The elephant party in the US is perhaps one of the most powerful obstructionist parties against progressive policies in the world. At least in the case of the post-Reagon era: decentralization, tax cuts to the wealthy, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, union-busting, and refusing to pass progressive policies that pretty much exist in other developed countries are but some features that come with the Republican Party. The latest feature being abortion rights now being threatened in Republican-run states. The threat of revoking abortion rights in the US is so paramount that Canada’s Justin Trudeau has now vowed to put abortion rights and accessibility to be a condition of their universal healthcare system.
It is hard to imagine how successful their right-wing rhetoric and policies have become in not only the States, but in other parts of the world. For instance, anti-vax, anti-lockdown, and government scepticism has been a seed that’s been planted by the Republican conglomerate on countries such as Canada, Australia, the UK, Germany, even the Netherlands. No country is completely safe from their reach, right-wing media like Fox News, Rebel News, OAN, Newsmax, have all had some influence on people who consume them all over the world. And if not by them, but by local news media that reflect ideas expressed in American right-wing news sources.
A post-Trump America has not done any favours for the world either. Increased polarization in the US between the left and the right has made political discussion become rotten between individuals; where disagreements on some basic policies can lead to breakups in friendships and leave people feeling betrayed from what they thought were like-minded colleagues and coworkers. Political polarization is a plague, a plague that has been a byproduct of the pandemic. Early signs of this plaque were not taken seriously before Trump, but with enough time; the disease has spread and is now ravaging the body of the country. And a vaccine - is nowhere in sight.
And how can we not talk about the delayed Reconciliation bill that has still not passed because of senator Joe Manchin and senator Sinema. Although they are both Democrats, their donors and private meetings with corporations would suggest that they are rather Republican insiders in the Democratic party. The sole reason as to why both these senators are not voting for the bill is because of their corporate donors and lobbyists. With Sinema having received $750,000 from the pharmaceutical lobby to vote against a provision in the Reconciliation bill which included the feds being able to negotiate prices with pharmaceuticals. On the other hand, Manchin seeks to cut the bill down to $2 trillion from the already compromised $3 trillion.
The consequence of having to renegotiate or cutting this bill will be massive to the American public. Investments in child care, free community college, expanding coverage for Obamacare, negotiation powers against pharmaceutical companies, general infrastructure, long-term care investments, parental leave; all these investments in the bill will be very useful to working families in the US who already have some of the worst social safety nets and public utilities in the developed world.
All of these policies are at stake because of the Republican Party and the members in government who represent Republican corporate interest. To the average worker, the Republican Party is not the party that represents you or your family’s interests. They will not make your life better, they will not provide you with public tools necessary to succeed, they are not socially progressive, and they will most certainly not ever Make America Great Again.