We were all raised to believe that the United States could never ever become the sort of country where the leader in power arrests and charges his predecessor. That sort of thing, we were taught in history class, only happens in banana republics led by tinpot dictators who rule by decree and silence any dissent with violence and state-sponsored thuggery.

Then Donald Trump came along, and all of our assumptions about what is possible in this, the greatest representative democracy ever conceived by man, were taken by the current president and mocked. Then they were attacked. And lastly, they were all but shredded like so much chaff in a giant shredder that destroys the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of a nation.

On Thursday, Trump officially pushed the United States into Third World status by calling for his handpicked toady attorney general, William Barr, to prosecute both Barack Obama and Joe Biden for daring to do their jobs and investigate the Russian attack on the 2016 election.

During a phone interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo Thursday morning, Trump remarked:

“Bill Barr can go down as the greatest attorney general in the history of our country, or he can go down as just an average guy. It depends on what’s going to happen.

“Barr has a chance to be the greatest of all time. But if he wants to be politically correct, he’ll be just another guy. Because he knows all the answers… and it goes right to Obama, and it goes right to Biden.”

Trump alludes to prosecuting Obama and Biden and then says, “Bill Barr can go down as the greatest attorney general in the history of our country, or he can go down as just an average guy. It depends on what’s going to happen.” pic.twitter.com/noSKTknn75

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 13, 2020

“Barr has a chance to be the greatest of all time. But if he wants to be politically correct, he’ll be just another guy. Because he knows all the answers… & it goes right to Obama, & it goes right to Biden.” – Trump suggests Barr should prosecute Obama/Biden before the election pic.twitter.com/t3iaIcSnV7

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 13, 2020

Now ask yourself a very serious and sober question: Is that something a sitting president should say? Should a president be daring his attorney general to act on his own sick revenge fantasies?

We are way beyond what is supposed to take place in a functioning democracy. And Donald Trump is the reason for that. He has repeatedly violated the compact between a leader and the people he leads. He has taken another step closer to outright tyranny and dictatorial rule. For that alone, he must be defeated soundly in November.

If we fail to perform our duty and excise this cancer on the country via the ballot box, we will never be able to explain to future generations why we neglected our duties as citizens.

The time is now. Each of us must protect our homeland from the evil that currently resides in the White House. Make your voice heard before even the right to vote is ripped away from us forever.