The current Republican Party line at the national level is that impeaching Trump would be a bad thing because it (supposedly) would “have the opposite effect of bringing our country together,” with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R) arguing that our country needs to be on “back a path towards unity and civility.”
Of course, McCarthy almost certainly doesn’t mean any of that, but more likely is trying to avoid accountability for members of his party – himself included – who have spread the disinformation that helped fuel the insurrection last Wednesday, and which continues to fuel it now, and who voted against certifying the Electoral College results last Wednesday, even *after* the assault on the Capitol by enraged Trump supporters. Still, at least McCarthy’s words sound reasonable on the surface. Here in Virginia, that’s not even the case, as the following email from VA GOP Chair Rich Anderson demonstrates. Check it out, as Anderson rails:
- “A crazed socialist Democrat is running for Virginia governor. And he is the face of today’s Virginia Democrat Party.” (Anderson, of course, is referring to Del. Lee Carter, who is of course NOT “the face of today’s Virginia Democrat [sic] Party,” but is simply one delegate who has joined a crowded field for governor. Plus…”crazed socialist Democrat?” Seriously? Is that all Anderson’s got? No conservative ideas for how his party would govern better? Just stoking anti-“socialist” hysteria? Pathetic.)
- “Socialists have highjacked the Democrat caucuses in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate of Virginia. They want to ram the big fist of government into your wallet or purse, withdraw as much of your hard-earned cash as they can, and ‘redistribute’ it to Democrat voters. They want to take away your private health insurance. They want to defund the police. They want to ban all firearms and take away your freedom and individual liberty.” (This is all absurd and false, of course, not to mention over-the-top, hysterical fearmongering/idiocy. Oh, and when Anderson talks about “Democrat [sic] voters,” clearly he’s talking about voters of color, because that’s what his party’s done for decades now – scream “socialism!” and use “dog whistles” to scare its White base.)
- “Virginia Democrats won’t stop until they have taken and destroyed everything you love. YOU are the last line of defense. Can Virginia count on you?” (Yep, that’s Anderson positive, uplifting message encouraging people to donate to the Virginia GOP. Either do that, or Democrats will “have taken and destroyed everything you love.” With unhinged rhetoric like this, is anyone surprised at what we saw last Wednesday?)
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