The GOP is the greatest enemy of the American republic

https://twitter.com/benwikler/status/1068778197888786433
Monfd
GOP attempting to destroy democracy in Wisconsin.
Monfd
Could change the result of the 2020 presidential election, too.
Monfd
The GOP is the single greatest enemy of the American republic.
Monfd
Thre are no gods. When you say "God", you promote the mental illness at the core of the theistic experience.
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Sabeena
How is GOP the single greatest enemy of the American republic?
Sabeena
If that's hyperbole, OK. If not, would you mind supporting it.
Monfd
Sabeena: Are you familiar with the Federalist papers?
Monfd
Federalist Papers*
Sabeena
Vaguely.
Monfd
In Federalist 10, James Madison articulates that factionalism is the primary threat to the nascent American republic.
Monfd
He gives a long exposition on what factionalism, what its origins are, its manifestations, and its treatment (factionalism is incurable in Madison's conception of human nature).
Sabeena
I haven't read Federealist 10. Are you going to make its argument or should I read it before we proceed.
Monfd
I am significantly leveraging Madison's conception of factionalism as it pertains to human nature and the nature of a just state, so you'll benefit from reading it.
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Monfd
I'm going to give a brief argument here, though.
Sabeena
OK. TLDR please.
Monfd
The harm of a faction can be delineated into two major components: 1) the power of that faction, 2) the amount the faction's goals differ from 'ideal' republican values -- as enshrined in the Constitution.
Monfd
I think if you apply this two-part test to all domestic factions, the GOP is in very clear first place.
Monfd
The other major class of threats to the republic would be foreign in origin.
Sabeena
But the first point is that democracy makes factions invevitable.
Monfd
The DoD currently leverages a 4+2 model of foreign threats: Russia, China, North Korea, Iran + non-state actors (and possibly cyberwarfare).
Monfd
Cyberwarfare is not explicitly named in Dunford's original 4+1 model.
Monfd
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2017/02/24/joint-chiefs-chairman-dunford-transnational-threats/
Monfd
Sabeena: Yes, factionalism is necessary, in Madison's view.
Sabeena
Factions are irrelevant until they have power.
Monfd
It's primary origin is freedom.
Monfd
Its*
Monfd
The goal of the republic, in Madison's view, is to act as a meta-faction that moderates all factions which must be allowed to exist.
Sabeena
This defines harm as the fidderence between the factoin's goals from ideal values.  In a democracy, ideals change. This democracy hold to its institutions, but institutions change as democracy dictates.
Monfd
The only foreign threats to the republic that can potentially rival the GOP would be Russia and China.
Sabeena
fidderence should totally be a word.
Monfd
What's that from?
Monfd
Some original transcription of Federalist 10?
Sabeena
You have not demonstrated that in argyment.
Sabeena
Fidderance? Typo.  But super cute right.
Monfd
This part is more contentious, but, in general, I think Russia and China are much less of a threat than the GOP.
Monfd
My brief argument is that a study of history over the last 6000 years indicates large polities are much more vulnerable to internal disruption than foreign invaders.
Monfd
Sure, sometimes the walls fall and the enemy pillages, but that's usually preceded by many internal failures.
Monfd
In the nuclear era, it's ostensibly impossible for China or Russia to strictly externally defeat the USA.
Sabeena
So far you have referenced Federalist 10 and put forward an opinion.  You haven't made any arguments to further your opinion.
Monfd
False.
Monfd
1. I cited Federalist 10, one of the most important documents in American history.
Monfd
2. I gave an analysis based off Federalist 10.
Sabeena
We agree you cited Federalist 1.
Sabeena
There was no analysis.
Sabeena
There was incomplete summary of Federalist 1 that suits your opinion.
Monfd
3. I cited the Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, Joseph Dunford in his 4+1 model of threat to the USA which is at the center of organizing top-level defense of America.
Sabeena
I missed that. Let me re-read.
Monfd
4. I articulated a cogent model of the history of empire, alluding to the fall of the Roman Empire, specifically
Monfd
5. I alluded to MAD as being a strong multiplier for domestic threats v. external invaders
Monfd
https://abcnews.go.com/International/mattis-reveals-russian-government-attempted-interfere-us-midterm/story?id=59551008
Monfd
Here's the Secretary of Defense stating Russia interfered with the 2018 elections.
Monfd
The entire American Intelligence Community concluded Russia also attacked the 2016 elections for the benefit of Trump.
Monfd
Which laws were passed by the GOP in 2017-2019 to secure American elections?
Monfd
None.
Monfd
Election infrastructure is critical infrastructure. Attacks on critical infrastructure are acts of war on international law.
Monfd
The GOP was brief by the American IC Russia attacked critical infrastructure to benefit the GOP. The GOP made no changes to that infrastructure.
Sabeena
What you haven't done is explain GOP actions that meet the conditions you haven't quite set forth, for the sensational claim of qualifying as the single greatest enemy of the Amercan republic.
Monfd
^
Monfd
https://www.dhs.gov/cisa/critical-infrastructure-sectors
Monfd
Election infrastructure is arguably the most important of all infrastructure.
Monfd
If you don't have secure election infrastructure, then you don't have a government.
Monfd
The leading member of the GOP frequently attacks the free press. These attacks have been described by an Admiral as the "greatest threats to American democracy in [his] lifetime".
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02:05 Monfd
Mitch McConnell, the ranking member of the GOP in the Senate, has frequently and intensely prevent attempts by then-president Obama to more fully warn the American people as to the scope of the Russian attacks in 2016.
Monfd
Devin Nunes, GOP chair of the House Intelligence Oversight Committee, used his position of oversight to act as defense counsel for the traitorous GOP president, Donald Trump.
Monfd
Devin Nunes was appointed to this role by the GOP speaker of the House, Paul Ryan. When serious allegations were made against Devin Nunes -- including running out of a car at 2am to get to the White House to feed them confidential documents they leaked the next day that Devin Nunes received on national TV -- Paul Ryan did nothing for 15 months.
Monfd
After President Trump replaced Jeff Sessions with an illegally appointed sychopant -- Whittaker -- Mitch McConnell prevent multiple floor votes on bills to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Monfd
GOP member McConnell stated there's no risk of Trump firing Mueller.
Monfd
Y'all remember Donald Trump has previously fired Mueller twice.
Monfd
On one occasion, White House counsel McGahn refused to carry out this order.
Monfd
The GOP has been, since 2010, engaging in the most egregious voter suppression effort in US history.
Monfd
This began as project REDMAP.
Monfd
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REDMAP
Monfd
The GOP is making extreme efforts to utterly annihilate democracy in at least two states (possibly four or more) through a variety of mechanisms:
Monfd
1. They gerrymandered state election boundaries to gain control of the legislature
Monfd
2. Using their dominance of the state legislature, they expand the powers of the governor when the governor is in the GOP, and dramatically curtail its powers when a Democrat is in power.
Monfd
3. They are attempting/have passed laws to restrict the state judiciary from undoing these actions by the legislature
Monfd
In South Carolina, the minority faction GOP has essentially capture the government is a semi-permanent way
Monfd
The has been effort in Kansas in this regard, North Dakota after 2016, and now in Wisconsin.
Monfd
In all of these cases, these projects are operating as test-runs for national roll-outs which would lead to a fairly permanent single-party dominance of the entire nation
Monfd
This is atop structural deficiencies in American Constitutional democracy in the modern era, especially in regards to the urban-rural divide
Monfd
For example, the minority GOP has a good chance for semi-permanent control of the Senate. This control of the Senate allows them to forever dominate the federal judiciary
Monfd
Second, the electoral college is providing a similar advantage in winning the presidency
Monfd
The control of the federal judiciary will allow them to use gerrymandering and voter suppression to win the House
Monfd
There is a clear path that the GOP is executing for permanent control of the WH, Senate, House, and federal judiciary, and that's BEFORE Russian efforts which the American IC concluded was attempting to help the GOP.
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Monfd
The GOP cannot co-exist in its current form alongside the American republic. The best solution is or the DoJ to vigorously investigate the GOP leading to a widespread RICO charge against at least a dozen senior members of the GOP leading to powerful internal reform efforts, or dissolution of the party
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Monfd
That's my opening argument as to why the GOP is the single greatest threat to the American republic