As I write, the latest Politico Poll reveals that 70% of Republicans in the US do not believe the 2020 election was "fair and free." https://thehill.com/homenews/news/525388-poll-70-percent-of-republicans-dont-believe-election-was-free-and-fair Even if nothing else was wrong right now that alone would constitute a tremendous challenge to our system-- a major legitimation crisis. But these numbers reflect a concerted effort on the part of the Trump-captured GOP to do everything possible to change the results or else to make sure that when Trump leaves the White House, "tens of millions" (as Tucker Carlson said in his Monday rant against the election result) would be furious at democrats for "stealing" the election even if all legal concerns are dismissed as they probably will be. Unless Trump admits defeat, he will remain a frighteningly relevant de facto leader of a hollowed out party of sycophants who no longer have a program (there was no party platform in 2020, but only loyalty to Trump, the Dear Leader). About 70 million voters are behind Trump, and he has set about firing Pentagon and NSA top officials, replacing them with loyalists. This is an ominous signal even if it is a theatrical move. The Secretary of State, Pompeo, has promised "a smooth transition to a second Trump term" in brazen defiance of all the votes cast in the election and in the absence of any evidence of conspiratorial vote tampering and fraud across 4 US time zones. Lindsay Graham and Mitch McConnell have also doubled down on the drive to convince Americans that Biden hasn't "won" the election, or even that Trump won and it was stolen from him by unspecified conspirators. Graham is raising money for the legal challenges against various states for Trump (who is not only raising funds for legal battles but using his America First Super Pac to air commercials nation-wide). Of course, states that show Trump picking up votes (e.g. Arizona) face no accusations, and we've yet to hear any GOP Senators or Representatives that won down ballot challenge their own victories even though many of those ballots are the same ones that were counted in states like Georgia, Pennsylvania and others that supposedly stole the election. So, the stealing is conveniently selective.
But logic and consistency have nothing to do with this massive propaganda assault on the facts. As Trump once said early in his term, "What you see and hear [in the news] is not what is happening." A four year attempt to convince his followers that he alone is to be believed and trusted has largely succeeded, creating what is, in effect, an uncritical devotion of the kind charismatic authoritarian leaders and fascists have relied on in the past. If between 1/3 to 1/2 of the electorate have been so conditioned, then a new movement which is counter-democratic has arrived. One which Trump can lead from outside the government; one which could lead to instability in the country. And cronies like Pompeo who have Trump's back now will be plausible successors when Trump passes away, if this movement endures.
Again, one of the 2 major parties refuses to acknowledge election results which are the same as any others that were accepted in the past. We're past the time when a peaceful transfer of power, the release of transition funds and meetings in the White House would occur. This is not akin to the Gore-Bush voting count and legal struggle. That was at least a specifiable problem that had to do with razor thin margins in only 1 or 2 counties in the state of Florida. This is a situation in which several states (some in which Republicans oversaw the election such as Georgia) are being accused of covering up a massive fraud perpetrated on the people.
If this continues into December, it will lead to increased anger and madness among Trump supporters and those GOP officials who have been, as Biden put it tactfully, "mildly intimidated" by Trump. Jake Tapper reports that several Senators and Reps he spoke with stated, on condition of anonymity, that they would not openly defy Trump's assertions for fear of not just the ruination of their careers but for fear also of death threats.
We have in Trump a leader who has a pattern of viciously attacking anyone who "gets in his way" (e.g. Anthony Fauci in his mind) and then remaining silent while his supporters-- often fringe elements-- issue death threats. Dr. Fauci now requires a security detail after receiving multiple death threats to himself and his family members. Trump has never made a statement calling on his own supporters to refrain from death-threats and other horrific and illegal behavior. We saw this recently when he continued attacking Governor Whitmore of Michigan after an attempt was made by Trump-loyal radicals to kidnap her. Thus intimidation and death threats that Trump refuses to denounce become de facto instruments of his power.
In short, we had better take this very seriously as 4 years were largely wasted treating the Trump menace as something that was "bad," but which could be easily absorbed by "the institutional guard-rails of democracy." That is pure magical thinking. Institutions are as strong as the people that compose them. In the end an institution is, as sociologists know, a pattern of predictable norm-governed behavior. Nothing here is predictable or reliable. We are witnessing the fraying of the GOP and thus about half of our politicians and citizens. The GOP is no longer a real party, but a goon squad; a mindless group of frightened and/or power-hungry careerists held in thralldom by a dangerous demagogue and tyrant. Democracy is in danger, authoritarianism is already here. Winning the Presidential election was an important defeat, but it was a battle-- not the entire war. The war on US representative democracy is upon us. What we now see is fast approaching sedition. Each day it is allowed to pass as an acceptable disappointment is another day of victory for those who truly would steal not only the election, but the administrative apparatuses of the state, if they could. Short of that, they will minimally continue to menace the country as a well-funded insurgent group with "respected" politicians and tens of millions of voters on board.
It is well past time to thwart any further attempts to erode democracy. I cannot say exactly how, but I suspect that law enforcement will have to play a role. The stakes are too high to sit and treat this as shocking spectacle to analyze. We must see to it that either Trump immediately provide his alleged "credible evidence" of fraud or else release transitional funds to Biden and take the other normal steps that make up smooth transition from one administration to the next. Any political speeches or press conferences featuring Pence, Pompeo, Barr, Graham, McConnell, et al., must be treated as sedition if they continue to baldly accuse states of fraud and/or promise a "smooth transition to a 2nd Trump term," as Pompeo did yesterday. Everyone should know that when it comes to rhetoric the mere ability to get away with repeating destructive and incendiary lies converts the lies into convictions that loyal followers then treat as truths upon which to act. This must not continue.
Any suggestions or ideas regarding how to thwart this coup-like onslaught by Trump and the GOP would be very welcome.
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