Whatever you think of Bill Maher, this is the most important thing he’s said all year. Trump has been methodically purging the GOP of anyone who stands up for democracy, while red state legislators have greatly expanded their power in elections by stripping control from nonpartisan local boards and removing guardians in key counties. Trumpian candidates will be replacing officials who refused to help Trump overthrow the election last year.
Meanwhile, voting protections and any meaningful pushback have fallen by the wayside with our Democratic leadership as they obsess over the details of a reconciliation package. Voting protection is the one issue that Biden needs to focus the full power of his position on. He could travel the country to drum up support, put it front and center, and even threaten Sen. Joe Manchin’s very valued seat as chair of the Energy Committee if he doesn’t get something passed. Instead, it was treated just like any other bill.
Maher gives his timeline of what is going to happen starting next year. Trump will be the 2024 nominee, and even when he loses on Election Day, he will declare victory. The difference is that the GOP will be in a better position to deliver victory for him.
Maher didn’t mention that the Supreme Court, filled with Trump appointees, won’t come to democracy’s aid. He also didn’t mention what happens if there is a dispute over who won the election on Jan. 6. No matter how many states Biden wins, the GOP will declare fraud and try to declare Trump the winner. Yet if there is any dispute, the speaker of the House becomes acting president, which may very well be Kevin McCarthy. This would suit many in the GOP just fine.
CNN’s Jim Acosta had Republican Alice Stewart and Democrat April Ryan on his show to discuss Maher’s prediction. Stewart is the epitome of a non-Trump Republican. She buries her head in the sand and, just like several moderate Republicans in the Senate, thinks that it is “too soon” to worry that Trump will undermine the election. She literally suggests that Republicans are moving away from Trump because he’s a loser.
Um …. what the hell party has she been following? (In case it doesn’t jump automatically, it’s at the 6:22 mark.)
Stewart is a fool. Every single major Iowa GOP politician was at Trump’s rally where the bulk of the speech was dedicated to his false claim that the election was rigged. (Trump even claimed in 2016 that the Iowa caucus was rigged—by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. That didn’t come up, surprisingly.)
Trump isn’t going away. We need to focus on voting rights, and really focus on secretary of state elections in the next cycle. We also must do everything we can to ensure Democrats retain the governor’s offices in Wisconsin (Gov. Tony Evers), Michigan (Gov. Gretchen Whitmer), and Pennsylvania (open as Gov. Tom Wolf is termed out) while hopefully picking up Georgia (Stacey Abrams) and Arizona (Katie Hobbs).
It’s a tall order, but Democrats aren’t doing all they can to save democracy from the GOP authoritarian attempt—which hasn’t ended. Trump’s minions are preparing, and so should we.
