Sunday Morning Post (V.2, #46) - RINO, DINO, Meet AINO

So far, the President is proving to be every bit a pain-in-the-ass as he promised to be.  It is inevitable that Joe Biden will be inaugurated in January.  The current President will have no choice but to leave office or be dragged out kicking and screaming.

That will be one down and only all of his numerous enablers to go.  We know who they are: the elected officials too cowardly to withstand the President’s temper or - heaven forbid — a negative review on his Twitter feed! 

Up until now, we have heard various elected officials labeled with some sort of scurrilous name that sums up their present ideology when that current idea doesn’t mesh with what they were traditionally thought to be. Example: Mitt Romney.  Lifelong Republican who came out against the current President and ipso facto Republican Party standard bearer.  He is now known as a RINO: Republican In Name Only.

A few Democrats have also expressed ideas that don’t jive with the party platform or align with the ideas of the progressive wing of the party.  They have been denounced as DINOs: Democrats In Name Only.  This has nothing to do with the character on The Flintstones or that good-time Charlie member of the Rat Pack.  It does have everything to do with committing partisan heresy.

We now introduce a third label for politicians in today’s climate.  These are the ones who choose to support party ideology over preservation of the institutions which have allowed said party and ideology to thrive.  The institution of democracy is crumbling around them, but they pledge allegiance to their political ambitions. 

RINO, DINO, meet AINO:  Americans In Name Only.

These are our fellow citizens who show symptoms of committing treason, but have not committed acts which satisfy the criminal definition of treason.  They must be intelligent enough to recognize the threat to the Constitution which they swore to uphold even as they try to undo the norms of democracy which we have cherished for over 240 years. This means you, Rudy Giuliani.   If they aren’t intelligent enough to recognize the threat then how the hell did they get elected in the first place?

Oh right, stupidity of the masses!    

So, the label of treason won’t stick and we can’t prosecute them.  We can saddle them with a label in social media which should hang like an albatross from their necks until they recant their ideas to be more in line with the American way of life.  Let me offer the following nominees for AINO status:

SENATOR MITCH MCCONNELL

He has for years exhibited signs of doing all he can to maintain his power and the power of the Republican Party.   To that end he was an obstructionist to everything Barack Obama tried to do even if it would benefit the American electorate.  Late in Obama’s term he adopted the notion that a Supreme Court Justice could not be confirmed when the President was essentially a lame duck.  At that time, he and a few other Republican leaders argued that the voters should decide who gets to pick the next President who will then nominate the next Justice candidate.

Lo and behold, this year power was on the other foot and there was a sudden rush to nominate and confirm a conservative justice to replace Ruth Bader Ginsberg. 

Let the voters decide?  What?  No, never heard of that idea.

McConnell and the Republican leadership lucked out when Ginsberg died.  They greedily accepted this gift from the political gods, and precedent — which they themselves set — be damned!

ALL THE OTHER REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF THE SENATE

These elected officials have chosen to remain silent while the current faux voter recount crisis rages on.  The main casualty at this time is the Biden transition.  We do have a precedent when the last voting controversy in 2000 caused a delay in the peaceful transfer of power from Clinton to Bush.  We didn’t know it at the time, but the delay was later found to be partly to blame for a breach in our national security.  We paid the price on 9/11.

These Senators fear one man more than all else.  To that end they’ll keep any objections to his unconstitutional actions to themselves, ignoring any precedent from a higher authority.  I thought there was once a commandment about putting no other Gods before the Almighty.  When was that commandment repealed?

I realize I am letting my prejudices show when I limit this designation to just the GOP.  So be it!  To be fair they have more than shown their willingness to subvert the rights of American citizens just to maintain their slippery grasp on power.

Let’s be clear on naming anyone AINO.  This designation is not intended to question anyone’s patriotism or love of country.  It only questions their commitment to the rule of law.   This is a rule which very few will recognize once the current President is gone.

(Thank you for reading.  Any other nominations, readers?)