In recent days, Republican leaders have warned darkly about the “No Kings” national protests scheduled for Saturday.
Speaker Mike Johnson called it a “hate-America rally” that will draw “the pro-Hamas wing” of the Democratic Party and “the antifa people.” House Republican Whip Tom Emmer claimed that “you’ll see the hate for America all over this thing when they show up” for the rally. Sen. Roger Marshall claimed protesters were being paid and suggested the National Guard might need to show up.
Trust me when I say these comments aren’t spontaneous. When I was chairman of the Republican National Committee, I sat in countless meetings where we carefully crafted the talking points for the week, fine-tuning the language so everyone from local lawmakers to friendly cable news pundits could stay on message.
But when we did that, it was to keep someone from upending the party message by saying something unhinged. This time, the unhinged comments are the message.
Organizers of the “No Kings” protests have a simple message: America is a democracy, not a dictatorship. It’s right there in the name of the rally. So it’s bizarre to see Republican leaders seek in advance to paint this as dangerous, unpatriotic astroturfing. Even the word protest comes with negative connotations; so it’s important we don’t fall into the messaging trap the GOP is setting, or worse, repeat their language. It’s one thing for Americans to protest a government policy; it’s quite another to stand up for justice, defend the rule of law and demand accountability on behalf of their country — just as our founders did 250 years ago. Whether opposing King George or a wannabe king named Trump, our civic resolve to protect this fragile experiment remains the same.
But Trump-era Republicans do not want to govern for the American people anymore. They want a king. The same party that once celebrated individual liberty and limited government now demands loyalty to a single leader, punishes dissent and attacks the free press. Which is why any unrest this weekend will be used to justify further erosion of our civil liberties. But the protesters gathering on Saturday know this. They are not radicals; nor are they a dangerous threat except to those who seek to strangle Freedom of Speech. They are citizens who refuse to accept authoritarianism as the new normal. They see what Donald Trump is doing to this country, the division, the contempt for law, the cruelty disguised as strength, and they are choosing to push back in the most American way possible: through peaceful assembly to express, promote and defend to their rights under our Constitution.
But the deeper question remains. Where are the other voices? As citizens are rising against a wannabe tyrant king, only one former president, Barack Obama, has spoken with clarity and courage about the danger of authoritarianism. He has warned about the “violence against truth,” condemned Trump’s abuses of power, and called out the moral decay that comes when institutions submit to fear.
Where is President George W. Bush, the man who once defined America’s moral leadership as vital to global freedom? Where are the others who could lend bipartisan weight to defending the Constitution they swore to uphold? Their silence is both disappointing and dangerous. It signals to Americans that the defense of democracy is optional, that moral courage is someone else’s responsibility.
As I said recently on The Weeknight, we could really use Bush’s voice right now. He has a voice that would resonate with a lot more Americans than even he may believe. Imagine how much more powerful this movement of Americans would be with his voice added to it. I know he may not agree with everything being said, but I have faith that he still believes in the principles of democracy. Even a single sentence from him would matter.
Standing up now is not radical. To speak out, to march and to demand accountability is not defiance; it’s what Americans do when they see a wrong being committed. We were once colonists, beholden to the whims and cunning of a Mad King. Today we are Americans, emboldened by our faith in “We the People.”
If you agree, you know what to do.
For more thought-provoking insights from Michael Steele, Alicia Menendez and Symone Sanders-Townsend, watch “The Weeknight” every Monday-Friday at 7 p.m. ET on MSNBC.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
