Last week, self-marketed, “Fighter Pilot” Mike Garcia took to the congressional dais. Garcia’s remarks targeted the first year of President Joe Biden’s stewardship over our divided democracy – ironically coinciding with Garcia’s own first-year anniversary of his very own personal attack on our democracy with his support of the Jan. 6 Donald Trump coup attempt, which dramatically destabilized America for our foreseeable future.
Mike Garcia might be a fine guy. A good neighbor. He’s a real, live fighter pilot. But violently participating in immoral wars is no guarantee of possessing the wisdom and historical presence to promote and sustain a peaceful, durable democracy at home.
One’s acts in public office speak loudest about one’s commitment to free and fair democratic leadership. Mike Garcia disqualified himself from public service and even further public comment on Jan. 6, 2021.
In his speech on the House floor, Garcia failed to mention the part he played in the attempted bombing of American democracy. He failed to apologize for voting against certifying the Arizona and Pennsylvania votes, even after each recounted presidential results multiple times. Even after a full-blown violent attack on America’s Capitol, Mike voted against these states’ free and fair election results, instead throwing his vote in with the Trump coup-plotters.
On Jan. 6, Mike Garcia turned his back on our freedom and attempted to delay or overthrow valid election results. Yet no apology in his House floor speech.
And even after the fiasco, Republican-funded “Cyber Ninjas” concluded that not only did Joe Biden win Arizona, but by even more than first counted. Still no apology from Garcia. Once you drop bombs on democracy, there’s no pulling back the devastation you helped cause.
Garcia said, “We’re really not asking much from our elected officials.” But one year ago, during the battle of Jan. 6, Mike Garcia fell in line with the insurrectionists, and now he’s silent about investigating and punishing those accountable for that assault on democracy. No space in his speech did Garcia have for rooting out non-democratic forces still active in his party. God only knows if Trump will now punish Mike for even referring to Joe Biden as “an elected official.”
Garcia said, “In just one year, this administration and its policies have eroded America’s status as the lone premiere superpower.” But Mike failed to censure his leader, Donald Trump, for coddling up to the ultimate dictator, Vladimir Putin. Mike failed to mention Trump’s encouragement of Russian influence on American elections. Failed to mention Trump’s corruption of Ukraine’s sovereignty and military defense. Failed to mention Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, leaving us weaker to the entire world.
Now, Putin has his knee on Ukraine’s throat, sticking Commander in Chief Biden with the delicate task of dissuading Putin, without starting a NATO war. Studied in military doctrine, Garcia knows Trump destabilized Europe and the world, and now we’re facing tragedy. But no words from Garcia on this count.
Mike Garcia said Biden “eroded our nation’s security, tucking tail against a group of savages and terrorists in Afghanistan after 20 years of fighting for the right reasons.” But Garcia failed to say that Commander in Chief Trump had already made a full commitment to evacuate Afghanistan on May 1, months earlier than Biden’s Aug. 31. Garcia failed to tell this truth. Failed to say everyone on the planet knew the withdrawal date and had months in advance to leave in advance…
Garcia dissembled about avoiding these never-ending wars of which he was voluntarily part – failed to mention how much death and destruction and waste of American lives and money we’ve spent achieving almost nothing, except for the benefit of defense contractors and the Big Oil we reinstalled in our forever war countries.
(How many more of these unaffordable wars do you really want, by the way?)
Garcia said, “We’re asking for secure borders so that we do not see 175,000 human beings come across our border and into our nation each month without any accountability.” Misleading facts, Garcia failed to say only 250,000 immigrants were eventually released into the U.S. to face immigration court, and that the Border Patrol returned well over 1 million from the border back to their 150 home countries.
Mike said, “We don’t want the cost of goods and supply chain issues to overcome our income.” Mike didn’t say that Trump’s $3.5 trillion COVID stimulus was by far the greatest influx of inflationary cash sloshing through our economy. Mike didn’t mention the inflationary impact of Trump’s 25% tariffs on Chinese consumer goods…
Ultimately, Garcia said, “We just want this administration to stop giving hope to the bad guys.” But I say, I’d like Mike to stop giving hope to those bad guys INSIDE the U.S., plotting to overthrow electoral legitimacy with their hidden plots, refusal to testify, lying, voter suppression and gaslighting the public with their fake histories.
Indeed, what Mike Garcia didn’t say reveals why Mike Garcia must be replaced in 2022 to preserve and protect free and fair democracy.
Gary Horton’s “Full Speed to Port!” has appeared in The Signal since 2006. The opinions expressed in his column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Signal or its editorial board.
