Russia sees as adversarial.
The GOP has become nothing more than a servant for Russia and Trump…who of course has been compromised and bows to the will of Putin.
To be perfectly frank, the GOP is now an adversary of the United States and its democracy.
- The GOP no longer stands for truth but only for retaining power at any cost, including lying to the American public and being willing vehicles for authoritarianism and Russian propaganda.
- The GOP no longer protects America’s democracy, being bought off by Russians and other foreign interests who support them, damaging the right of the people to fairly vote.
- The GOP no longer supports the Constitution and its structure of checks and balances between three branches of government, acceding to Trump’s pursuit of a dictatorial presidency.
- The GOP no longer serves the majority of Americans, working to tear away health coverage from tens of millions, slash assistance for the poor and elderly, burden 99% of Americans with debt and taxes while the wealthiest are freed from paying taxes.
- The GOP no longer represents what is best for the United States, it has been profoundly invaded and compromised by Russia and other interests that now have the greatest influence over their decision-making instead of the American people.
It seems well past time to admit to ourselves what we may not want to believe but what is the reality we are living through right now.
The United States government is under the sphere of Russian influence at this point in time.
The GOP and Donald Trump have proven unwilling to resist Russian control over their actions and policymaking.
The 2020 election is an existential moment for the United States. Next November will decide whether this country recovers its sovereignty or is dragged deeper under Russian influence. 2020 will determine whether the Russian/Republican vision of remaking U.S. democracy into a dictatorship will be fulfilled or buried.
From Esquire on a new Pew Poll: “The share of people polled who say presidents could operate more “effectively” if he did not have to worry about Congress or the courts is up 16 percent in a single year, to 43 percent.”
This is not a conspiracy theory. It is not breathless demagoguery. The facts are out in the open for all to see…except in the most Right-Wing and pro-Russian propagandist outlets such as Fox News and RT.
The GOP Is the Russian Propaganda Party Now
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-gop-is-the-russian-propaganda-party-now
The GOP has become the Soviet party
Republican senators respond to impeachment hearings by pushing Russian disinformation
https://www.vox.com/2019/11/25/20981661/john-kennedy-roger-wicker-ukrainian-interference-russia
Are Republicans even trying to defend Trump? Or just doing Vladimir Putin’s bidding?
There are many more articles from legitimate sources as the ones listed above that affirm this reality. Yes, as hard as it is to believe, our country right now is partly controlled by Russia.
We can’t count on the Trump cultists to ever snap out of their worship of their false god, their fervent, blind following of the personification of their fears and hatreds resembles less of a political or even religious allegiance but more of what one might see on The Walking Dead (“Brains! Must eat brains!”).
Next year’s election can’t be about trying to housebreak zombies, it needs to be about rallying Democrats, Independents and even some anti-Trump Republicans who want to rescue this country from foreign control and autocracy.
The adversary of most Americans is the party of candidates who will have an “R” next to their names on the ballot in 2020. Whether one supports a particular Republican candidate or not, they must be opposed to defeat the Party of Betrayal from holding the power they now use to compromise America and increase Russia’s influence over it.
The time for calling things out for what they are is now. No more Democratic over-politeness. It’s freedom and independence vs. corruption and foreign power over our country.
You have to know what the real choices are to make the right decision. These are the choices, these are the stakes, it’s time for Americans to stand up and stand together to protect this nation from those who threaten to take down everything it stands for.
GOP: Their continual, mind numbing lies. Their endless spin. Their outright denial of facts. Over and over, again and again.
I want to believe that Americans are too intelligent to continue to believe these compromised Republicans who protect Trump only to have power and wealth.
Democrats need to step up and fight back, no holds barred.
When Franklin said, “A Republic if you can keep it.” He based that statement on his intimate knowledge on his understanding of how monarchies ruled, and the avarice of men and their lust for power and control.
So he and the other founders worked extremely hard to craft a form of government that in their minds would work best. They knew it wasn’t perfect. But based on what they revolted from to what they hoped the country would become, they provided a pretty good foundation. Not to say it wasn’t without flaws, – on which I will have more to say about later – it provided a base on which to build.
We can only image what Franklin, Madison, Hamilton, Mason, and et al would have to say if they were with us now, and witness Trump’s behavior. Not to mention it wouldn’t have taken them very long to recognize the interference and influence of a foreign power on the highest office they created.
Every Republican in the House and Senate who is supporting Trump should have the sources of funding investigated and turned out in the next election if there is any hint of Russian money.
The time has passed for the American public to wake up and pay attention to what is happening to their democracy. Turn off Fox, Sinclar, and OAN. Read a newspaper or two and start asking real questions about their government, instead of who they think will win Survivor.
Great article AdLib.
I wholeheartedly concur that the U.S. government is now a Russian asset. I will further state that the GOP should be viewed by Americans, not as the Republican Party, but as the Russian Party.
Absolutely, the GOP is de facto, The Party of Russia. They protect Russia and it’s primary surrogate, Trump. They refuse to protect our elections from Russian sabotage because they want Russia to interfere and hand elections to Republicans. Repubs know they can’t win by popular vote and Russians know that Repubs will get in bed with them if they help corrupt our elections in favor of Repubs.
McConnell is as much a Russian asset, refusing to protect our elections in 2020, as Trump is. This is a pretty out-in-the-open conspiracy and Americans should be freaked out and highly energized to throw them out of power.
I want to believe that MOST Americans will not support a political party that values Putin and Russia more than they do Americans, even Democratic Americans. I disagree with MOST republican policies, but I do not value Putin above republicans who put the interest of the country ahead of their party.
So, the challenge for those of us who place country ahead of party is to enthusiastically participate in the democratic process and vote for leaders who support our country. I suppose not putting my political party above my country is just ANOTHER thing I disagree with republicans about.
You are the champ! You really laid it out plain, the fix that we are in. And you added something fairly new to the conversation, that Russian/criminal influence is not only very effectively interfering in all of our electoral processes, and now also into the workings of government.
The only real question now is, “How long has this been going on; and exactly how extensive is the damage?” Some time back, I posited that the 2000 presidential election was a: “dress rehearsal.” But I am getting these strange resonances to the Nixon impeachment. Could it, the “Selling of America,” have it’s origins even earlier?
Imagine: these people actually sold their souls, for money, power, and sex! So many lives will be shattered.
Again: this is awesome work. So connected. So daring. Thanks.
And, so thorough.
Thanks, really appreciate it, Steppenwolf!
I think we’re seeing that this has been a long term operation by Russia in multiple countries but especially the U.S.. Trump was being targeted and recruited for decades as we’ve learned, the NRA and the GOP were targeted, infiltrated and used to launder money and many Republicans have had their pockets and their SuperPACs pockets filled with Russian and their oligarchs’ money.
They are compromised and Putin knowing how they’ve been compromised, is the kompromat he now has on them to use them like puppets or else expose them as being bribed by him and his operatives.
The coup has happened, Russia has control in our government and the otherwise inexplicable pro-Russian support by Trump, Lindsey Graham and many other Repub Senators and Reps only go to prove that.
Yes, as we saw with Maria Butina, Russia uses sex, money and blackmail to trap Republicans into being their assets which is destructive all the way around, to the Repub pols as well.
Imagine if a Dem wins in 2020 and we have a commission identifying all the Russian schemes and the politicians they own, the whole GOP could be taken down. And it should be, they have become corrupt tools of Russian authoritarianism and have corrupted our democracy.
Like any cancer, they need to be cut out before they destroy our entire democracy.
Ad….extraordinary. It deserves a wider audience. I am going to do some excerpts from your article with comments from me about the soundness of your thinking and the tightness of your argument…..with a link to The Planet and your article.
The Dems should not rush to asshatery
Come on Jondo, you can do better than this, can’t you?
thought it was an appropriate fun play on your words
Not a very high bar you’re setting there. If that’s the best you can do, okay.