Another big primary day

If you’re as tired of the division in our country, communities, and even our families, as we are, we invite you to participate in a unique opportunity to do something about it. At RAM, our mission is to build a nationwide common-sense coalition of Americans that's based on principle, not party. We don’t always see eye-to-eye on policy, but we all agree that America is at its best when our democracy functions as it should. At its most basic level, democracy requires civil debate and the willingness to entertain viewpoints that differ from our own. We're losing that ability, and our democracy is suffering as a result. The reasons for this are many, but the way back is as simple as having a conversation. So let's talk! Join us for RAM’s Unify Challenge on June 8-9 for productive, open conversations with fellow Americans to find common ground and talk about issues our country faces—from public safety and education to taxes and healthcare. Please help us counter all the division and noise and set a positive example for the rest of the country! Learn more and schedule your conversation at: unifyamerica.org/renew-america —Miles Taylor, Executive Director, Renew America Movement

• U.S. Republicans join Democrats in backing NATO expansion despite rising nationalism —Reuters

• Madison Cawthorn under investigation by House Ethics subcommittee —CBS News

• An appeals court finds Florida's social media law unconstitutional —NPR

• Suspected monkeypox cases spread in U.S. as CDC begins to release vaccine —Newsweek

• Four takeaways from Biden's first presidential trip to Asia —CNN

All eyes on the Peach State

It's Primary Day in Alabama, Arkansas, and Georgia (and runoff day in Texas), but the stakes in the Peach State are especially high. In the GOP gubernatorial primary, former Sen. David Perdue is challenging incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp, who has earned the ire of the MAGA crowd when he refused to help overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. A desperate Perdue, who is trailing in the polls, went super low in a last-ditch attempt secure their votes. At a campaign stop, he accused Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams of “demeaning her own race" and said, "Hey, she ain't from here. Let her go back where she came from if she doesn't like it here." —Insider

• Jody Hice. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, another stalwart during the 2020 election aftermath, faces a tough re-election bid against Rep. Jody Hice. Hice has fully embraced false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and objected to the certification of Joe Biden—despite his state’s results being counted three times. If Hice wins now and then in November, he would have authority over Georgia’s elections in 2024. —Associated Press

• Marjorie Taylor Greene. One of the most conspiratorial and divisive Republicans in the House—Divider Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene—heads to her first re-election primary. She faces five GOP challengers, including political newcomer Jennifer Strahan. “We’ve heard a lot of talk, and our district has nothing to show for it,” Strahan said of Greene. “We need a representative who works effectively with colleagues, and navigates the legislative process to push Georgia priorities forward while protecting our Constitutional freedoms.” —The Hill

• Herschel Walker. Former NFL player and current U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker has drawn attention for his mental health struggles, allegations that he threatened his ex-wife’s life, inflating his record as a businessman, and lying about his academic record. Now, corporate documents show that an organization for which he has long served as a celebrity spokesman reportedly preyed upon veterans and service members while defrauding the government. —The Grio

MORE: Cheney and Pence take the fight to Trump, from Georgia to Wyoming —Yahoo! News

Pinsley: People flourish when democracy works

“Around the world, democracy has proven that it has many advantages over dictatorships, autocracies, socialism, and other systems of government. At their best, democratic societies protect the interests and well-being of all of their citizens, provide political and economic stability, support good governance, and promote equality and positive social change. … We must make elections where it is ‘easy to vote and hard to cheat.’ Unless we expand access to voting, the right to vote doesn’t mean much if it cannot be exercised by all of us. We also need to make sure that everyone believes the results, whether they agree with the outcome or not…” —Mark Pinsley in Bucks County Courier Times

Mark Pinsley is the county controller in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. He is running for state senate in the 16th District.

MORE: Recapping last week’s election law activities in the states —The Fulcrum

‘The coup is ongoing’

Over the weekend, ex-President Donald Trump “reTruthed” (analogous to a retweet on Trump’s Truth Social platform) a post from anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist Lara Logan suggesting a civil war in the United States. Logan had herself reposted a message from the far-right populist president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, that said the United States is "falling so fast" due to an "enemy" within. Ugh. While civil war talk on social media is far from unusual, coming from a former president, it's not only unusual it's extremely dangerous, as many were quick to point out. "How long until the next gunman takes him literally and/or seriously? What about the next time he or his party lose another election?" said political scientist Brendan Nyhan. Former National Security Agency contractor and GOP Congressman Denver Riggleman warned, “Trump mirrors his base. Pay attention." —RawStory

• Is it disqualifying? For many voters, the post is disqualifying on its face. But is it legally disqualifying? Possibly. Some constitutional law experts have hinted that Sec. 3 of the 14th Amendment—which states that those who "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" after taking a congressional oath should be prevented from running for office—would apply. The Jan. 6 insurrection alone would seem to fit the bill; the latest post would only seem to bolster that case. —Newsweek

• Trump’s war. Though there’s a whole host of potential grievances, the first theater of Trump’s civil war is undoubtedly election denialism, which has become dogma in the Republican Party. And the goal is simple—whomever Trump wants to win wins—even if there’s no rhyme or reason to it. As primary votes continue to be counted in the close Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary between Trump-endorsed Mehmet Oz and challenger Dave McCormick, attorney Tristan Snell observed, “So in Pennsylvania, the same Trump Republicans who said mail-in ballots were inherently fraudulent in 2020 and must be stopped, now say that every single last mail-in ballot in the universe must be counted right now, and counting should continue forever…” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

• “Racial replacement.” Another growing far-right grievance is the so-called “Great Replacement” theory. A new Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows that 61% of Trump voters agree that “a group of people in this country are trying to replace native-born Americans with immigrants and people of color who share their political views.” Less than a quarter of Trump voters (22%) disagree with that statement. —Yahoo! News

MORE: Republicans vow to kill domestic terrorism bill in Senate —The Hill

It’s time to hold extremists accountable

By Mary Anna Mancuso

The horrifying domestic terrorism attack in Buffalo, New York, served as a dreadful reminder that there are Americans who hold such hateful, extremist views, they will kill for them. While this isn’t purely a modern phenomenon, what is new is that the rhetoric used by the Buffalo shooter in his nefarious screed parrots the language public officials are using in their execrable attempts to court the white supremacist vote. Some of these officials are in the highest positions of leadership in the Republican Party.

Even worse, the GOP has one heck of a farm team—that is, if you’re on team extremist. With the attack ads, yard signs, and political rallies to which we’ve all grown accustomed, 2022 may look like every other election year, but amidst all the usual campaigning, something unusual is happening. There has been an uptick of people with extreme views seeking public office. From school boards to state houses to U.S. Congress, this pipeline of extremists, some with views similar to the Buffalo shooter, marks a clear and present threat to our national security.

To be clear, I’m not referring to policy positions. We can all point to visionaries who labored tenaciously for years until their ideas, once labeled “extreme,” were proven sound and accepted by a wider audience. Here, I am talking about genuinely radical beliefs, which supersede more generic political differences and thwart consensus and meaningful progress on issues that impact Americans. It used to be that extremists were quickly dispatched by American voters in the primaries. However, as the earliest results of the current primary season have demonstrated, this is no longer the case. 

Research by the Renew America Foundation has uncovered hundreds of candidates running for federal, state, and local offices across the country who hold these potentially destabilizing views:

• 239 have denied the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election,

• 61 espouse and/or promote conspiracy theories like QAnon,

• 52 participated in, have defended, or otherwise supported the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and 

• 30 have expressed support for extremist groups and/or used violent or racist rhetoric (like the “Great Replacement” theory that inspired the Buffalo shooter).

While the sheer numbers are alarming enough, it’s the electoral outcomes that are more disturbing. In short, they’re winning. In the 10 states that have held their primaries thus far, we’ve seen at least 34 of these extreme candidates emerge victorious.

There have always been radicals on the fringes of our national politics, but now, with the blessing and safe harbor by the GOP, they are building an anti-democracy coalition that can overturn elections and steer America toward autocracy. They are intentionally appealing to dangerous elements of American society, who are more than willing to use intimidation and force to help them succeed. In 2020, the extremist faction of the GOP came so close, and sadly, their movement has only strengthened since. 

This isn’t a five-alarm fire; it’s a raging inferno poised to incinerate the United States Constitution and American democracy as we know it. Most Americans don’t believe in wild conspiracies, support political violence or hate, or want their votes to be discarded at the whim of crooked partisans. But I fear a toxic mix of hyperpolarization, lies from politicians and media, and pure exhaustion has lowered our defenses and corrupted our objectivity.

I encourage everyone to learn as much as you can about who’s on your ballot this year, and consider whether they truly represent you and the nation’s best interests. Most importantly, please vote. Every chance you get. The GOP refuses to hold extremists accountable, so we must. This year, exercising democracy is the best way to preserve it—and to protect our national security. 

Mary Anna Mancuso is the national spokeswoman for the Renew America Movement, a nationwide effort to restore a “common-sense coalition” to American politics and defeat political extremism.

MORE: Cheney warns of ‘threat we have never faced’ during award speech —The Hill

Thank you to Amanda K. from Idaho. Since many (most?) “Republicans” are going to win in November, we should stay in the party and vote in the primaries. Every Republican who leaves the party actually helps Trumpist fascism. —Mickey D., Oklahoma

I just wanted to send a quick thank you for The Topline. Week after week, it is truly a sanity break. I'm in my 60s, so I'm used to a Republican Party that I can be proud of. Not anymore!

From Lynn Schmidt (I love everything she writes!) to Miles Taylor (So proud of this young man!) and so many others. Extra refreshing Topline on Friday, May 20. —Mary Q., Pennsylvania

I agree with Lynn Schmidt that "true leaders speak to all of us, as one country, as one people, as Americans," and that an important part of leadership is to inspire. But let's not forget that President Obama was a gifted speaker whose “soaring rhetoric” sought to lessen a divide between red states and blue that was increasingly problematic even two decades ago, and that his leadership was by and large temperate and moderate to a fault—yet Republicans went far beyond any bounds of decency to dishonestly paint him as an extremist, and to bend their efforts, beginning on Inauguration Day of 2009, to make his presidency a failure.

Since then, extremism and disrespect for political opponents has only worsened on the right, while Democrats have continued for the most part to seek bipartisan solutions to the nation's problems.

President Biden keeps stressing the bipartisan nature of his agenda even when all that means is that a few non-extremist Republicans have voted with Democrats, so he is at least trying to work for unity; but just as in Obama's time, the right-wing noise machine is bent on sowing division for their own partisan gain, and to hell with solving the nation's problems. I am no fan of Liz Cheney's political positions, but she seems to understand this, and I applaud her for it. But the nation cannot heal, cannot move on towards forming that “more perfect union” we ought all to be striving for, until the GOP either does some SERIOUS cleaning of its Augean stables, or suffocates in the piled-up excrement of its own extremism. And yes, the effort required will be Herculean. Are Republicans up to the task? —Scott K., California

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff, the Renew America Movement, or the Renew America Foundation.