There’s no other word than “disgust” to sum up what I felt reading the account of Ben Barnes, the Republican former lieutenant governor of Texas who admitted, after 42 years, that he was part of the original GOP plot to “own the libs.” The disgusting part: to own the libs–in this case, Jimmy Carter–Barnes and other Republicans allegedly prolonged the captivity of 52 Americans held in Tehran by Islamic fundamentalists.
Set aside that the reason this story is coming out now is to self-servingly cleanse Barnes’ soul as Jimmy Carter rests in hospice care; Carter endured decades of mocking from Republicans when in fact, the Republicans had subverted his administration’s efforts to free the captives. Nothing Barnes can do can erase the mocking Carter has endured, and nothing will change the history books to reflect the Reagan camp’s malfeasance.
Barnes owes an apology to every single one of the 52 men held until after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated January 20, 1981. He allowed these men to live under torturous conditions–the men were periodically subjected to mock executions, besides more “traditional” forms of abuse–so that they could gain political power. Barnes should be ashamed of himself, not just for extending the hostages’ torture, but for letting a false legacy of a good man prosper.
Not dissimilar to how Donald Trump’s vision of “American carnage” centered around his proclaimed ability to fix the problems he illustrated–and his “Only I can fix it” claim only strengthens his cult-like image–the GOP of the 1980s held Reagan as a generational leader who was uniquely talented to handle the Red Scare presented by the Soviet Union.
Famously, Richard Nixon also wasted American lives by sabotaging the Paris peace talks to end the war in Vietnam because he needed the war to continue to, perversely, campaign in opposition to the war.
The difference between Reagan and even Nixon, and Trump, though, comes down to a basic respect for the Constitution. Reagan and Nixon violated it repeatedly–their administrations holds the modern pre-Trump record for the number of administration/campaign officials indicted–but they didn’t want to undermine the entire democratic system. While all of them ignored subpoenas and court orders, neither Reagan nor Nixon called to hang every judge who ruled against him.
Like Trump, Reagan understood the importance of theatrics and making grand gestures to feed the base: arguably, he ordered the invasion of Grenada to make Americans forget the carnage of hundreds of Marines killed in a Beruit bombing facilitated by his administration’s carelessness with the lives of American military lives. They both liked the image of themselves standing among the men in uniform. And now we know they both would sacrifice the safety and lives of Americans in attempts to secure political power.
Now, on the 20th anniversary of the start of GW Bush’s fiasco in Iraq–another action that cost Americans their lives and destroyed families (not to mention the lives of Iraqis or those of our allies)–we have evidence that Republican leaders recklessly toyed with Americans’ lives to secure and protect their power. And Trump’s calling on his mob to “protest” [dogwhistle term] his impending indictment. Their lives don’t matter to him any more than the 52 Americans’ lives mattered to Reagan. They’re just a means to an end.