So what do we do now, post Russian coup?
This morning I have been reading the astonishing story of Russian government interference in the election of our next President, and the complicit actions by the head of our FBI. As a political science major and lifelong political junkie, I am profoundly shocked on many levels. I believe that this is the greatest crises in the Obama administration, and perhaps the greatest crises to the nation since the Civil War. Our very fate as a democratic nation is in jeopardy.
When a people loses faith in their electoral processes, they have lost faith in their government; it is illegitimate. We are there. The current results of this election are worthless.
I do not know what President Obama is going to do, but he must do something, and quickly. It cannot be business as usual, ho hum, lets just swear him in and see what happens. That gives legitimacy to what is essentially a bloodless Russian sponsored coup.
I think we need to go back and re-count every single vote in every precinct in the country, even if it takes a year and costs 10 billion. What could be more important than our democracy? We also need to hold public hearings on exactly what the Russians did, and how they did it, find out who was complicit and charge them with crimes if necessary, and take steps to see it can never happen again. Perhaps fundamental changes to the way we hold elections, e.g. federal control of the Presidential vote? Perhaps we even need to vote again after having done all this. I don't know and I do not know who runs the country in the meantime. Obama? Some triumvirate? No one? I'm floundering in a sea of questions, and I do not envy our President.
If he takes actions, will the Republicans back him? They never have, but we have never faced a crises of this magnitude. It's time for people to put country ahead of politics. If this goes badly, we may never see free, fair elections in our lifetimes.
This is a constitutional crises of monumental proportions.
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I am very afraid that nothing will be done: Obama will not take decisive action, and I am not any too sure that the majority of Democrats will, either. We need more than expressions of outrage or more committees to study this, we need action!
I don't see an election do-over as a real possibility, but perhaps something could be done in regard to the Electoral College.
This is truly terrifying.
