Trump's next coup has already begun.

[Arkansas Granny]

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/01/january-6-insurrection-trump-coup-2024-election/620843/?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

Technically, the next attempt to overthrow a national election may not qualify as a coup. It will rely on subversion more than violence, although each will have its place. If the plot succeeds, the ballots cast by American voters will not decide the presidency in 2024. Thousands of votes will be thrown away, or millions, to produce the required effect. The winner will be declared the loser. The loser will be certified president-elect.

The prospect of this democratic collapse is not remote. People with the motive to make it happen are manufacturing the means. Given the opportunity, they will act. They are acting already.

Who or what will safeguard our constitutional order is not apparent today. It is not even apparent who will try. Democrats, big and small D, are not behaving as if they believe the threat is real. Some of them, including President Joe Biden, have taken passing rhetorical notice, but their attention wanders. They are making a grievous mistake.


“The democratic emergency is already here,” Richard L. Hasen, a professor of law and political science at UC Irvine, told me in late October. Hasen prides himself on a judicious temperament. Only a year ago he was cautioning me against hyperbole. Now he speaks matter-of-factly about the death of our body politic. “We face a serious risk that American democracy as we know it will come to an end in 2024,” he said, “but urgent action is not happening.”

A long read, but worth it.

[RKP5637]

1. This has been my concern for awhile now. The threat is seen, I guess, but it's not

on the front burner.

[Texaswitchy]

2. Yes.

Who will be counting the votes.

Will not matter how many vote.

[Stuart G]

3. Thank You for posting...K and R.

[mountain grammy]

4. Everyone must read this article.

[KS Toronado]

5. Can we pass a law that requires every State to have 2 main election officials?

1 D & 1 R, and they both have to agree that their State's election for President was fair and accurate?
Otherwise their votes are null and void. Just a thought to offset R's cheating which we know is coming in 2024.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

6. I agree except don't think Bidens attention is wandering. Not being rhetorical enough at

the moment is the plan not the failure…the demons breath words like fire. No oxygen please.

[Dan]

8. If the GOP is successful in nullifying the African American vote

The Democratic Party will never hold national power again.

And for the African American community - it should be asked why do we have to ask the majority party permission to vote every 4 years.

Something is seriously wrong within this ‘Democracy’.

It seems like the only time we are allowed the full rights/responsibilities as Americans, is when there is a draft.

[calimary]

7. This is getting scary.

The democratic emergency is already here,” Richard L. Hasen, a professor of law and political science at UC Irvine, told me in late October. Hasen prides himself on a judicious temperament. Only a year ago he was cautioning me against hyperbole. Now he speaks matter-of-factly about the death of our body politic. “We face a serious risk that American democracy as we know it will come to an end in 2024,” he said, “but urgent action is not happening.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/01/january-6-insurrection-trump-coup-2024-election/620843/?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

[wnylib]

9. Glad to see this posted.

I was going to do it myself if no one else did. It's a very long article, but worth reading.

NPR'S Terry Gross interviewed the author, Barton Gellman, on her program, Fresh Air.

Gellman pointed out the extensive on the ground network that Republicans have created in order to carry out a rigged win for him in 2024. Like it or not, what they are doing is perfectly legal. The Constitution gives states the right to choose their own electors and does not designate how they are to be chosen. It is only tradition that states choose them through popular vote. It is not required to be that way.

Gellman gave advice on how tp fight this trend.

1. First, Dems need a strong grass roots network through local Dem precinct offices to do the work of seeing that local election officials remain neutral during voting and vote counting.

2. Dem boots on the ground in local ptecincts and districts across the country to support Dem candidates. Dems need to focus on winning locally in city, county, and state governments, especially state legislatures in order to halt this trend and change state laws.

3. Get positive media attention for Dem candidates and platforms. Call out local and national media LOUDLY for all biased and untrue reporting. Be aggressive about it.

I'll add my own: Use repetition of Republican negatives and Dem positives. Republicans have shown with the Big Lie how effective repetition is. So USE it, Dems! Repeat, repeat, repeat. Make negative impressions of Republicans stick. Make them true. There is no shortage of Republican negatives to choose from. No need to lie. Make postive Dem accomplishments and goals stick.

Republucan legislatures in red states who have passed laws allowing them to overturn elections might have given us a gift. Get enough Dems into state legislstures so that WE can use their own laws to send Dem electoral delegates to DC.

There are things we can do besides hand-wringing over the demise of democracy in the US. It will take Dem unity and focus, a lot of boots on the ground, and informed grass roots workers. We need to arouse people and motivate them. If we don't do this ourselves, if we just sit back expecting "them" to do it, then kiss democracy good-bye. We ALL have to do our part.

[ThomasMertonMordecai]

10. The warning sirens are getting louder

An extraordinary piece of journalism. It illustrates the full court press happening within all factions of the increasingly Fascistic right. And it anecdotally describes the type of American that further adds power to these moves for destruction of our democracy. The ongoing confusion caused by the disinformation campaigns and memetic viruses opens the door to institutional collapse. And those that await- and encourage - that moment have some horrific ideas on what they plan on doing to "restore" order to their liking.
https://www.coloradopols.com/diary/169135/stretch-that-rope-colorado-conservative-leader-suggests-gov-polis-should-be-hanged
We need to start preparing for massive voter turnout. It is not our first line of defense, but it is without question an essential firewall against this assault on our self-governance.

[lees1975]

11. OK, so what is being done about this?

It has to be stopped. Lots of talk, but what is being done to counter it and send its proponents packing.

[ThomasMertonMordecai]

12. Better messaging - mass voter turnout

I think that we should all take a master class from Stacy Abrams. She has proven that if you take a tech approach to the data, followed by solid and succinct messaging, you can then mobilize an army of volunteers who relentlessly find voters, take note of all the various voting obstacles unique to each district, and don't let up until election day. The problem I see is not that this is not a proven strategy for all precincts, but that the Democratic party leadership is ossified in its ways. Instead of taking note of Abrams's thinking and reacting in their usual national, big ticket ways ( read Coastal power brokers )-" Jeez... she is amazing! Let's offer the VP spot on then next national ticker!?!" - they should take her game plan and implement it nationwide. The Democratic party is stuck in 2nd gear and has been playing defense since the Carter administration. And it learned all the wrong lessons from the Reagan years and is now over reacting by taking up culture war slogans that do little to advance our desired goals of a more just society. There is enormous opportunity to find messaging that reaches the core issues that holds America together as people. The few reliable polls tells us this and clearly demonstrate how far we have progressed in the last 20 years- on a host of cultural issues- and continue to illuminate how a virulent minority on the right has truly hijacked the national conversation with ill intent for anyone outside their increasingly malevolent worldview. As always, the Democrats need to learn how to bring the fight to what matters most- focus focus focus. We need a fighting spirit that is disciplined with strong messaging. And once the message is clear, we need to mobilize with everything we got.