Trump, Biden aren't equal offenders in the quest for power

A guest writer's (Oct. 2) editorial “Consolidating Power in an ‘us vs. them’ World” was an interesting take on how power is accumulated in modern societies. There is much I agree with, particularly the historical references he made about the consolidation of power in Nazi Germany during the 1930s. As the guest opinion indicated, the Nazi government of Adolf Hitler centralized power and used the economic distress of the Great Depression to maintain its hold over the people mentioned in Milton Mayer’s book “They Thought They Were Free.” If one ever travels to modern Germany, I strongly recommend visiting the Nazi Documentation Centers in places like Nuremberg and Obersalzberg to witness how the Germany of today is dealing with the tragedy of its Nazi past.

The founding fathers created a system with checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power, and there are examples in our history where these checks and balances have been successful. One such example was when Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt was defeated in his attempt to pack the Supreme Court in the 1930s.

Unfortunately, the founders did not anticipate the many “loopholes” our modern politicians have been able to exploit. One example is gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is practiced by both political parties and has eliminated competition for seats in local, state and federal legislative bodies. The creation of "safe" legislative districts is the culprit that has caused a great accumulation of power on both sides of the aisle and little need for compromise. This is a real threat to the health of our democracy.

Having mentioned Roosevelt, I think it is fair to examine the Republicans' refusal to give Merrick Garland a fair hearing to become a member of the United States Supreme Court — yet another break in norms not clearly outlined in our Constitution. When the writer mentions the destruction of an independent judiciary, one needs to look no further than this example.

Unfortunately, I strongly disagree with the writer when he treats Donald Trump and Joe Biden as equal offenders. Looking at the examples I have noted, it is not hard to understand the “winner take all" mentality among today’s political parties; however today, the blame is not equal. Donald Trump’s denial of the results of the 2020 election is unprecedented in American History, and his attempt to overthrow the legal transfer of power on Jan. 6, 2021, puts Trump in a rogue’s gallery all his own. He has coined the term “fake news” for any facts that fail to fit his narrative. He is intent on dividing us, because it increases his personal wealth through donations and feeds into his insatiable need for power. Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans who support him are an existential threat to our country and the democracy we hold so dear. Joe Biden is not. The writer of the guest opinion is guilty of creating a false equivalence in his effort to be “fair.” That, in and of itself, is unfair.

The guest writer seems to hold onto some sort of theory of ethical relativism which is a doctrine that states there are no absolute truths in ethics and that what is morally right or wrong varies from person to person. The true lesson of “They Thought They Were Free” is that there is a right and wrong, and this can be summoned up in a quote from the book “And one day, too late, your principles, if you were ever sensible of them, all rush in upon you…and you see that everything — everything — has changed … Now you live in a world of hate and fear, and the people who hate and fear do not even know it themselves….” Had the Germans in this book been more vigilant the world might have been spared the horrors of Hitler.

Michael R. Grothman lives in Newtown.

This article originally appeared on The Intelligencer: Trump, Biden aren't equal offenders when it comes to accumulating power