Republicans are desperate to characterize Saturday's "No Kings" rallies as anything other than what they really are: The actions of millions of patriots to defend democracy.
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When we talk about the United States’ rapid descent toward authoritarianism, we primarily do so with regard to Donald Trump’s dictatorial ambitions. However, it is important to note that he could not do so alone. For example, the GOP majority in Congress plays a major role by allowing the president to usurp authorities not granted to him by the Constitution. Therefore, while they may not originally have been committed authoritarians themselves, these Republicans are now accessories to upending US democracy.
And the one thing authoritarians fear more than anything else is that the people rise up against them because, while they may control all of the levers of power, there is a strength in numbers that they can only match with excessive violence.
This explains why Republicans are so worried about the “No Kings” demonstrations that are scheduled across the country for Saturday and are expected to draw millions of participants in more than 2,000 separate events.
To counteract what may turn out to be a record-breaking protest, they have settled on the talking point that this will be a “hate America” rally.
Call us crazy, but we believe that people coming together to exercise their First Amendment rights and to peacefully protest a monarch is just about the most American thing imaginable.
That’s certainly how historians feel when describing the Boston Tea Party (and that even included destruction of property).
The plan that congressional Republicans and members of the administration are pursuing is simple: Pretend that the people attending the protests will be a bunch of radicals hellbent on destroying the country.
“We call it the Hate America Rally that will happen Saturday,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Wednesday. “Let’s see who shows up for that. I bet you’ll see Hamas supporters, I bet you’ll see antifa types, I bet you’ll see the Marxists on full display, the people who don’t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic.”
That’s more than ironic, because it seems as though, at this moment in time, Johnson is doing absolutely nothing to defend the foundational truths of this republic.
In a world in which Americans shared a common reality, the GOP’s attempts would be doomed to fail.
After all, we have already had a couple of “No Kings” protests, and they drew millions of almost exclusively peaceful protesters.
However, in the world we live in, i.e., one in which half the people believe in an alternate reality that Trump, Fox News, and Republicans like Johnson are creating for them, it is possible that select footage of isolated incidents of property damage or pro-Hamas messages could be used by the right-wing propaganda machine to create the GOP’s desired counter-narrative.
Which is why it is really important that Saturday’s protests be as non-violent and non-destructive as possible, that American flags and clever slogans predominate. They are, after all, an expression of patriotism.
Republicans, on the other hand, hope for chaos and violence, which is why some of them have gone even further in their incendiary rhetoric.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), for example, said the demonstrations would feature the “terrorist wing” of the Democratic Party, which practically invites MAGA supporters to show up for counter-protests.
Finally, we would be remiss if we did not remind our readers that we already know what a “Hate America” protest looks like.
One took place on January 6, 2001, and Johnson and Emmer should remember it, since they were there.
