In December, Bernie Kerik, former NYPD police commisioner and Guiliani associate, were involved in talks about plans to have mass demonstrations all around the country around December 17. Obviously, nothing came of it, perhaps there just weren’t enough soldiers and outraged citizens to do the job. But that’s not the story-it seems that Trump actually considered seizing election machines that delivered unfavorable results to Trump in key swing states.
Under what pretense? Obvious candidates would be the declaring of a national emergency, or invoking the Insurrection Act. But first, you need an insurrection or an emergency. None materialized, leaving the Kerik/Flynn/Guiliani plans on the table. But it’s worth noting that Trump was going to do something monumentally illegal to flip the election.
This story is bad enough. What we should truly be concerned about is the legalization of these tactics by the Republican Party. Across the nation, Republicans are seizing control of the election apparatus, making sure they can do in daylight what they were trying to do in secret.
Democracy has a long climb right now; I am currently short on suggestions on how to resist. As has been the case before, the next election will be decided in the courts. And that may be the only hope we have; that we can get these laws declared invalid before Republicans start calling for do-overs, disallowing votes and mass audits when they don’t like what they’re seeing.
I hate watching Trump skate, but it’s the next generation of Trumpists that worry me a bit more. Trump’s out of power.