First, what do we mean by loyal opposition? It is formally defined as “in parliamentary systems of government, the loyal opposition is the opposition parties in the legislature. The word loyal indicates that the non-governing parties may oppose the actions of the sitting cabinet while remaining loyal to the formal source of the government’s power, such as the monarch or constitution.”

There has been an erosion of the concept of cooperation despite opposition in the US government for some decades now. Reagan began shifting the economy upward to the rich with the fantasy concept of “trickle down” economics. This effectively neutralized the middle class. This was followed by the push by Newt Gingrich to foster his “contract with America,” a thinly veiled attempt to destroy regulatory activities that he and other conservatives considered antagonistic to business interests.

During each of these stages the Republican party became more radicalized. Contributing to this shift and exacerbating it was the vast conservative propaganda machine launched and funded by the Koch brothers. This directly contributed to the further radicalization known as the Tea Party Movement.

Then in 2016 we got a new version of the Republican Party. This one had the motto of, “You lost, get over it.” Fast forward to 2020 and the remnants of the party, now steeped in Trumpism, is purging its leadership of anyone who criticizes the “Don.”

Past transitions of administrations have been polite, cooperative and magnanimous affairs that had one concept in mind, that no matter what we are all still Americans. Sadly, those days fully ended January 6th with the attempted coup at the Capital.

Trumpublicans are now fully engaged in whitewashing the events of that day and attempting to block an investigatory committee—which would have rules that they demanded—from fully baring all the facts.

So much has been published about that day, but it really isn’t enough. Here’s a small reminder of what happened, from the vast trove of videos that insurrectionists posted to Parler.

Aside from the few remnants of the Republican Party—which once freed the slaves of the South—who still feel the weight of their oath of office, the core of the party is no longer anything resembling loyal. Their loyalty has been given to a sad and corrupt personality who has no fealty to anyone but himself, rather than to where it owed: to the country.

Those members of the Republican Party who are denying the fact this rebellion are party now to the treason of that day. They are a stain on this government and what it stands for.