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If election denialism has metastasized from Trump's personal quirk into a core part of the GOP, then American democracy is over.

If election denialism has metastasized from Trump's personal quirk into a core part of the GOP, then American democracy is over. | Imagine, if you will, a country where two parties are in fierce competition with one another. One of these parties believes in democracy - in expanding voting access, in respecting election results, in presenting the public with a genuine choice. The other party restricts voting rights wherever it can, gerrymanders itself into perpetual rule of every state possible, and refuses to accept any election that doesn't go its way. In such a competition, every election becomes a referendum on democracy itself. But in order for democracy to survive, the party that believes in democracy has to win every election in perpetuity. The party that rejects democracy only has to win once. | image tagged in rod serling twilight zone,rod serling imagine if you will,democracy,gop,2020 elections,election 2020 | made w/ Imgflip meme maker
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Slobama M
1 up, 2y,
1 reply
made w/ Imgflip meme maker
Trump "lost the battle" on Jan. 6 - and in many ways, the Jan. 6 riot/insurrection was a literal battle - and was forced to beat a humiliating retreat from the White House on Biden's inauguration day, "voluntarily" leaving on a helicopter rather than being perp-walked away in handcuffs.

But in the aftermath, Trump won the war for the GOP's soul. Just a few days after Jan. 6, Trump rallied enough GOP Senators to defeat his Second Impeachment and has since successfully defenestrated most non-loyalist Republicans at the polls, or forced them into early retirement. After these internal party purges, the GOP has become an even Trumpier party in 2022 than it was while he was President.

Even assuming Trump's own political star falls somehow - perhaps all the swirling legal scandals will finally do him in - or even if Trump dies from an overdose of hamberders - he's over 70 and his health can't be all that great - it seems unlikely that the GOP will abandon its "lost cause" narrative surrounding the 2020 election. After all, the GOP's rampant gerrymandering and voter restriction efforts at the state level aren't being guided by Trump at all. Republicans are prepared to seize maximal control over the machinery of elections whether or not Trump himself is on the ballot. And then denying the results of elections anyway even if their machinations fail to produce the desired Republican win.

If all that is the case - and Trump or another GOP candidate wins the Presidency in 2024 through a generally respected election - then our constitutional mechanisms of forcing that next Republican President from the White House will become that much more fraught.

Sure, impeachment is still a technical remedy. Sure, there are Presidential term limits written into the U.S. Constitution. Sure, there's also meant to be a Presidential election every 4 years. Sure, our Constitution further guarantees a republican form of government (the "Guarantee Clause," Art. IV, Sec. 4.) But if Republicans won't actually give force to the meaning of those words, then what of it all?
TwoWayMirror
1 up, 2y
American democracy is over.
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  • rod serling twilight zone
  • Rod Serling: Imagine If You Will
    • IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
    Imagine, if you will, a country where two parties are in fierce competition with one another. One of these parties believes in democracy - in expanding voting access, in respecting election results, in presenting the public with a genuine choice. The other party restricts voting rights wherever it can, gerrymanders itself into perpetual rule of every state possible, and refuses to accept any election that doesn't go its way. In such a competition, every election becomes a referendum on democracy itself. But in order for democracy to survive, the party that believes in democracy has to win every election in perpetuity. The party that rejects democracy only has to win once.