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Report: Global Democracy Under Threat, US Democracy in “accelerating decline”
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a sort of companion post to mine above …
[link=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/backers-trumps-false-fraud-claims-seek-control-next-us-elections-2021-09-22/]Reuters[/link]: Reuters interviewed 9 of the 15 declared Republican candidates for secretary of state in five battleground states Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and reviewed public statements by all of the candidates. Ten of the 15 have either declared that the 2020 election was stolen or called for their states results to be invalidated or further investigated.
Only two of the nine candidates Reuters interviewed said that Biden won the election.
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[link=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/23/robert-kagan-constitutional-crisis/]https://www.washingtonpos…constitutional-crisis/[/link]
Our constitutional crisis is already here[/h1]
The stage is thus being set for chaos. Imagine weeks of competing mass protests across multiple states as lawmakers from both parties claim victory and charge the other with unconstitutional efforts to take power. Partisans on both sides are likely to be better armed and more willing to inflict harm than they were in 2020. Would governors call out the National Guard? Would President Biden nationalize the Guard and place it under his control, invoke the Insurrection Act, and send troops into Pennsylvania or Texas or Wisconsin to quell violent protests? Deploying federal power in the states would be decried as tyranny. Biden would find himself where other presidents have been where Andrew Jackson was during the nullification crisis, or where Abraham Lincoln was after the South seceded navigating without rules or precedents, making his own judgments about what constitutional powers he does and doesnt have.
Most Americans and all but a handful of politicians have refused to take this possibility seriously enough to try to prevent it. As has so often been the case in other countries where fascist leaders arise, their would-be opponents are paralyzed in confusion and amazement at this charismatic authoritarian. They have followed the standard model of appeasement, which always begins with underestimation. The political and intellectual establishments in both parties have been underestimating Trump since he emerged on the scene in 2015. They underestimated the extent of his popularity and the strength of his hold on his followers; they underestimated his ability to take control of the Republican Party; and then they underestimated how far he was willing to go to retain power. The fact that he failed to overturn the 2020 election has reassured many that the American system remains secure, though it easily could have gone the other way if Biden had not been safely ahead in all four states where the vote was close; if Trump had been more competent and more in control of the decision-makers in his administration, Congress and the states. As it was, [b]Trump came close to bringing off a coup earlier this year. All that prevented it was a handful of state officials with notable courage and integrity, and the reluctance of two attorneys general and a vice president to obey orders they deemed inappropriate.[/b][b]
[/b]…
We are already in a constitutional crisis. The destruction of democracy might not come until November 2024, but critical steps in that direction are happening now. In a little more than a year, it may become impossible to pass legislation to protect the electoral process in 2024. Now it is impossible only because anti-Trump Republicans, and even some Democrats, refuse to tinker with the filibuster. It is impossible because, despite all that has happened, some people still wish to be good Republicans even as they oppose Trump. These decisions will not wear well as the nation tumbles into full-blown crisis.
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Bannon Says He Has Shock Troops on Standby
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon [link=https://twitter.com/ZTPetrizzo/status/1445035729139159040?s=20]told his podcast listeners[/link] he will have 20,000 shock troops on standby.
Said Bannon: We control this country. We have to start acting like it.
(Probably some good money to be had making paramilitary Brown Shirts for them on Etsy)-
Trump is not a Nazi. Bannon definitely is.
SS Heinrich Himmler
SA Ernst Röhm
ST Steve Bannon-
Trump isnt a Nazi, he just thinks they are his supporters & can use them without getting tainted.
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Quote from Frumious
Trump isnt a Nazi, he just thinks they are his supporters & can use them without getting tainted.
This-
saw the video of the threatening behavior in front of a school board member’s house in Florida. You would think in Florida you could just shoot them.
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Quote from fw
Trump is not a Nazi. Bannon definitely is.
SS Heinrich Himmler
SA Ernst Röhm
ST Steve BannonBannon again on with the shock troops
[h2][b]Steve Bannon discusses raising ‘4,000 Shock Troops’ for when ‘Trump wins in 2024′[/b][/h2]
…
“It’s fresh and it’s new. This is Trumpism in power. That’s when we went to the 4,000 shock troops we have to have that’s going to man the government. Get them ready now. Right?’ Bannon said on his own ‘War Room Pandemic’ podcast.
He appeared with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), and called for having the ‘shock troops’ ready to serve in a second Trump term.
‘We’re going to hit the beach with the landing teams and the beachhead teams and all that nomenclature they use when President Trump wins in 2024 or before,’ he said, without explanation.
[link=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10298051/Matt-Gaetz-Steve-Bannon-Discuss-Raising-4-000-Shock-Troops-Trump-wins-2024.html]https://www.dailymail.co….s-Trump-wins-2024.html[/link]
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Considering the facts that media and surveys are predicting a 10 point advantage to Republicans over Democrats, it seems this is exactly the type of government and election results Republicans, no, the majority of Americans want.
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Yep. Sad but true Frumi.
Are that majority horrible people? All beholden to Trump and MTG?
Of course not. Its time to get your party to abandon the far left platform and win back the middle that are currently tipping Republican. The Republicans arent going to do it. You know that.
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Quote from dergon
Bannon Says He Has Shock Troops on Standby
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon [link=https://twitter.com/ZTPetrizzo/status/1445035729139159040?s=20]told his podcast listeners[/link] he will have 20,000 shock troops on standby.
Said Bannon: We control this country. We have to start acting like it.(Probably some good money to be had making paramilitary Brown Shirts for them on Etsy)
He’s dead wrong about who controls the country. It’s the wealthy and wealthy corporate interests.
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[link=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/10/07/3-takeaways-senate-report-trumps-brazen-efforts-overturn-2020-election/]https://www.washingtonpos…verturn-2020-election/[/link]
Takeaways from the Senate report on Trumps brazen efforts to overturn the 2020 election[/h1]
[b]1. Jeffrey Clark as Trumps willing pawn[/b]
Perhaps the reports biggest disclosure involves something we already knew a bit about: Clarks willingness to be a pawn in Trumps effort to overturn the election.[b]2. Trumps own explicit comment that Rosen wouldnt overturn the election[/b]
In case the above didnt make it clear how much Trump and Clark sought to use DOJ to overturn the election, one comment from Trump himself makes it abundantly clear.[b]
3. The inescapable, combined conclusion: a concerted effort to subvert democracy[/b]Both the Pence and DOJ gambits were extraordinary, and they were linked: Trying to get a Justice Department that doesnt generally handle election disputes involved in officially questioning states results and possibly appointing alternative electors all while arguing that Pence could then use the DOJ-legitimized controversy to throw the results into doubt and allow Republicans in the House to effectively elect the new president.
All of these details and the growing body of evidence reinforce that this was precisely what we thought it was: an effort to use baseless claims to overturn an American election.
[/QUOTE]
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If he makes a successful return to the presidency in 2024, democracys done.
Former national security official Fiona Hill, quoted by [link=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/10/08/fiona-hill-book-donald-trump-515660]Politico[/link], on Donald Trump running for president again.
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A Slow Moving Coup:
[link]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7cR4fXcsu9w[/link]
Bill Maher warned (again) of a slow moving coup by Donald Trump and his allied. Its based on three predictions:[b] Trump will run in 2024; he will get the Republican nomination; and whatever happens on election night, the next day he will announce that he won.[/b]
Mehdi Hasan: I wish more actual journalists would say what a late-night comedians saying.
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Predictions and a big if
You know what they say about my grandmother.
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Teagan Goddard-
Two years ago I had the chance to talk to Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), [link=https://politicalwire.com/2019/10/02/my-conversation-with-adam-schiff/]which I later summarized[/link]:
“I asked Schiff if anything about the Trump years had surprised him.
Without hesitation, Schiff said the most bewildering thing has been the reaction of his Republican colleagues. He was most surprised at their unwillingness to call out even Trumps worst behavior. He said he was completely caught off guard by their unwillingness to protect the basic institutions of our democracy.”
[b]Last night, [link=https://youtu.be/04To2995wD8?t=2770]I got the chance to follow up with Adam Schiff[/link] with what he called a very good and very disturbing question: If Republicans win control of the House, would they certify the results of a 2024 presidential election won by a Democrat?[/b]
Schiffs answer was blunt: If Kevin McCarthy had been Speaker on January 6, he would not have certified the election they very well may have succeeded in overturning the election. Would they do so in the future? I have to say, they probably would they probably would.
He added: Kevin McCarthy will do whatever Donald Trump wants him to do.
I cant think of a better way to explain the precariousness of our democracy at this moment.
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Kevin McCarthy is hated by every moderate Republican and Independent I know. He would absolutely do whatever Trump wants him to. Perfect Schumer statement and it plays well for those who want to call all Republicans Trumplicans. It might even do it’s job to frighten enough people into voting Democrat to keep House control. Fine with me.
However, the idea that a Republican House would not certify a Democrat victor is for fear mongers more than the realists. It is a scary proposition but I doubt very much it is true.
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Quote from Thread Killer
However, the idea that a Republican House would not certify a Democrat victor is for fear mongers more than the realists. It is a scary proposition but I doubt very much it is true.
138 of them did vote to overturn the election, that’s the sad truth.-
138 is not enough
Sad yes. Enough to predict the downfall of our democracy?-
It is a super-majority of the Republican caucus. An alarmingly high number that shows that the notion of a GOP controlled House actually overturning an election by certifying alternative electors/ throwing out states tallies for alleged fraud/ etc is one we should be prepared to deal with not as outlier possibility but a real plan that the mainstream GOP may well seek to implement as early as 2024.
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So then do the right thing. Support a moderate, affordable platform and ensure a Democrat controlled House. With Trump still attempting to pull strings the opportunity is all yours.
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[h1]The Bad Guys Are Winning[/h1]
[link=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/12/the-autocrats-are-winning/620526/]The Atlantic[/link]:[b]If the 20th century was the story of slow, uneven progress toward the victory of liberal democracy over other ideologiescommunism, fascism, virulent nationalismthe 21st century is, so far, a story of the reverse.
[/b]
All of us have in our minds a cartoon image of what an autocratic state looks like. There is a bad man at the top. He controls the police. The police threaten the people with violence. There are evil collaborators, and maybe some brave dissidents.
But in the 21st century, that cartoon bears little resemblance to reality. Nowadays, autocracies are run not by one bad guy, but by sophisticated networks composed of kleptocratic financial structures, security services (military, police, paramilitary groups, surveillance), and professional propagandists. The members of these networks are connected not only within a given country, but among many countries. The corrupt, state-controlled companies in one dictatorship do business with corrupt, state-controlled companies in another. The police in one country can arm, equip, and train the police in another. The propagandists share resourcesthe troll farms that promote one dictators propaganda can also be used to promote the propaganda of anotherand themes, pounding home [link=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/06/trump-fraud-stop-steal-copycats/619226/]the same messages about the weakness of democracy[/link] and the evil of America.
This is not to say that there is some supersecret room where bad guys meet, as in a James Bond movie. Nor does the new autocratic alliance have a unifying ideology. Among modern autocrats are people who call themselves communists, nationalists, and theocrats. No one country leads this group. Washington likes to talk about Chinese influence, but what really bonds the members of this club is a common desire to preserve and enhance their personal power and wealth. Unlike military or political alliances from other times and places, the members of this group dont operate like a bloc, but rather like an agglomeration of companiescall it Autocracy Inc. Their links are cemented not by ideals but by dealsdeals designed to take the edge off Western economic boycotts, or to make them personally richwhich is why they can operate across geographical and historical lines.
…[/QUOTE]
a long read… and more than slightly depressing … but worth it.
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Incorrectly identifying the promotion of democracy around the world with forever wars, they fail to understand the brutality of the zero-sum competition now unfolding in front of us. Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does geopolitics. If America removes the promotion of democracy from its foreign policy, if America ceases to interest itself in the fate of other democracies and democratic movements, then autocracies will quickly take our place as sources of influence, funding, and ideas. If Americans, together with our allies, fail to fight the habits and practices of autocracy abroad, we will encounter them at home; indeed, they are already here. If Americans dont help to hold murderous regimes to account, those regimes will retain their sense of impunity. They will continue to steal, blackmail, torture, and intimidate, inside their countriesand inside ours.
Luckily both parties can sell this reality. Finally a non partisan issue all Americans can get behind.-
[h1][b]U.S. Now Seen as a Backsliding Democracy[/b][/h1]
The US has been added to an annual list of backsliding democracies for the first time, the International IDEA thinktank has said, pointing to a visible deterioration it said began in 2019, [link=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/22/us-list-backsliding-democracies-civil-liberties-international]The Guardian[/link] reports.
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Paying attention to the judgement of others just causes suffering.
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[b]Congress Eyes Changes to Electoral Count Law[/b][/h1]
Members of the select congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol are pressing to overhaul the complex and little-known law that former President Donald Trump and his allies tried to use to [link=https://electoralvotemap.com/2020-election-results/]overturn the 2020 election[/link], arguing that the ambiguity of the statute puts democracy itself at risk, the [link=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/04/us/jan-6-electoral-count-act.html]New York Times[/link] reports.
The push to rewrite the Electoral Count Act of 1887 enacted more than a century ago in the wake of another bitterly disputed presidential election has taken on new urgency in recent weeks as more details have emerged about the extent of Mr. Trumps plot to exploit its provisions to cling to power. -
[link=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/01/january-6-insurrection-trump-coup-2024-election/620843/]https://www.theatlantic.c…-2024-election/620843/[/link]
[h1]JANUARY 6 WAS PRACTICE[/h1] [b]Donald Trump is better positioned to subvert an election now than he was in 2020.[/b]
The prospect of this democratic collapse is not remote. People with the motive to make it happen are manufacturing the means. Given the opportunity, they will act. They are acting already.
Who or what will safeguard our constitutional order is not apparent today. It is not even apparent who will try. Democrats, big and small [i]D[/i], are not behaving as if they believe the threat is real. Some of them, including President Joe Biden, have taken passing rhetorical notice, but their attention wanders. They are making a grievous mistake.
The democratic emergency is already here, Richard L. Hasen, a professor of law and political science at UC Irvine, told me in late October. Hasen prides himself on a judicious temperament. Only a year ago he was cautioning me against hyperbole. Now he speaks matter-of-factly about the death of our body politic. We face a serious risk that American democracy as we know it will come to an end in 2024, he said, but urgent action is not happening.[/QUOTE]
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What would the urgent action look like?
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Federal voting rights legislation to prevent legislative take over of election commissions, clarifying the role of the VP in certification, federal rules to limit the ability to suppress the vote, election cybersecurity funding, election infrastructure funding
Just offf the top of my head
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Rick Hassan wrote a good paper this fall
[b] Identifying and Minimizing the Risk of Election Subversion and Stolen Elections in the Contemporary United States[/b]The solutions to these problems are both legal and political. Legal changes should include: (1) paper ballot, chain-of-custody, and transparency requirements, including risk-limiting audits of election results; (2) rules limiting the discretion of those who certify the votes, including Congress through reform of the Electoral Count Act; (3) rules limiting the over-politicization of election administration, especially by state legislatures; (4) increased criminal penalties imposed on those who tamper with federal elections or commit violence or intimidation of voters, elected officials, or elected candidates; and (5) rules countering disinformation about elections, particularly disinformation about when, where, and how people vote. In addition, it will be necessary to organize for political action to reenforce rule-of-law norms in elections. This means advocating for laws that deter election subversion and against laws making stolen elections easier; politically opposing would-be election administrators who embrace false claims about stolen elections; and preparing for mass, peaceful protests in the event of attempts to subvert fair election outcomes.
[link=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3926381]https://papers.ssrn.com/s…fm?abstract_id=3926381[/link]
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Quote from dergon
Federal voting rights legislation to prevent legislative take over of election commissions, clarifying the role of the VP in certification, federal rules to limit the ability to suppress the vote, election cybersecurity funding, election infrastructure funding
Just offs the top of my head
We’re also coming up on damn near 1 year of inaction from Congress’ J6 committee and Merick Garland’s DOJ. Or if there has been it’s largely been off the TV screen. For all the smoke it’s like the alarms aren’t loud enough. Like who’s in jail for contempt other than nobody.
Not to mention the countless other scams being investigated like taxes or SDNY. Or maybe releasing an un-Bill Barrified Mueller report.-
[b]Are we doomed?[/b]
[link=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/01/imagine-death-american-democracy-trump-insurrection/620841/?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4]George Packer[/link]: Heres one way I imagine it could happen: In 2024, disputed election results in several states lead to tangled proceedings in courtrooms and legislatures. The Republican Partys long campaign of undermining faith in elections leaves voters on both sides deeply skeptical of any outcome they dont like. When the next president is finally chosen by the Supreme Court or Congress, half the country explodes in rage. Protests soon turn violent, and the crowds are met with lethal force by the state, while instigators firebomb government buildings The new president takes power in a state of siege.
Another, likelier scenario is widespread cynicism. Following the election crisis, protests burn out. Americans lapse into acquiescence, believing that all leaders lie, all voting is rigged, all media are bought, corruption is normal, and any appeal to higher values such as freedom and equality is either fraudulent or naive. The loss of democracy turns out not to matter all that much. The hollowed core of civic life brings a kind of relief. Citizens indulge themselves in self-care and the metaverse, where politics turns into a private game and algorithms drive Americans into ever more extreme views that have little relation to reality or relevance to those in power. Theres enough wealth to keep the population content. Americas transformation into Russia is complete.
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kind of seems like we’re in the later scenario
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Wow. You guys are awfully pessimistic.
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I understand that it is easy to fall into that gloom when reading your favored political pundits.
I take solace that I observe human kindness every day. Even among those that are supposed to not line each other based on tribal partisanship.
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I feel like articles like that are written by the opposing party every couple of months.
Only thing more common are all of the stupid articles that start with “No, x…” as if its somehow smarter than all of us
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Well I have been called Pollyanna.
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[link=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/01/peter-meijer-freshman-republican-impeach/620844/]The Atlantic[/link] has a very good profile of freshman Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI), in which he describes what he saw during the Capitol insurrection:
On the House floor, moments before the vote, Meijer approached a member who appeared on the verge of a breakdown. He asked his new colleague if he was okay. The member responded that he was not; that [b]no matter his belief in the legitimacy of the election, he could no longer vote to certify the results, because he feared for his familys safety.[/b]
[b]
[/b]
Said Meijer: Remember, this wasnt a hypothetical. You were casting that vote after seeing with your own two eyes what some of these people are capable of. If theyre willing to come after you inside the U.S. Capitol, what will they do when youre at home with your kids?
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I have full confidence that despite fear, the majority will find the courage to do the right thing. Its happened before thought out the history of this country. It will again and again.
That doesnt discount the sad minority. It just makes democracy work.-
Im not sure about that anymore
When we see the demonization of education and the creation of alternative facts and alternative reality
Well lets just say times are scary
I think the Russians and the Chinese have figured out how to defeat us without firing a shot
America is very very stupid
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you can sent the timer now. 2022 votes are coming down the line. It’s a matter of time before the party of Q is running the congress.
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Quote from Chirorad84
Im not sure about that anymore
I know. dergon and Frumi and others are not either. Maybe there is something good that will come from the fear based pontification. Many people respond well to that sort of thing. If it works to keep Trump out of the GOP nomination I will happily watch and smile.
In the mean time I will continue to work with organizations like nolabels.org The Problem Solvers have shown courage so far.
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[link=https://helenair.com/news/local/former-montana-gov-marc-racicot-warns-republic-is-at-risk/article_4b7dc152-f61f-5f58-aedb-4c5b2888a0ca.html?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_helenaironline]https://helenair.com/news…twitter_helenaironline[/link]
[h1]Former Montana Gov. Marc Racicot warns the American republic is at risk[/h1]
Without accepting, embracing and discharging ones duties as guided by fidelity, it is inevitable that the life of our republic will over time, like grains of sand passing through an hourglass, be at risk.
Racicot {who served as Montana’s attorney general from 1989 to 1993 and as governor from 1993 to 200 and was chair of the Republican National Committee from 2002 until 2003} said the life of this nation is dependent upon everyone taking care of and nurturing democracy daily.
{Racicot previously} sparked headlines in September 2020 when he said during an interview on Yellowstone Public Radio he would vote for Democrat Joe Biden for president, citing character flaws in then-President Donald Trump.
[/QUOTE]
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Hugh Hewitt moderating MN GOP Governor primary debate.
Glad to see him forcing the issue with first question: Did Biden legitimately win the 2020 election?
[link]https://youtu.be/CKWZ4SoTsOo[/link]
(about the 10:15 for answers ….. spoiler alert: none of the answers is even close to “Yes”)
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All of misinformation & disinformation being thrown around without challege. Opening candidate on Hewitts question about, Did Biden win the election, answers, 9,000 more mail-in ballots were returned than were sent out in Maricopa county, AZ? AND, only 282 dead people voted!
Really!
The question was raised on AM about where the GOP has been shown to be anti-Democratic? This is only 1 example.
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[link=https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2021/12/17/rick-perry-pushed-plan-undermine-2020-election-results-cnn-reports/8945451002/]Report: Investigators believe Rick Perry sent text pushing plan to undermine 2020 election[/link]
Members of Congress investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol believe that Rick Perry, former Texas governor and U.S. energy secretary, authored a text message encouraging the Trump administration to direct three GOP-led state legislatures to ignore 2020 election results and deliver their state’s electoral votes to Donald Trump, [link=https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/17/politics/rick-perry-jan-6-text-mark-meadows-nov-4/index.html]according to a report from CNN[/link],which cited three sources familiar with the investigation but did not name them.
The text message was sent to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows one day after the 2020 election, before all legal votes in the nation had been counted and certified. The text promoted an “AGRESSIVE [sic] STRATEGY” that would call into question the election results in at least three states won by President Joe Biden and create a possible constitutional crisis.
The text, released this week in a collection of documents Meadows turned over to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, reads in full:
[b]”HERE’s an AGRESSIVE [sic] STRATEGY: Why can t [sic] the states of GA NC PENN and other R controlled state houses declare this is BS (where conflicts and election not called that night) and just send their own electors to vote and have it go to the SCOTUS.”[/b]
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Quote from dergon
[link=https://helenair.com/news/local/former-montana-gov-marc-racicot-warns-republic-is-at-risk/article_4b7dc152-f61f-5f58-aedb-4c5b2888a0ca.html?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_helenaironline]https://helenair.com/news…twitter_helenaironline[/link]
[h1]Former Montana Gov. Marc Racicot warns the American republic is at risk[/h1]
Without accepting, embracing and discharging ones duties as guided by fidelity, it is inevitable that the life of our republic will over time, like grains of sand passing through an hourglass, be at risk.
Racicot {who served as Montana’s attorney general from 1989 to 1993 and as governor from 1993 to 200 and was chair of the Republican National Committee from 2002 until 2003} said the life of this nation is dependent upon everyone taking care of and nurturing democracy daily.
{Racicot previously} sparked headlines in September 2020 when he said during an interview on Yellowstone Public Radio he would vote for Democrat Joe Biden for president, citing character flaws in then-President Donald Trump.
[/QUOTE]
[link=https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/state-gop-says-former-governor-past-rnc-chair-no-longer-a-republican/article_0729acbf-0579-543a-bcf2-f2ed5ec02128.html]Helena Independent Record[/link]
[h1]State GOP says former governor, past RNC chair no longer a Republican[/h1]
… He has been less than forthright in public by failing to note that he cannot and does not speak in any official capacity for Montana Republicans; that it is recognized that he took action to damage, undercut, and defeat the efforts of the elected officials of the MTGOP and the Republican Party in general, and therefore disqualifies himself by these actions from being considered a Republican, the resolution reads.
The document also attempts to tell media outlets that they should not refer to Racicot as a Republican and that, if they fail to do so, the media outlet be informed that the former Governor has been rebuked by the MTGOP.
The resolution also says central committees in the state and Republicans statewide will be notified of the document, citing the potential irreparable harm actions taken by this high-profile individual may have done or may do in the future to the State of Montana, its citizens, and the Republican Party.
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They feel very sure that SCOTUS is even more in their pockets than in 2000. The strategy seems to be to “elect” or rather install electors who will vote the right way regardless of voter results – just declare it questionable – and have SCOTUS decide.
Where oh where in the Constitution does it say SCOTUS has the responsibility to decide elections?-
I have at least some faith the SCOTUS wouldnt. At this point Trumps appointed judges are slapping him down. The one thing that really sucks is the justice department moves so dang slow on these important things. Just look at the handling of the contempt. Maybe Im wrong because SCOTUS basically dont impose their own philosophy more than law anyway.
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I repeat, where oh where in the Constitution does it say SCOTUS has the responsibility to decide elections?
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Quote from Frumious
They feel very sure that SCOTUS is even more in their pockets than in 2000. The strategy seems to be to “elect” or rather install electors who will vote the right way regardless of voter results – just declare it questionable – and have SCOTUS decide.
Where oh where in the Constitution does it say SCOTUS has the responsibility to decide elections?
Quote from Frumious
I repeat, where oh where in the Constitution does it say SCOTUS has the responsibility to decide elections?
In short, SCOTUS gives themselves the power of review when there are irreconcilable differences unable to worked out through political compromise or when the two branches are locked in disagreement.
In Bush v Gore they made the determination that there was an equal protection argument warranting review.
Should 2024 come around and there is a protracted dispute, I would very much expect the Supreme Court to weigh in.
The problem though, is that this ain’t 2000 no more. In the intervening 20 years public opinion of the court has plummeted, most so over the Trump years. Many Americans now view the justices as political hacks … and they’re pretty much right.
So the probability that a jilted losing presidential candidate does what Gore did in BvG and says “We don’t like it, but we have to accept the ruling of the court? goes down. And even if the candidate does say it, the chance that the base listens is way down too.
So one party just ignores SCOTUS and you wind up with political violence. I could see Biden calling out the military … and Red State national guards pledging their allegiance to DeSantis or whatever GOP governor/ Trump .
Out democracy is in real peril.-
I think my point would be less what the constitution says they can do and more that theyll do it anyway. How many of them claim to be originality but dont at all stick to it.
I take Dergons point too. Theres already state guards who are ignoring the order to get vaccinated. IMO I would strip them of any federal funding and equipment. There is for sure violent rhetoric and actions surrounding politics. See Jan 6.
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I was looking at some recent McConnell remarks about the Jan 6th commission. He seems interested in the findings. Kind of makes me think hes looking towards putting the knife into Trumps back. Revenge beat served cold kind of guy.
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Always interesting for me to read this thread. Lots of doom and gloom. I have much more faith in our elected and non-elected officials doing the right thing. Perhaps I am naive.
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You are naive. The elected officials are the ones who are out loud telling you theyre trying to undermine democracy and take your vote. From trying to get pence to not certify or trying to send their own electors. Or maybe even next time saying your vote doesnt count we in the state will decide for you.
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“The elected officials” telling me this are a minority. Fortunately.
Yes, they tried. They failed. If there was ever an opportunity to “win” that way it was 2020. Didn’t happen. Likely never will. Still it makes sense to stoke fear in people if one is trying to win elections. It would be much better IMO if people ran on the issues instead of trying to convince people how scared they should be of potential evil.
I would like to see congress make some changes to make it clear how our electoral college should act. There are some potential major problems if this is not fixed. Goes both ways though….
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