Sometimes blindingly obvious things escape notice and create misleading or false narratives. One of them is the elevation to near heroic status of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for simply following the law in 2020. People don’t seem to realize that “following the law” in this case means “not committing serious felonies.” If you ask me to rob a bank and I declare publicly, “I refuse to rob the bank,” do I deserve ethical or moral praise?
Brian and Brad may be vote suppressors, forced birthers and nativist demagogues, but they’re not idiots.
So I am more than tired of hearing about how they did the “moral” or “ethical” thing by refusing to commit election fraud at Donald Trump’s request in November 2020. And now their primary wins have reinforced the myth of their “courage” in the face of Trump’s pressure to “find 11,780 votes.”
Raffensperger and Kemp could have been prosecuted for federal or state crimes if they agreed to Trump's demands. They were smart enough to know Biden would be inaugurated on January 20, 2021 and they had the risk of federal felony charges as of January 20, 2021 if they "found" 11,780 more votes. They made a self-interested, not a moral calculus, weighing these options:
1. Risk prosecution and jail by breaking state and federal law by “finding 11,780 votes” and hope they would not be found out and that officials in other states would also commit fraud and succeed in installing Trump in 2021, or
2. Obey the law not take that risk.
The phrases “no-brainer” and “low bar” come to mind.
How do we know Brian and Brad made the right (self-interested) decision? Again a no-brainer, because actual prosecutions for the actions Trump asked them to take are currently being pursued on the state and federal level.
In Georgia a grand jury is hearing dozens of witnesses, including Raffensperger. Do you think he prefers appearing there as a witness, rather than a potential defendant?
And the federal DOJ also has a grand jury looking into things like phony Presidential electors. I’m not a criminal lawyer, but I have the feeling “finding 11,780 votes” is a least as serious a crime as presenting alternate electors.
Why is this important? It goes back to the “low bar” idea. Kemp and Raffensberger are now celebrated as “moderates” and “ethical” Republicans, when they are anything but: In 2018, in a grotesque display of malicious vigilantism, Kemp said in an ad "I got a big truck, just in case I need to round up criminal illegals and take 'em home myself. Yep, I just said that." MINO*
Ross Douthat gave us the latest paean to them today, calling it Good News in Georgia that’s Bad News for Trump (and inspired this story). It may be bad news for Trump, but it’s not good news that people like Douthat (and unfortunately some on our side) can sanitize far right, immigrant bashing vote suppressors like Brian and Brad. (Douthat also speciously says the high turnout in GA disproves voter suppression, for reasons easily debunked here and elsewhere.)
So. What to do?
For one thing, Register and mobilize young voters in Georgia and elsewhere by donating and volunteering for groups like:
The Civics Center for HS students
Civic Influencers for College Students.
Remember: Young people are the Sleeping Giant Waiting to Save Democracy in the United States, just waiting to be unleashed.
*Moderate in Name Only