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Few Americans ever witness firsthand the level of evil human beings are capable of in countries where monstrous dictators slaughter their own citizens, or partisan extremists murder innocent civilians based on their ethnicity or religious affiliation; that is a benefit of living in a civilized society. However, there is an element in this country exhibiting the same inhumane qualities toward their fellow citizens that Americans hear about in lawless African nations and governments dominated by Islamic extremists, and the atrocities are at the hands of Republicans beholden to corporations and religious extremists. It appears that just as one thinks Republicans can hardly stoop any lower in their assault on Americans, they sink to another level of severity and it is unlikely the people have seen or felt the full force of inhumanity inherent in extremism permeating the Republican Party.

There are hardly comparisons in American history of an entire party acquiescing to the will and whim of extremists in their ranks, and their willingness to act in concert with cruel fanatics condemns the entire party; not just the extremist wing. What is astonishing, really, is that after four years of obstruction, phony debt crises, killing jobs, attacks on women, and obviously deliberate attempts to thwart economic recovery that cost them dearly in the 2012 election, Republicans could not even wait for 2013 to unleash more severity on the people. It is true a major factor in the GOP’s four-year assault on Americans has its basis in their racial animus toward President Obama, but after he won re-election it is glaringly obvious their hatred is toward the American people as much as the government meant to serve them.

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The first few months of 2013 were dominated by Republican atrocities such as blocking benign gun safety measures, wasting time repealing the Affordable Care Act, fabricated scandals involving the IRS doing its job, the attack on diplomats in Benghazi, and blocking the budget process after Senate Democrats passed a budget the GOP complained was lacking for four years. In fact, following up their non-existent performance in the President’s first term, Republicans have made absolutely no attempt to govern save their rapid deployment to pass legislation protecting wealthy airline passengers “suffering” the effects of their sequester cuts. However, the past two months have brought out the most extreme assault on Americans in Republican states and in Congress, and no demographic is being spared callous disregard that is the new normal in Republican politics.

In several Republican-controlled states legislators are attacking women’s rights with impunity and they are using despicable means to achieve their goals from inserting harsh abortion restrictions in anti-Muslim legislation in North Carolina, to slipping personhood legislation in a budget in Ohio redefining pregnancy. In Wisconsin, Koch acolyte Scott Walker signed legislation into effect making forced ultrasounds mandatory including, in some cases, invasive transvaginal ultrasounds Walker claimed helps improve a woman’s ability to make an informed choice as well as being beneficial to women’s health.

The ban on abortions after 20-weeks in Texas may have been chalked up to savage evangelical extremists, but this week teabagger hero Senator Marco Rubio is slated to introduce the same restriction in the United States Senate; the Republican House already passed, and failed, to enact similar legislation earlier in the year. The Texas bill is extraordinarily Draconian and dangerous to women’s health because there is no exception to the law including if a woman is carrying a deformed and dying fetus, that incidentally, is insignificant and disposable to Republicans the second it breathes air and becomes a human being.

In nearly twenty Republican states, they have rejected Medicaid expansion that costs the state nothing for 5 years, and removing the economic consequences informs their only purpose is withholding medical care from millions of Americans out of sheer cruelty. In the callous Republican House, they intend on slashing the SNAP program in an incredibly cruel farm bill, and the extremist wing is furious the $20.5 billion in cuts is too small and not the $135 billion included in Paul Ryan’s budget. Maybe Republicans are not using chemical weapons against American citizens, but their cuts to Meals on Wheels, food stamps, and housing and heating assistance to the neediest Americans is tantamount to slow murder.

In what has to be a cruel attempt to stay in power to finish their assault on the people, several Republican states began working to restrict voting rights to millions of Americans within hours of the equally callous conservative Supreme Court’s ruling that, for all intents and purposes, destroyed the Voting Rights Act. The effort is not confined to Republican states as another extremist, Ted Cruz, attempted to insert voting restrictions in the Senate’s immigration reform bill and it is unlikely Republicans will allow new voter protections to replace the VRA conservatives have panted to undo for five years.

There are those who claim that not all Republicans should be indicted as callous monsters, but that is faulty thinking. Doubtless most people know, or have heard of people who assert they believe in voting rights, gay rights, healthcare for all, women’s right to choose, Social Security and Medicare, and food assistance for needy children, seniors, and unemployed Americans, and yet they check every box next to a Republican candidate in the privacy of the voting booth. Candidates, incidentally, who campaigned on, and vote for, legislation eliminating healthcare, overtime pay, food stamps, and women’s rights and they garnered support from 47% of Americans in the last election informing that cruelty is not restricted to Republican politicians. What is curious though, is that the great majority of voters support every single policy Republicans oppose whether it is gun safety measures, increasing Social Security and Medicare benefits, food stamps for the needy, or overtime and paid sick leave.

It is time for Democrats, pundits, and Republicans to cease pinning the blame for the heartless Republican policies on extremists in the party, and assign blame where it rightly belongs; to any and every Republican voter and politician who supports what can only be labeled cold-hearted regard for Americans. It is also a mistake to think for one minute that Republicans are only assaulting the poor and women and recognize that every American is affected by Republicans killing jobs, destroying public sector union representation, environmental regulations, allowing America’s infrastructure to fall deeper into disrepair, or driving more of America’s children into dire poverty; seemingly for sport. It is safe to say that every Republican voter, politician, and so-called social conservative are representing the worst of humanity, and if they were not heartless monsters, they would oppose Republican ideology that is founded on sheer inhumanity and hate for their victims that sadly are also their fellow Americans.