By Bela “Bill” Suhayda
My family arrived here in the United States in 1957 during the Eisenhower administration. We were refugees from communist Hungary, one of many countries under Russian occupation behind the iron curtain. We escaped a totalitarian regime that thought nothing of executing their people or political rivals who expressed dissent against Matyas Rakosi and his puppet government. The Hungarian people were under the boot of Joseph Stalin and then Nikita Krushchev after Stalin’s demise. The communist regime in Hungary took their orders from the leaders of the Soviet Union to crush the Hungarian people and their revolution against occupation and communism in 1956.
One of the first things my parents marveled about after several elections here in the U.S. was how seamlessly and respectfully power was transferred from one administration, under one political party, to another of a different party. It became customary for the outgoing president to welcome the new president into the White House on the day of transition in a symbolic good-faith gesture, something that could never happen under any dictatorship.
The struggle for power in communist countries is not orderly, respectful, or seamless. It always entailes jailings, torture, and disappearances of those who dared challenge the ruling class. My parents were always impressed with the civility of the political process here in the United States.
I can remember when Americans came together around a dinner table, disagreed over government policies, then broke bread together.
But the political discourse between Americans has changed since the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Civility is no more!
Just read Wayne Johnson’s hateful rants in this publication for your proof. Johnson, since January, continues to lament the fact Donald Trump cannot be dragged through the streets as Mussolini was in Italy after his assassination in the 19th Century. Incredibly, Johnson continues to argue in the July 11 article in The Voice there is no harm in writing about dragging Trump’s “fat laden body through the streets” because: “Nowhere did I say he had to be dead.” Johnson purposefully references the assassination of Mussolini to conjure horrific images of his death.
Then he writes about Trump being treated in the same manner, and he doesn’t think you or I should care. Despicable behavior!
Politicians used to debate each other to convince the American people they had better ideas than their opponents. But Joe Biden has failed Americans with his economy, energy dependence, and $4 gallon gasoline. The inflation rate is 9%. Twelve million illegals, fentanyl, and women and children have been trafficked for sex across our borders.
And blundering Biden created two wars. The catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan left 13 soldiers dead and $84 billion dollars of war machinery was left to ISIS for their use or for them to sell. These are just some of Biden’s “accomplishments” in four years. I challenge Charles Coddington and Johnson to refute any of these “accomplishments.”
Biden has gone after Trump to destroy him using Lawfare. Joe Biden used his DOJ, FBI and Soros prosecutors to attempt to jail Trump and kick him off ballots. Both the DOJ and FBI are Biden- owned. And mainstream media has joined the Democrat team as well. They carry Joe’s water. So much for civility and seamless transition of political power.
Biden calls Trump an existential threat to this country. A slimy mainstream media calls him Hitler and a threat to democracy. Never mind that we remember four years of peace and prosperity with the former president.
Such rhetoric sets the tone of this presidential campaign. It has been the Wayne Johnsons of this country who inspire the Thomas Crooks of this country to try to kill Trump. The specter of assassination is with us again.
P.S.: I want to challenge Wayne Johnson and Charles Coddington to work towards factual articles rather than angry and hateful ones.