A Recipe for Saving America's Democracy: An Alliance of RINOS, DINOS, INDYS & LIBS

By Jim Boeglin

The authoritarian threat to our democracy is real. MAGA Republicans and religious extremists from the far right have allied with Putin’s Russian regime to destroy America’s rich history of indivdual freedoms and human rights.

The author proposes than an antidote to this fatal threat is a political alliance of responsible, caring, reasonable Americans from various political blocs, including RINOS, DINOS, Independents, Liberals, and Libertarians. Their common goal of saving American democracy from the extremists far outweighs their differences in policies and perspectives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: May 7, 2024
• ISBN: 9781665759397

Jim Boeglin

This is Jim’s eighth book, and the fourth one addressing the threat of Donald Trump, authoritarianism, fascism, and the MAGA Republican extremists. Having practiced law for more than three decades, Jim is well aware of the dangers posed to our democracy by a political leader who considers himself above the law.

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Copyright © 2024 Jim Boeglin.

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This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Archway Publishing

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ISBN: 978-1-6657-5938-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-5939-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024908522

Archway Publishing rev. date: 5/3/2024

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1: War or Peace?

Culture War

MAGA and Far-Right Radicals

On the Right

Liberals, Libtards, Libertarians, and DINOS

Moderation

Good Trouble

Chapter 2: Democratic Values

Rule of Law

Rule of Power

Anti-Authoritarianism

Independent Judiciary

Functional Congress

Free Press

Chapter 3: Role of Government

Different Visions

An Advanced Economy

World-wide Pandemics

Climate Crisis

Climate and Immigration

Gun Control

A Crucial Role to Play

Chapter 4: Human Rights

Declaration of Independence

United States Constitution and Bill of Rights

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Religion and Individual Rights

Chapter 5: Civil Rights

Beyond Human Rights

Voting Rights

Due Process

Integration

Public Education

Chapter 6: Enlightenment

Dark Ages

Renaissance

Crossroad

Book-Bans

American History

Chapter 7: Religious Freedom

The Establishment Clause

Free Nation

Indirect Attacks

Abortion Rights

Traditional Family Values

Higher Education

Mean-Spiritedness

Chapter 8: Environmental Stewardship

Environmental Protection Agency

Science Denial

Global Warming

Storms, Wildfires, Floods, Droughts, Oh My!

Chapter 9: Racial Justice

The American Legacy

Discrimination

Wealth Gap

A Systemic Problem

Chapter 10: Gender Expression

Historical Perspective

LGBTQIA2S+ Community’s Perspective

MAGA/Christian/Religious Perspective

Democracy’s Perspective

Chapter 11: Mass Shootings

Immunity from Damages

Military Assault Weapons

Role of the NRA

Common Sense Gun Laws

Chapter 12: Social Safety Nets

Privilege

The Role of Safety Nets

FEMA Disaster Relief

Farm Subsidies

Education

Retirement Programs

Affordable Healthcare

Food, Shelter, Child Care

Social Attitudes and Implications

Chapter 13: Political Correctness

The History

In Today’s World

The Rationale

Closing Thoughts

Choices

Special Thanks

Other Books by Jim Boeglin

The Bike Writer: Insights Discovered

along the Bicycle Paths of Life

Character Building: The ABCs of Building

Depth and Strength of Character

American Values in the Trump Era

Seeds of Kindness in a Time of Crisis

Discovering Kindness in a Deeply Divided World

Fascism in 21st Century America

The MAGA Manifesto: A roadmap back to the 1950s

Leadership

Power and might are not the stuff

That make for leadership.

Forcefulness is not enough,

Nor is an ego trip.

Strong leaders gain authority

By raising self-esteems,

Establishing priorities,

Transforming players into teams.

People follow when respect

For leadership is clear,

An atmosphere that connects

To values they hold dear.

From President to football coach,

The formula is the same—

A fair and loving team approach

For how to play the game.

Sharing power is a strategy

Strong leaders dare to take,

Knowing there’s no tragedy

In learning from mistake.

Principle-centered leadership

Eliminates the ego trip.

From Discovering Kindness in a Deeply Divided World, by jb

INTRODUCTION

America is blessed with a wide spectrum of cultures, political attitudes, and belief systems. As a melting pot, diversity is at the core of American life. Political attitudes range from the far-left radical Socialists who fight to reform or replace the capitalistic economic system, to the far-right extremist MAGA Republicans and religious zealots who fight to dismantle the American democratic system of government. The far-right’s ambition appears to be to replace American democracy with a Christian theocracy subject to their minority rule.

The vast majority of Americans are hanging in the balance, hovering somewhere near the center between far-left and far-right. Many of these Centrists are extremely concerned for the future of American democracy. America is currently under attack by far-right extremists under the direction and absolute control of an authoritarian-minded wannabe dictator, Donald Trump. He is aided and abetted by international strongmen, including Vladimir Putin of Russia and Victor Orban of Hungary.

The American democratic way of life is no longer a given. Complacency is no longer an option for any American who values the rights and freedoms currently guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Under a Trump sequel, Constitutional protections would not be worth the parchment paper they are written on.

To successfully preserve American democracy from the MAGA mob and their religious political partners, it is going to take a concerted, coordinated effort from many different sources. It is going to require the synergy of different moderate, centrist groups working together for the common goal. It is going to demand an all-out activation of voters who care about America’s future. Any eligible centrist voter who chooses to sit out the upcoming elections is indirectly choosing authoritarianism over democracy.

RINOS, DINOS, INDEPENDENTS, LIBERTARIANS, & LIBERALS are the ingredients that, working together, can lead America through this dangerous crisis. This diverse group of common-sense moderates must overlook and/or overcome their differing positions on some political issues, and become at least temporary allies to combat the greater threat to our democracy.

Libertarians, who advocate for minimal intervention by government in the private lives of its citizens, are perhaps the most vulnerable to this authoritarian threat to our democratic republic. An authoritarian regime has no qualms about destroying the individual rights and freedoms of its citizens. Although not totally in sync politically, the term LIB in this book will encompass both Liberals and Libertarians. They share the common goal of saving American democracy.

RINOS

The term ‘RINO"—Republican in Name Only--has been around since Teddy Roosevelt was President. It seems his trust-busting and anti-monopoly policies were at odds with standard Republican ideology of the early 20th Century. As a result, the term was applied to him by disgruntled Republican colleagues.

More recently, the term has become a popular disparagement of disloyal Republican Party members who refuse to blindly follow the authoritarian rhetoric and chaotic behavior of Donald Trump and his MAGA followers. They are unwilling to conform to the more radical aspects of the current Republican Party line, which is being dictated by Trump and enforced by his obedient cult. It has left many long-time Republicans scratching their heads, and feeling politically homeless. Many of them have reluctantly given up their Republican status and now identify themselves as independents.

The current democratic crisis is an opportunity for RINOS to take pride in their personal integrity, and to regain political relevance as a part of a larger circle of reason and sanity. Taking a courageous, active part in solving the problem is always an option. At the very least, voting for democracy is an appropriate response.

DINOS

Democrats in Name Only, or DINOS, is a more recent term. It is a slur that some left-wing liberals apply to Democratic Party members who resist some aspects of the Democratic Party’s more extreme positions. DINOS may be more moderate on key issues than some of their left-leaning colleagues. Like RINOS, some DINOS now choose to identify as independents.

INDYS

America has a long tradition of independent, non-affiliated voters. More than a third of eligible voters describe themselves as independents. Most INDYS lean toward either the Republican or the Democratic Party. However, they tend to be less supportive of partisan subjects and behaviors. e.g. INDYS who lean toward the Republican party are often not supportive of Donald Trump, or the public’s uncontrolled access to military assault weapons, or government control over women’s bodies, or chaos in government caused by The Freedom Party in Congress; INDYS who lean toward the Democratic Party may not support current border policies, or forgiveness of student loans, or affirmative action, or certain aspects of the social safety net that are popular with much of the Democratic Party.

The temptation for INDYS is to fail to vote—or to vote for a 3rd party candidate for President of the United States. That might just be the thing that could carry Donald Trump to the Presidency with a minority of the total ballots cast. Either option could be a well-meaning but dangerous mistake for America.

LIBS

Liberals tend to be woke. As democrats or independents, they tend to value diversity, equity, inclusion, generous social safety nets, protection of the environment, racial justice, gender expression, voting rights, consumer protections, workers’ rights, common sense gun control, the rule of law, science, separation of church and state, and the other personal freedoms provided in the U.S. Constitution.

Libertarians place emphasis on their political freedom and liberty. Their core values include small government, freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of choice, equal justice and civil rights. These values are the antithesis of an authoritarian form of government.

These political groups might be surprised at just how many issues in which they are already in substantial agreement. Regardless of labels, many