Mychalejko: Bucks County GOP must reject militias, QAnon, Proud Boys, and other extremism

It’s now or never.

The Bucks County Republican Committee is at a crossroads. It either continues down the path of growing radicalization within its rank and file, or it reckons with and rolls back the party's insurgent extremism.

The latest iteration of this extremism, and the most troubling, appeared in the form of a local Three Percent militia cell branded as the Proud American Patriots Network.

However, when confronted with the facts about this group’s nature, local Republicans’ responses have been either denial, deflection, or just downright deception.

None of the above is acceptable.

Here are the facts. The PAPN is not some type of Kiwanis Club, no matter how many people try to ridiculously suggest it is. It is  a militia, which according to its own bylaws, updated July 28, 2021, states: “The Three Percenters Movement is not just you and me. They are our Sheriffs, Police Officers, Firefighters, Medics, Nurses, Teachers, Doctors, IT folks, librarians, grocers, farmers; they are in ALL professions. They are members of OUR community."

This Three Percenter cell also published training documents (since deleted) meant to “produce a combat ready unit” with sections on sniper operations, reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence gathering, enemy harassment plans, etc. Oh, the PAPN group also has a “director of intelligence.” So when the three GOP Central Bucks School District candidates who the PAPN-endorsed — Jim Pepper, Lisa Sciscio, and Debra Cannon — didn’t immediately step forward to disavow the group’s backing, that silence spoke volumes. And when other Republican activists and officials, from ReOpen Bucks to the Bucks County GOP officials, didn't come forward to unequivocally repudiate the local Three Percent cell, at best that can only be interpreted as acquiescence to this far-right franchise of the militia group Canada lists as a terrorist organization.

How did the Bucks GOP get here? One reason why is because local Republicans, and sometimes local media, are reluctant to call out the growing far-right extremism in the party’s ranks. And it has been hidden in plain sight for several years.

For example, back in 2011 the now-defunct Thomas Jefferson Club hosted Peter Brimelow, the founder of the anti-immigration hate group VDARE.

“I was very impressed by the audience in Newtown, which included many VDARE.com fans,” wrote Brimelow on his website.

It should be noted that VDARE is still active and flush with cash — $4.3 million in 2019— because of conservative donors. According to The Center for Media and Democracy, which uncovered the donations, this “suggests that big-money donors of the conservative movement may be moving their riches to more extreme causes in the aftermath of Trump’s rise.”

More recently, the Proud Boys showed up to rally with local Republicans outside of Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick’s office in December 2019, which the Bucks County Courier Times reported. Fitzpatrick’s 2018 primary challenger jumped to their defense, stating on Facebook that the Proud Boys “are not 'violent' or 'hateful' extremists, they are just a group of patriotic young men supporting our president.” Never mind in 2018 the FBI had already designated them a violent “extremist group with ties to white nationalism.” Rep. Fitzpatrick never made a statement denouncing the group, though he should have. Instead he is more worried about Antifa, which he wants designated a “domestic terrorist organization,” even though it is not an organization but rather an ideology opposed to fascism.

Then last October, the leader of the now shuttered and digitally disappeared Bucks County-based People 4 Trump said this about his Democratic neighbors and customers to Canada’s The Globe and Mail: “The only thing they hate more than America is themselves … They’re self-loathing, violent, mean, aggressive. Who has time for that kind of hate?”

I wonder what he says behind closed doors.

In the same interview he also suggested that Democrats would steal the election. He later chartered busses to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6.

Finally, being a QAnon follower and bigoted aren’t disqualifying features for Bucks County GOP and Keeping Kids in School PAC school board candidates who are running in November’s election. 

Back in the early 1960s the National Republican Party faced a similar situation with growing extremism within its base, led by groups like The John Birch Society. This sparked fears that the conservative movement at the time could take a “fascist turn” as a result of what a young Ronald Reagan called the “lunatic fringe.” 

We find history repeating itself today. Let’s just hope local Republicans have the courage of their predecessors to purge this extremism from their party’s ranks. 

Cyril Mychalejko is a teacher and freelance writer from Bucks County. He can be reached at cmychalejko@gmail.com and at https://cyrilmychalejko.substack.com.