It’s official – Donald J Trump’s November victory was ratified today by the Electoral College. Trump, allegedly “like, a smart person,” will assume of the office of the Precedency January 20th of next year.
There were faint breezes of hope blowing through the trees these past few weeks, as people like Lawrence Lessig publicly offered pro bono counsel to electors that might choose to vote their conscience, rather than the tabulated will of their state. There was no historical basis for this optimism, however, as only once in our country’s history did faithless electors impact the result of a presidential contest (and that impact, in the end, was void).
It’s hard to know who to congratulate. The GOP establishment spent the first twelve to fourteen months running from Candidate Trump like he was a gay wedding cake, so that doesn’t feel quite appropriate. ISIS and Al-Qaeda have also celebrated the victory – is this where we should direct our felicitations? Russia is obviously tickled with the whole affair as well, as are white nationalists , the KKK, and Scott Baio.
So – those of you that are celebrating – please help me understand the genesis of your enthusiasm. Unless you’re one of the aforementioned or a billionaire industrialist hoping for a cabinet seat, remind me what it is you think you’ve won, and how you reconcile your rapturous fervor, knowing it’s shared with Russia – a country whose citizens consider you to be their primary enemy? Has all common sense been sidelined in service to your religious anti-Clintonism? Again, congratulations.
As a reward for your rigid devotion, you’ll experience an agenda of tax cuts for the wealthy, spending cuts on healthcare, education, and social services, and on top of it all a ‘business friendly’ environment of deregulation. Is that what drove your decision – the opportunity to keep a couple extra dollars in your wallet? The ‘keep more of what you earn’ philosophy of Republican governance sounds noble on paper, but not at the sacrifice of infrastructure and the common well-being of our families and our neighbors.
This is the nut of it right here…this gets at the most fundamental question we all need to ask – what is our expectation of government? Is it simply to get out of the way while we stuff our pockets with everything we can get our hands on? Or is it possible that this network of connected states can serve a more dignified purpose? Should we encourage growth and opportunity at the expense of safety and security, or might there be more promise in a country that’s dedicated to prosperity while also assuring a base level of protection against Amalgamated Greed, LLC? We may have just codified the corporatization of our healthcare, instead of guaranteeing care for the most vulnerable – is this the country you want for yourself and your children (not to mention your parents, for whom you’ll soon be caring in the absence of Medicare)? The pollsters and statisticians have identified Trump’s voting bloc and its various demographic verticals, but what it really comes down to is a segment of the population more concerned with the ‘Politics of Me’ versus the ‘Politics of We.’ That, to me, is the tragedy of 2016. Greed won – corporate or otherwise.
Conservatives have long positioned themselves as the defenders of the constitution (and of course Progressives have let them affix that label). Yet the Founders themselves warned against the corruption of corporate power. The concern continued in the country’s formative years. In a letter Abraham Lincoln wrote to Col. William F. Elkins in 1864, he said:
“…I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before…”
We have elected the caricature of corporate excess, and he has promptly assembled the wealthiest cabinet in history – 17 people whose combined assets exceed those of 43 million of the least wealthy Americans. The abject absurdity of that alone is astonishing. We are a train barreling towards the ravine, and nobody knows if the bridge will hold.
“We, the People” – it’s the first fucking word, you weasels…
How appropriate that you ended your blog post with, “We, the People” because the will of the people has been taken away before Trump has taken office. Two issues come to my mind: why white working class voters support politicians whose policies are in direct contrast to their vested interests and why Republican politicians and officials no longer are about American values we hold essential and define us as a party?. I’ll focus on the threat of this neo-Republican party that has been decades in the making.
Recent events in North Carolina give us a glimpse of how we can expect the GOP to act under a Trump presidency.
The Republican-controlled legislature waged a successful coup in North Carolina. The GOP legislature approved a sweeping package of restrictions on the power of the governor’s office in advance of the swearing in of the Democratic governor-elect, Roy Cooper, and frantically pushed through legislation that will further support the suppression of voters. The legislature didn’t overtly overturn the election of a Democratic governor, but they effectively stripped the governor’s office of power, ensuring that the will of the voters did not actually matter. (See linked article.)
Why is this happening? And, make no mistake this story is not a case of both parties do it; it is solely at the feet of the Republican party. Why do Republican politicians no longer care about American values? Why have they betrayed their own ideologies? Perhaps it stems from the fact that former free-market politicians are discovering crony capitalism is great when it involves the right cronies. Additionally, I think we need to look back on how Trump ran his campaign and how the GOP turned a blind eye to his tactics. The GOP politicians and officers who turned a blind eye and allowed attacks on democracy did so for selfish reasons: careerism on the part of people who operate in a system insulated from outside pressures due to gerrymandered districts, unwavering partisan loyalty and lots, and lots, and lots of dark money financial support.
What happened in North Carolina is exactly why Trump’s GOP is a real threat. The GOP power grab gave us a glimpse into the future of the U.S. under Trump: utter disrespect for democratic institutions and unabashed disregard for the will of the people.
This point is important: when we have disregard for the will of the people we will create a DEFACTO ONE-PARTY STATE that maintains the facade of democracy but existing practices and institutions effectively prevent the opposition from winning the elections.
What would it be like to live under a one-party state? Perhaps that question is best answered by looking at countries currently ruled by a one-party state system: the People’s Republic of China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Cuba, and Vietnam to name a few.
North Carolina is a case study for how Republicans have institutionalized voter suppression at every level of government and made it the new normal within the GOP. The GOP has rigged the system against the Democratic party and its voters.
I am not a fearmonger, but I am a student of history. Our systems and institutions will fail to protect us when tyrannical, powerful people start defying political norms under the guise of a republic. We need only go back to the future for the answers. We can ask Athens, Rome, the German Empire, Germany, and I soon fear we can ask Europe due to the consistent election of far right parties and the seeming disintegration of the EU.
The GOP has begun their assault on American democracy and the will of the people. I believe it is of the utmost importance that we fight them at every step and take every opportunity to educate all who will listen.
WE MUST INSTILL A CLEAR RECOGNITION OF HOW BAD THINGS REALLY ARE:
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY IS VERY MUCH IN PERIL. OUR DEMOCRATIC FOUNDATIONS ARE ERODING AND THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT WE WILL EVER BE ABLE TO RECOVER.
https://www.thenation.com/article/north-carolinas-legislative-coup-shows-what-voter-suppression-will-look-like-under-trump/