America will struggle through, and the Republican Party may not survive, Trumpism and the fascism, treason, and bigotry it emboldens

Letter to the Editor by Thomas J. Fisher

Sir. If you identify as a member of the Republican party and value its noble and storied history, you have much to be proud of. The Republican party was born in the collapse of the Whig party and in opposition to slavery in the United States. With good reason it identifies as the party of Lincoln. In our lifetimes we have seen so many of our nation’s very best advance the Republican standard; Eisenhower, Goldwater, Rockefeller, Reagan, Bush, Romney and McCain to name just a few.

In the Birth of this great party though we also can see its potential demise. Political parties are not divine creations, they are the work of man. Afterall, the Whigs, Know Nothings, Democratic- Republicans and Dixiecrats are all gone now and lost to history. The power to create entails the power to destroy.

Now the Republicans have nominated a deeply disloyal charlatan to the office of President of the United States. But can the party survive the metastasis of anti-constitutionalism within, and the inevitable extraction of Trumpism from its body. It may not. The demise of the Republican party is no thing to celebrate though; it is a source of national and island grief. Here on Guam we see that many of the leaders of the party have fallen under Trump’s malevolent, anti-American sway. Who then will stand to raise the party’s flag after the fall of Trump? The ebb in Republican fortunes may be reversible but voter turnout does not suggest so. Citizens are voting with their feet and marching to the Democratic party’s philosophy or are simply staying home. In my observation, current Republican leadership is busy hand-wringing and Rome burns. While we mourn the demise of his great institution, we must also remember that no allegiance to party can ever surpass a citizen’s loyalty to the Union. This is comforting I think. The Republican party may wither away, the Democratic party may fracture, the Union endures.

For me the Preamble to the Constitution is a source of pride and awe. There we said, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” I remember this. I also remember that on more than four occasions I have taken an Oath, a promise to the Creator, to protect that Constitution and the Laws of Guam from all enemies, whether they be foreign or domestic. I will meet that oath, and I swear upon my honor to do so.

Today I serve in the Guam Legislature at the People’s will and as a Republican. Much of what that party espouses I do not agree with. I believe in the right of the People to make decisions about their own body. As Governor Walz recently stated, as to this issue we follow the Golden Rule, “Mind your own damn business.” I support the right of all to participate in our national life. This includes people of every color, belief, sex, sexual orientation and political persuasion.

I support increasing taxes on the top one per centum of earners in the country. Those who drink so deeply from the well of American bounty should pay for that privilege. I most particularly oppose the rise of authoritarianism in the Republican party. Mr. Trump fomented rebellion against the United States. In other times we recognized this as treason. Mr. Trump says if elected he will be dictator on day one. We should believe him. Mr. Trump is a racist and xenophobe who is unaware that immigration to the United States from around the world is one of our greatest strengths. Certainly not a threat. Mr. Trump, an admirer of the murderous fascist Nicolas Maduro, suggests he may move to Venezuela if he loses in November. Imagine that! A former President of the United States so despises his country that he would flee if the citizens do not agree with him. So long as the Republican party remains in the thrall of authoritarianism, so long as it embraces anti-Americanism, I cannot and will not support it.

I remain hopeful that the MAGA fever will break and the odious Mr. Trump will be regarded for what he is, a traitor, rapist and felon. I am not nearly so hopeful that the Republican party will recover from this calamity. How can it rebuild trust when it nominates a seditionist to be the next President of this glorious Republic?

God Bless the Constitution of the United States.

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Thomas J. Fisher is a Republican senator in the 37th Guam Legislature. He is a practicing defense attorney and former prosecutor, who retired from the Navy before moving to Guam decades ago.