Which Way the Wind Blows
I had two phone calls yesterday from upset people saying that Trump is seeking to steal the 2020 election. "Yes, of course," I said. It will be like 2016, both said. "No," I replied. "This is far worse."
As terrible as that theft was -- and we are experiencing the horrors this year -- the country did have a peaceful transfer of power in January of 2017. The theft of the 2020 election ends that democratic process necessary for constitutional government. This demands that we not limit ourselves to thinking about this in terms of "how," but expand to the "why?" For it is only from this context that we can understand the consequences beyond Trump's not wanting to face legal consequences for his criminal behavior.
Now, without question, avoiding legal consequences is an immediate goal. This includes Trump's concerns for his family members, not limited to those serving themselves from within his administration. To a lesser extent, it also includes non-relatives in his administration. But we cannot stop our analysis there, because that is merely one step. We need to go further.
The second step requires us to remember Steve Bannon's desire to destroy our state, meaning the federal government. Destroying the concept of a peaceful transfer of power after the presidential election is demanded by those with like minds. And is it not evident that one-third of the voters are willing, even eager, for exactly that? Keep in mind that at the time of the American Revolutionary War, 1/3 of the colonists supported the Patriots, 1/3 supported England, and 1/3 were neutral. How many eligible voters fail to exercise that right?
The third step is one we are all too familiar with. What type of world "leaders" does Trump show the most affection for? Dictators. Obviously, we all knew that Trump wanted to exercise unlimited powers as president. And that he has done his damnedest to destroy the very institutions that are intended to prevent any president from exercising that unlimited power. And he has had the willing help of republicans in the House and Senate who are willing to betray their oath of office and ignore the Constitution.
Now, let's consider the two ways in which those "leaders" Trump cuddles up to maintain their power. Some, like Putin, pretend to hold elections in which they "win" about 98% of the vote. The second is rule by dynasty, where totally unqualified family members enjoy insured political power.
It would be an error to think that the Trump plan is limited to Donald's desire to "win" by the biggest landslide in American history. Likewise, they are not only intent upon placing a christian zealot on the U.S. Supreme Court in order to advocate for Trump if the 2020 election results are contestted. It goes way beyond that, though that alone is surely unacceptable.
This is instead the rout by which democracies are overthrown, and nothing less. We are in a fight unlike any other in our nation's history. So it won't surprise those who know me if I connect this to the sport of boxing. In another conversation I had yesterday -- with a former heavyweight champion who now fights for social justice (and has recently begun reading DU) -- I brought up one of the last paragraphs of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s April 4, 1967 speech at the Riverside Church in New York City. Let me quote from it:
"Now let us begin. Now let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter -- but beautiful -- struggle for a new world. This is the calling of the sons of God, and our brothers wait eagerly for our response. Shall we tell them that the odds are too great? Shall we tell them the struggle is too hard? Will our message be that the forces of American life militate against their arrival as full men, and we send our deepest regrets? Or will there be another message, of longing, of hope, of solidarity with their yearnings, of commitment to their cause, whatever the cost? The choice is ours, and though we might prefer it otherwise,we must choose in this crucial moment of human history."
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Hope you’re doing okay. 
