“He said, ‘Son, I've made a life out of readin' people's faces

And knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes‘”

– Kenny Rogers

While Conservatives are fond of referring to Liberals as “snowflakes,” it is the Republican party that has perfected the use of politics based on victimhood. Lose access to your distribution channels because you got greedy? Gaslight your subscribers into believing that Liberals are de-platforming Conservative views. Are you a washed-up actor who longs for the glory days? Blame your unemployment status on your conservative viewpoints. Upset that the press uncovered 30,573 lies the last president from your party told? Deflect from the truth by categorizing such coverage as “media bias.”

For all of the claims that Conservative voices are being silenced, the GOP has actively engaged in censoring the opposition in states they control. Knowing that their policies are vastly unpopular, especially with Gen-Z, Republican-led governments have engaged in active voter suppression to stay in power. Two “uppity” black representatives who managed to overcome gerrymandering to be elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives were ousted from their positions when they refused orders by the Republican super-majority to stay silent about the recent school shooting in Nashville, depriving their constituents of representation.

The expulsion votes against the “Tennessee Three” are just the latest example of Republicans engaging in actions they have accused others of doing. Even worse than being examples of hypocrisy, the accusations made by the GOP are usually false, as if created to provide cover for a strategy they know is morally unconscionable. The behavior has become a predictable tell that foreshadows any attack by the party faithful. 

Presidential candidate-in-waiting Ron DeSantis provides an example of how this tell works. The Governor of Florida blocked local elected officials from instituting public health policies meant to save lives as a way of respecting “the right to live in freedom.” A law prohibiting private businesses from enacting vaccine mandates was described as fighting for “the autonomy of American workers.” To protect the fragile feelings of students and employees, DeSantis has signed a law to control what is taught in schools and limit the use of diversity practices and training.

The result is a Florida that is considerably less free. In schools, bookshelves have been emptied, the Statue of David has been labeled as pornographic, The Graphic Adaptation of Anne Frank’s Diary and a picture book about a family of penguins have been pulled from school libraries, and a Disney movie about Ruby Bridges and her integration of a school in New Orleans was banned from a school. Acting more like an authoritarian than a leader in a democracy, DeSantis himself has embarked on a campaign of retribution against the Disney corporation after it caved in to demands by its employees and vocally opposed his “Don’t Say Gay” law.

Under DeSantis’ regime worker autonomy has been weakened with attacks on unions, with exceptions made for those whose memberships tend to vote Republican. He has also made it clear that body autonomy does not extend to the womb having already signed a 15-week abortion ban. The legislature he controls is poised to lower the limit to six weeks before one third of women have even confirmed that they are pregnant.

Given the Republican's tendency to project their actions onto their opponents, what should be made of Trump’s loudest complaint; that cheating Democrats stole the 2020 election from him? Much has been made of the polling for this election being the most inaccurate in 40 years overstating “support for then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden by 3.9 percentage points”. What if the pollsters were not actually wrong but the results were manipulated by Trump supporters trying to secure his reelection? Is it possible that they were not successful in the ultimate goal but they did affect the results of close local elections? What if their efforts are more successful next time?

Trump and his supporters have made clear their admiration of despotic rulers like Putin and Kim Jong-un. Republicans have long expressed disdain for democracy. If they are giving any indication that they are willing to steal elections, we should take the threat seriously as “when people show you who they are, [you should] believe them the first time.” The future of our democratic republic depends on it.

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Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for public education, particularly for students with special education needs. He was elected to the Northridge East Neighborhood Council and is the Education Chair. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD’s District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him “a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles.” For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.