UPDATE BELOW
That's very hopeful.
The task now goes beyond simply trying to get back to normalcy. The last four years have uncovered serious flaws in the US system of government, and it would probably be unwise to think that Trump’s departure signals the end of the threat. The fact that so many GOP politicians could not get past extreme cowardice is very concerning. (To be fair, they probably would prefer to do the “right thing,” provided they could do so without personal cost.)
The US is approaching 250 years as a democracy. Perhaps it's time to see if a rebuild of some sort is called for. In particular, is there a downside to taking steps which will avoid a repeat of the chaos over the last few weeks?
It's also worth considering whether there is some way to limit the ability of political parties to cause this sort of chaos and damage. This would be very difficult, if not impossible, at least not without risk to the political system -- a system that could have delivered a despot a second term.
We've learned some useful things. People were attracted to Trump because they felt they were marginalized. We've also learned that there are many GOP members of Congress who should be marginalized.
I think that most people will move on. The absence of Trump will be a huge relief for many, because we will not see the implicit endorsement of groups like the Proud Boys and other anti-American groups who are devoted to Trump.
Trump's chaotic presidency has been a wake-up call to most Americans.
Other older and more experienced countries and civilizations have succumbed to dictators and autocrats, and this country is ripe for the picking, too, should we refuse to be vigilant and endeavor to preserve our democracy.
As Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times wrote, "[Trump] failed to bend the state to his will, but he still broke the country."
YOU ARE HERE:
SCRATCH THE ABOVE.
UPDATE:
WE ARE HERE:
9 comments:
is there a downside to taking steps which will avoid a repeat of the chaos
The problem is that most of those steps would involve amending the Constitution and are therefore impossible in practice (two-thirds of each house of Congress plus three-fourths of the states means needing massive-scale Republican support). Even the things that don't require that -- expanding the Supreme Court, a federal ban on gerrymandering and vote suppression, making DC and Puerto Rico states, for example -- will be very difficult with a razor-thin Senate majority of 50-50-plus-Harris. And that's if we win the Georgia runoffs.
Eventually demographics will take care of the problem (Trumpanzees skew older, and younger people skew more liberal), but until then, we're probably going to be stuck fending off some version of this mess every election cycle.
@Infidel... we should not assume demographics will take care of the problem.
President Trump and Republicans in did very well this election in populations traditionally skewed to Democrats. Think African American men, religious Latinos [particularly non Catholics] and non Mexican Latinos in general who have immigrated from more socialist leaning counties. Think Cuba, Venezuela, etc.
The Dems also showed weakness with labor as workers seem to believe that Dems no longer have the back of the "working man."
Just to say that Dems still have a lot of work to do to consolidate their base and the fact that they cannot consistently win swing districts, and darn near lost the House, is proof.
But... at the end of the day, it's nice to hear this... President Elect Joe Biden from a number of Republicans.
Putin and Mitch McConnell have just poured cold water all over Trump's sore loser pity party.
So did the Electoral College.
And the Supreme Court.
And dozens of trump-appointed judges. And 81 million people.
IT'S OVER, STABLE GENIUS!
Dave: I made it clear that the demographic change I was referring to involved aging out, not race -- which of course will take time.
Liberals always make the mistake of making everything about race. The really important demographic changes are about religion, education, and generational turnover.
Infidel753, Dunkin', and Dave
Donald Trump's character, evident from the very start of his 2016 campaign, has been the worst stain on the Presidency since George Washington first took office. One may go on about the forces that brought him to the fore, the problems faced by those who thought he would be the nation's salvation, whatever good may have been done during his term in office, and any other way of explaining his election, but the simple fact remains that no one so deficient in character should ever have been able to come near the Oval Office.
This is the one incontrovertible fact at the bottom of everything. And the final proof of this, terribly clear in his flailing attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election is that this amoral, divisive, malicious, self-absorbed, caricature of a man is now trying to destroy the very essence of the country he claims to love. "If I can't have what I want, I will take it apart for everyone else."
Does anyone need any further proof that no one has ever disgraced the office of President of the United States as Donald Trump has? There simply is no excuse for a nation founded with such dreams as we were to have countenanced this selfish, grasping child-man in the office once held by George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Shaw... a 100% embarrassment. A stain on the US and the end of the GOP ever saying they are for lower deficits, morality, compassion, comprehensive immigration reform, American leadership around the globe and shared defense of our borders & Europe, free trade, etc., etc., etc.
In fact, the only thing they seems to be for is Donald Trump.
Disgusting as that is...
NewsMax says "Audit Finds Mich. County's Dominion Voting Was Rigged to Create Fraud". On GeeeZ they're talking about how fraud can be proven by examining the mail-in ballots. What will be found is that a large number of them have no fold marks. Fraud Analyst Finds Average of 2 to 3 Percent Shift for Biden in Counties That Used Dominion. Thanks Dominion!
Seriously though, I believe Joe Biden won despite "GOP" cheating. The usual suppression BS they've deployed for a long time plus (starting with this election) bogus signature challenges. My brother (who voted by mail in a red state that went for Dotard) told me his signature was challenged.
I voted in person. My parents voted by mail. I asked my dad if he was tracking their ballots and he said no. Were they counted? They weren't notified otherwise, but I'm not sure how mail in voting works. I know their signatures were bigly different (because my dad had a stroke and my mom is almost blind due to AMD). I saw my mom's signature on her ballot because they asked me to sign as a witness. It was a mess.
Derv, The only way Trump and his cultists will look at Biden's win is by believing the win was attributable to fraud. But fraud ONLY in those states were Trump lost, and ONLY fraud against Trump, not against the Republicans who won down ballot.
The shenanigans the GOP gets up to: gerrymandering, voter suppression, USPS meddling, etc., is never seen as election fraud because all of those things favor Republicans.
I hope America finally understands that the Republican Party is and has been anti-democracy for years and believes only Republicans have the right to govern this country, even if the majority of Americans don't want them!
Yes, Republicans practice voter suppression in order to keep power. Yes, Republicans spread propaganda in order to keep power. Yes, Republicans choose power over democratic norms.
But isn't it further irony and hypocrisy that Moscow Mitch was able to pack the court and continues his attempt at preventing American working people from using this institution? But not a peep when the connected and powerful waste court resources trying to overturn the will of the people.
I believe this is an overlooked example of how Republicans are further attempting to erode the rights of everyday Americans. Republicans trying to thwart votes AND prevent access to the other branch of government.
Post a Comment