Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

Prof. Heather Richardson is a history professor at Boston College who writes “Letters from an American,” her Substack commentary on the political scene. In a recent piece she pointed out that “…David Roberts of the energy and politics newsletter Volts noted that a Washington Post article illustrated how right-wing extremism is accomplishing its goal of destroying faith in democracy.”  Richardson has an impressive body of scholarship but her position, and that of the Post, is argument by assertion: the right disagrees with our views therefore democracy is threatened.  This was the left’s narrative against Reagan too, it never changes.

When reading the accusation “right-wing extremism” the question arises, exactly what is “right wing extremism”? That answer is rather simple. To the left one aspect is constitutional originalism, interpreting the Constitution as intended instead of using legal magic to rig the desired outcome. Richardson cites Cass Sunstein as a constitutional authority but leaves out historian Raoul Berger’s criticism of the Supreme Court’s overreach or the reasoning of Justices Scalia and Thomas in deciding cases. In foreign policy “extremism” is putting the national interest first, not foreign countries, not the UN, not the WHO, not “the planet”. “Extremists” are those who refuse to flagellate themselves or apologize for American success. They will negotiate, but not do the kowtow. “Extremists” are those who question “climate change”, even though the world was warmer when the Romans ruled Britain and during the Middle Ages.

Likewise, one keeps hearing of democracy being destroyed, but that democracy gets short shrift when it does not come out the way the left wants. Richardson and the Post brush aside the fact that the United States was created as a federal republic, not a democracy. The founders knew tyranny could be imposed by a democratic majority as much as by an oligarchy.  They knew how the Roman republic had become an imperial state and how the emperors curried favor with their supporters by endless welfare, “bread and circuses”, supported by crushing taxation.

For years the American political class has failed to keep faith with the electorate, no wonder public confidence is diminishing. Americans voted against abortion and “gay marriage” but ignoring democracy the left went to the courts to achieve its ends, it’s now doing the same with “transgenders”. (When Dobbs properly returned abortion to the states to be decided by the people that was suddenly undemocratic.) The Biden administration wants to eliminate gas ranges, gas hot water heaters, gasoline autos, single-family homes, etc. positions rejected by Americans. It seeks to control every aspect of our lives by invoking unconstitutional “emergency powers” in the name of a spurious “climate change.” How is that democratic? Given the administration’s ideas, it won’t be happy until we live in Maoist apartment blocks. Is “Soylent Green” next?

By denouncing the Mandarin class (the Deep State) stranglehold on government Donald Trump is “authoritarian,” and never mentioned is how bureaucrats subvert the elected government. The EPA was finally smacked down by the courts for overstepping its authority when it denied property owners the right to build on their own land using a bogus interpretation of the Clean Water Act.  EPA had also denied a right of appeal, an act more fitting for East Germany. Trump is more acerbic but throwing the losing party out is what the Dems do when they take power.  Replacing the other party’s people with your own is the normal process. The Republicans often don’t, to their detriment, as Trump found out.

In Texas, Gov. Abbot is not “seizing immigration authority” but acting to protect Texas from invasion because President Biden, defying his oath to “faithfully execute the law” refuses to enforce Article IV of the Constitution — “The United States…shall protect each [state] …against Invasion“. To look at the border crisis and not see an invasion ignores reality. When joining the union, the states did not surrender their right of self-defense.  Likewise, Biden blithely refuses to enforce 8 USC choking New York and other cities with a never-ending stream of illegal aliens, many with communicable diseases. The maxim of the law is a malefactor may not profit from his malfeasance. To Democrats that maxim is obsolete, racist, and xenophobic.

Richardson quotes E.J. Dionne (NY Times) and Will Bunch (Philadelphia Inquirer) that there are “no [Republican] policies for addressing inflation or relations with China or gun safety…” That is a canard. (1) Inflation: cut the money supply and stop expanding and creating government programs. Sound money and not strangling commerce with regulations is also a factor. (2) China: bring industry back (Trump) with incentives, tariffs on Chinese imports, reduce the corporate tax. That the US is dependent on China for anything is a disgrace and a danger. (3) Gun safety: ignorance of firearms and firearm regulations is terra incognita for the left. Purchasing a firearm requires an NICS (FBI) background check.  Felons, the insane, certain minors et. al. are prohibited from possessing firearms. Deliberately selling to a prohibited person is a felony. Like those whom she quotes, Richardson ignores laws already on the books. The problem is not guns, it is criminals. Laws are not enforced by leftist DAs who view enforcement, as most crime is committed by blacks, as ipso facto “racist”. New York, San Francisco, LA, Chicago are now “law free” zones where criminals run rampant. In Manhattan law has been turned on its head. Self-defense, or defending another, will earn you prosecution from New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg who lets thugs go free.

Richardson cherry picks her quotes, to be expected, but leaves a lot out. Richardson cites John Kelly, Trump’s former Chief-of-Staff, as saying he doesn’t understand Trump’s popularity. She leaves out that Kelly was a career marine, a general, never involved in political life and because of his career inhabited a world divorced from the average American. No wonder he doesn’t understand.

She also engages the fallacy of the false parallel and shows little understanding of Latin America.  Argentina is not the US. Although resource rich and European she has never recovered from the disaster that was Juan Peron. Peronist (socialist) economic policies promising something for nothing appealed to the voters, but that eventually catches up with you.  Argentina’s new president knows that, he wants to consign socialism to the ash heap. Brazil is different, but not by much.  Latin America in general because of its culture never developed as the English-Speaking world did. Real capitalism was always regarded with suspicion, a trick of the Protestant Anglos. Those societies are also plagued by a class and caste system, a system of the padrone and the peon of which I saw stark examples in Panama, Bolivia, and Peru.

Richardson opposes releasing the January 6 tapes which should have been made public some time ago. That a scholar would take that position because of her own political prejudices is outrageous and unethical. That Senators Schumer (D) and McConnell(R) and their colleagues made a concerted effort to keep the tapes secret displays an elite condescension and contempt of Americans ability to make up their own minds. Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans were arrogantly suppressing inconvenient evidence and for the accused suppressing exculpatory evidence.  It is now clear that prosecutors denied defense counsel evidence to which they were entitled, in and of itself a violation of law and ethics. The tapes upend the committee narrative by revealing most who entered the Capitol were admitted by the police, were not violent, destroyed nothing, and proceeded through as if tourists. Police footage also records the cops expressing their feeling that they too were being set up. On close examination of all the evidence Richardson’s accusation of a Donald Trump plot to stage an insurrection falls flat.

While praising the late Rosalyn Carter, Richardson overlooks the disaster that was Jimmy Carter’s presidency. Inflation, gas lines, the Shah ousted for the Moslem lunatic Khomeini, the Iran Hostage crisis, the Soviet military build-up, Afghanistan, a resurgent communist movement in Latin America, vacating the sovereignty of the Panama Canal. The man was out of his element. When Reagan swept into the presidency in a landslide liberals saw it as a failure of democracy. They exhibited the same attitude when Nixon crushed McGovern. Democracy is in the eyes of the beholder.

What it comes down to is Richardson, et. al. see themselves as an elite which must not be contradicted and opponents vilified. They want a centralized government where the states are reduced to administrative districts and the people, for their own benefit, must follow government fatwas. They really believe in a fascist economy in the hands of cartels in partnership with and directed by the state. As one Democratic congressman said, “people must be controlled.”  No thanks.

If it hadn’t been for Covid, and if he had maintained his share of the white vote, Trump would have won. When he first ran there were huge orderly crowds, people stood for hours to see him, people who were fed up with illegal aliens, people who were fed up with being discriminated against by their own government, people who were fed up with wars that just dragged on, people who were fed up being labeled as “deplorable” for their Christian beliefs and for their patriotism.  That’s why he was elected and why he just might do it again, in spite of himself.  On the other hand, Ron DeSantis is in the wings, awaiting his curtain call.

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© W. Layer 2023

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William Layer

Lt. Colonel Civil Affairs, USAR (ret) served twenty-six years in the regular and reserve components of the US Army. He was civil military liaison for the 260th Military Police, DC National Guard, State Public Affairs Officer, Commander of the Public Affairs unit and a counter-drug intelligence analyst. Transferring to the 352 Civil Affairs Command as monuments and archives officer, he became the Command Public Affairs Officer in Iraq as well as liaison to local Iraqi leaders and acting Secretary to the General Staff. He was instrumental in recovering photographic artifacts of the Iraqi Royal family while in Baghdad. He was wounded in action in an ambush in Feb. 2004 for which he was awarded the Purple Heart.
In his civilian career he worked primarily in Army Public Affairs and for the Air Force as historian to the presidential wing in the early Reagan administration and later for Air Force Legislative Liaison covering congressional hearings and assisting in preparing testimony for senior leaders.
His essays and reviews have appeared in the scholarly and popular press including Asian Affairs and the Washington Times. He is co-author, with Ali Wahab, of The Iraqi Royal Family, a Collection of Photographs Recovered from The Ruins of the Zuhur Palace, 2004.
A native New Yorker, he holds a BA with honors in history from Findlay College (Ohio) and an MA in history from The Ohio State University. He is a graduate of the US Army Command & General Staff College and was graduated with distinction US Naval War College with a MA in National Security and Strategic Studies.

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