I don’t need to delineate the full range of violations of democratic norms committed by Republicans over the last 30 years. Daily Kos readers are aware of many of them. For those who read the NY Times, Paul Krugman recently wrote: Republicans Don’t Believe in Democracy. An excerpt:
“ (these Republican actions) illustrate contempt for democracy and constitutional government. Elections are supposed to have consequences, conveying power to the winners. But when Democrats win an election, the modern G.O.P. does its best to negate the results, flouting norms and, if necessary, the law to carry on as if the voters hadn’t spoken.”
As much as some anti-Trumpers want to distance themselves from the despot that the President has become, the truth is the GOP has been cultivating its authoritarian impulses for decades. It’s time to use more fruitful language to describe the authoritarians in that Party: Banana Republicans.