A war is raging within the Republican Party between moderates and the far-right, which has established a foothold thanks to Trump for many years now. This frightening far-right faction is anti-abortion, pro-gun, capable of lying about any issue to secure its place in the sun, and represents a significant financial power that prevents them from being countered as they should be. Those who will suffer from the shutdown can thank them, as you can read on The Washington Post’s website, “Amid GOP confusion, U.S. braces for ‘first-ever shutdown about nothing’.”

The first casualty of this internal war will likely be Senator McCarthy, who, it must be admitted, has not exactly favored this far-right faction on the issue of the shutdown and may well have to give way to one of these right-wing extremists. In other words, if that happens, the country may become ungovernable in the long term because they have no agenda other than imposing a medieval society by force, which could have already been the case if January 6th had succeeded. Fortunately for democracy, it turned out differently.

Trump, becoming less and less relevant, is once again caught up in a trial that this time strikes at the very heart of his financial system. Another consequence of these events is that a significant number of Republican primary candidates, ranging from the most extreme to the most moderate, are becoming less inclined to support Trump.

For now, if the Republican Party does not quickly rid itself of this far-right faction, it risks ending up in the dustbin of history and becoming nothing more than the mouthpiece of this far-right, as has been the case in Europe for years. So, for months to come, we will continue to witness the distressing spectacle of internal warfare within the Republican Party, which will spend its time blocking everything it can, without any particular reason, just to try to make it seem like everything is going wrong and that they are the only ones capable of managing society, even though their only proposals are entirely undemocratic and go against the interests of the common good.

Nevertheless, is democracy ailing? At the moment, no, but in the event of a victory for these extremists in the upcoming elections, democracy may well become a distant memory where everyone had rights.

The main problem for the upcoming elections will be voter turnout. If few people vote, these extremists will prevail; otherwise, democracy will survive and need to strengthen itself. The current problem is that whether it’s Republicans or Democrats, the candidates do not generate general enthusiasm. Even though there is nothing to fault President Joe Biden and his team for, as they have shown real courage after the Trump era, many Americans find him too old to engage in this battle and do not want to see the same old faces from previous elections.

In any case, from my point of view, we need to rise above these considerations, which have little value, and focus on what each of us stands to lose in the event of a Republican victory.

Thierry De Clemensat

Editor in chief

Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News, Paris-Move