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The brilliant Duke University professor Nancy MacLean provides a short cut for you to understand how and why the local GOP leadership has accepted what Congressman Adam Schiff describes as the GOP “Is now an Autocratic cult around Donald Trump.”

The short cut is Professor MacLean’s book Democracy in Chains followed by her lecture on the book at youtube.com/Watch?v=RAOnfoVMKKS.

All of the local GOP letters to the editor follow the same theme described by Professor MacLean which is:  “Public actors should only be understood as individuals rationally seeking their own personal self interest and not the common good.”

The local GOP leadership has signed onto a radical change to our ethical system which is at odds with American long held traditions.  Such as ideas like it is better for us to die for lack of health care than for others to pay for others health including, for example, when states refuse to sign onto the Medicaid expansion which provides health care to the lowest income Americans.

Professor MacLean’s book publisher writes the book is:  “A piercing examination of the right’s relentless campaign to eliminate unions, suppress voting, privatize public education, stop action on climate change, and alter the constitution.”

Without the American tradition of seeking the common good in legislation there is no Democracy.

Professor MacLean points out the GOP plan is “social darwinism” and “economic eugenics” modeled on 19th century ideas.

All of the local GOP’s attacks on public education, environmental hostility – denial of climate change, supporting the white supremacists who stormed the US Capitol, opposition to the affordable care act, pursuit of privatizing Social Security and Medicare, voter suppression and promotion of the big lie are opposed by most Americans.

What the local GOP has signed onto is happening in plain sight. 

To read Professor MacLean’s book and listening to her lecture on the book are for those who want to do whatever they can to save American Democracy.  The better you understand what our local GOP leadership is up to, the better chance we have to turn them out of office.

Ted Hinnenkamp

Albert Lea