The Republican Virus in the Body Politic

A political virus as well as the coronavirus is sickening America's body politic. The disease is due not only to President Donald Trump, but also to Republican politicians who now wrap themselves inside his cloak of racism, religiosity, and the Big Lie. Republicans have created a kakistocracy-rule by the incompetent, the morally depraved, and grifters who are determined to profit by robbing the common good. If they get their way, our flawed democracy could become an autocracy-the absolute rule of one man and his entourage. The Republican virus has undermined the nation's health, education, economy, and justice system as well as America's place in the world. Other nations may fear the United States but few now respect a land once symbolized by the Statue of Liberty and its welcome to the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free." Political historian Walter Clemens shows us what has gone wrong and what needs to be done to reboot America. Transforming a way of life based on "me-first" to a quest for mutual gain is a job for every individual and institution. We need to replace leaders who think only of themselves with a team that is both farsighted and compassionate.