I have lived in and visited socialist countries, communist countries, and countries ruled by autocratic dictators. In these and similar countries, demagogic rulers stayed in power using the military or other means to keep democratically elected leaders from power.
Because I believed in American exceptionalism, I confidently thought that America would never be compared to any of these countries. My confidence has been shaken.
The Jan. 6 mob of anarchists who attacked the U.S. Capitol reminded me of Mao Zedong's Red Guard army that rampaged across China, attacking institutions and people deemed not loyal to their leader. These insurrectionists violently attacked police officers and threatened the lives of Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress. These misguided deplorables, believing they were following Trump's orders, allowed the whole world to witness America's near-descent into anarchy.
After this violence, some Republicans in Congress tried to complete the work of the mob by voting to overthrow the constitutional process of certifying electors. We know now that Trump's closest supporters advocated declaring martial law and other anti-democratic strategies to replace the legitimate electors with illegal substitutes.
Many Trump supporters have continued to claim that the riot was really instigated by Antifa or Black Lives Matter or even the FBI. Their ignoring of what we all saw that day is reminiscent of those the Bible describes by saying, "They have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear."
If it had been Antifa or BLM, I believe police would not have held their fire, and the steps of the Capitol would have been covered with blood. Those arrested would be spending decades in prison instead of months.
We are fortunate that our institutions, although shaken, continued to function. Patriotic members of Congress followed their duty to certify the legitimately elected president of the United States. The FBI and the Department of Justice have sought out and prosecuted hundreds of those who broke the law that day. Responsible military leaders guarded against any attempt to use the military to interfere in the democratic process.
Those of us who view Donald Trump as a narcissist with no moral compass may have underestimated his genius. Robert E. Lee was never able to lead his army into the Capitol. On Jan. 6, a member of Trump's army proudly carried a Confederate flag into the rotunda of the Capitol.
Trump claimed knowledge superior to our constitutional scholars by saying that the vice president could overturn the election by simply refusing to recognize electors from any states he wished. Pence didn't carry out his orders, but if Trump was right, Kamala Harris should take notice for 2024.
Republicans are getting ready for 2024 by preparing state election laws to restrict the number of voters from groups they deem unreliable. If that fails, it appears they are putting in place at the state level means of replacing legitimate electors with their own choices. This is an attack on democracy worthy of any Third World autocracy.
As those close to Trump during his presidency continue to write their books revealing the lies and hypocrisy of the Trump White House, history will compare him to other disgraced leaders from our past. Trump's defiance of the Constitution compares to our own Orval Faubus, and Trump's Republican base to the White Citizens Council. His scheming to remain in office is in the style of Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal. His inner circle of White House advisers have the same low ethical standards as H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman.
Two Republicans, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, have had the courage to stand for conservative principles and condemn Trump's attempt to undermine our democracy. To paraphrase a well-used statement, unless men and women with courage are willing to speak the truth to power, autocracy and demagoguery will succeed, and American exceptionalism will only be a memory. Our six Arkansas congressmen have shown a lack of courage.
Ron West of Little Rock is a veteran and an evangelical Christian.