Trump back, on a mission to stifle votes
While we would never say the political world has been quiet, one noticeable voice had been in recent weeks.
Former President Donald Trump was silent for more than a month, muted by social media platforms that banned him following his constant lies about election fraud.
The political landscape seemed a bit more normal, undisturbed by his toxic rhetoric. All that changed Sunday when he spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Unchastened by his defeat or the insurrection that followed, Trump was as brazen and hostile as ever, doubling down on the Big Lie that Joe Biden won the presidential election because of widespread cheating.
More stunning than the false statements was how enthusiastically the Republicans in the audience cheered him on, giving him a standing ovation as he bathed in the adulation.
“They should be ashamed of themselves for what they’ve done to our country,” Trump said, blaming the U.S. Supreme Court for failing to undo the election result. “(It) didn’t have the guts or the courage to do anything about it.”
And so the rhetorical assault on our democracy continues, foreshadowing high stakes in 2022 and possibly 2024.
What Trump refused to mention was the court refused to act because there was nothing to act on. The ex-president and his attorneys filed about 60 lawsuits claiming election fraud — claims shot down by judge after judge, including Trump appointees. No matter; the allegations continued, louder and shriller than ever.
Trump cannot undo his presidential defeat, but he is trying to make sure that subsequent elections provide more favorable results for his party. How? By undermining the very democracy he claims to uphold. Rhetoric that has inspired proposed voter restriction laws in many states, including Texas. Calling it “voter reform,” Trump is trying to corrupt the voting process that booted him out of office. He seeks to make voting harder, not easier, by enacting strict registration procedures and vote-by-mail opportunities. These draconian measures would hit minority voters the hardest. “We must pass comprehensive election reforms, and we must do it now,” he said. “The Republicans have to do something about it. They better do something about it.”
If the CPAC speech proved anything, it was that the Big Lie of voter fraud persists and the Republican Party very much remains the party of Trump.
The Supreme Court is hearing a case that will test the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most important civil rights laws in our history. The case originated in Arizona, where critics alleged that state officials perverted the act, weakened by the court in 2013, to limit minority voting. Officials claim the measures enhance voting rights by limiting “multiple voters.”
The court is expected to issue a ruling by the summer. With uncertainty surrounding the future of the Voting Rights Act, lawmakers must pass the For the People Act in the House and Senate, designed to protect voter rights. It would curb voting restrictions and mandate nonpartisan redistricting commissions.
The voting rights battle reflects the stranglehold Trump maintains on the party. We enjoyed a month of peace and silence, dominated by Biden’s sound governance, unblemished by nativism and self-aggrandizement. The respite, it appears, was just that — a break, a recess, nothing more. Trump hinted, strongly, at his intention to run again in 2024. He said he needed help from Republican colleagues. It was code for his agenda to destroy voter protections.
“And then a Republican will make a triumphant return to the White House,” he said at the conference. “And I wonder who that will be.”
If the voters choose to reinstall him, fine. But it would be a tragedy if he wins because voting rights were neutered. America would hardly be great again.