I don’t write diaries very often, but wanted to organize some thoughts in a form too long for a comment in an open thread. I couldn’t though think of a name for it though.
What started me thinking was the fact that there could be the possibility of Trump getting another Supreme Court pick if the brilliant, beloved, strong as an ox Ruth Bader Ginsburg has to retire at some point due to health reasons. Suddenly, the focus will be narrowed down to succession on the Supreme Court, and Presidential politics including the upcoming election will be diverted by its gravitational pull. The truth is, this is a critically important issue, but nevertheless the challenges we face are dwarfed by it. Our survival as a democracy may depend on our actions leading up to and during the election – I’ll mention one plausible threat shortly. But of course, Republicans will force everything to be viewed through the lens of the SCOTUS pick. For instance, if Democrats decide the evidence warrants pursuing impeachment in the House, they will claim that it is a blatant effort to prevent Trump from naming a new Justice before the election. Countering this impact on our politics will be daunting and difficult, but must be done.
An analogy that I see to the critical situation that we are in now is that of an amusement park ride at a county fair, which are everywhere this time of year. We are on the, pick your scariest ride, I don’t know, Rock-o-Plane? Zipper? Our attention is riveted by every gut-churning plunge and flip, we think of little else except what is going on at the exact moment. This is like Trump, his twist and turns of a week ago are all but forgotten, replaced by the latest outrages. A Supreme Court opening would instantantly grab and consume our attention, except this diverting jolt would last far too long. But what we need to be doing, what is our job, is that of the safety inspector. We need to look beyond the function of the ride, which is to continuously assault the senses, and examine carefully where are the dangers – what parts are about to fail and need replacement, to ensure that one of the cars doesn’t open and fling us 50 feet. What is the overall condition of the ride – maybe it is so bad that it needs to be totally rebuilt.
Back to politics, then what are the crucial things that Democrats, our office-holding safety inspectors, and every one of us as a rider, need to be concerned with?
The first thing, which must progress immediately, is ensuring the integrity of our upcoming elections. This is THE issue that should be pushed when Congress gets back, and should have higher priority than all others, because they all depend on it. All the heat that is planning to be applied to McConnell on immigration, guns and all else, should give way to this.
I think we need to avoid the following plausible scenario: the election in the electoral college is very close. But several states have had their voter registration data hacked causing huge holdups in voting, and total collapses at some sites. In fact, some states devolve into total chaos, with uncertainties even in the vote counts. In these states, there are no paper trails. There are no printed voter lists. Both Trump and the Democratic candidate claim victory, and voters faith in the outcome is completely lost. The only certainty is that this will make the 2000 Bush v. Gore fiasco look like a walk in the park in comparison.
This is a way our democracy could essentially die. I guarantee Russia and likely other countries are seeing this as their “best outcome” result, and are doing everything possible to make it happen. We must demand secure paper records of votes in some form, in every voting precinct. We must also demand that backup paper voter registration lists be printed and available everywhere. This is not an option, and we are out of time. Congress must act.
Next, Democratic politicians must plan now for possible challenges ahead, such as a Supreme Court opening. They must be able to explain to the voters that as crucial as that is, there are even bigger issues. Of course, that pick will greatly affect these issues, but, to go back to my example, no impeachment will not be pursued to prevent a Supreme Court pick! The effort will have begun before an opening happens, if it unfortunately does, despite Republican reliance on people’s attention span not glomming onto this. It will be based on overwhelming evidence, and ensuring our survival as a functioning democracy goes far beyond who gets on the Supreme Court at a particular time.
Another request I have is probably impossible in today’s climate. We know winning elections is all about getting out the vote, but also, big data, influencing the “persuadables” through Facebook and Twitter, and the like. Well, I’d like to put in a plug for leadership, for people running for offices large and small. Do not let the consultants scare you. Take a stand that you know is right, whether it is popular or not, and tell people why you are doing it. Convince them to support the idea. If we wanted politicians’ every move to be based on polls, we can replace them all with polling computers.
That’s about it, but I still don’t have a good name for these random thoughts.