He must be stopped
If the election was held today, President Trump would lose. National polls have him down by eight points, and Joe Biden mostly leads in the battleground states. But it doesn’t matter because Trump has a Plan B.
The president has been sowing seeds of doubt about the integrity of the upcoming election. Every day he promotes chaos and complains that mail-in ballots will lead to voter fraud, rigging the election against him, despite any evidence of widespread voter fraud and histories of successful mail-in balloting in several states. Neither the Trump-appointed voter fraud commission nor his own FBI director found any evidence for the narrative Trump is pushing.
And Trump’s ominous response regarding the peaceful transfer of power following the election? “We’re going to have to see what happens.”
The Constitution specifies that each state, through its legislature, will appoint electors who vote in that state for president and send those results to Congress — the process we call the Electoral College. The Constitution does not specify how these electors are chosen. All states currently choose electors by popular vote within their state. By challenging the validity of state elections, Trump hopes to create a justification for state legislatures to appoint electors directly, nullifying the will of the people. Conveniently, eight of nine swing states have Republican legislatures. These undemocratically appointed electors could drag Trump over the 270-vote finish line needed for an Electoral College victory.
Alternatively, Congress could challenge the standing of competing slates of state electors and dismiss them altogether, creating the possibility that no candidate receives 270 votes. If this happened, Congress would directly elect the president with each state getting one vote; currently 26 states have Republican majorities. Trump could be re-elected undemocratically, unethically, but legally (thanks to Fareed Zakaria, Tom Rogers and Tim Woods for the analysis).
Thinking people should be concerned. Authoritarian leaders frequently wrest control of government through “legal,” but undemocratic means. For modern examples, look no further than Vladimir Putin of Russia and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.
Other hallmarks of authoritarian leaders include these five characteristics:
1. Authoritarian leaders overvalue loyalty and try to marginalize or eliminate political opponents. The list of prominent leaders who worked closely with Trump but resigned after judging him too incompetent, demanding of loyalty and otherwise unfit for office is long: Gen. James Mattis, Gen. John Kelly, Gen. H.R. McMaster, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, former Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer, former coronavirus taskforce senior adviser Olivia Troye, former Chief of Staff for Homeland Security Miles Taylor and former National Security Advisers John Bolton and Dan Coats.
How many times has this president attacked the independence of judges or accused political rivals of treason? Trump’s dehumanization of rivals was epitomized by his May 28 retweet: “the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat.”
2. Authoritarian leaders use government forces against their own people. Remember the violent clearing of peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square using tear gas for a photo-op at St. John’s Church? Remember images of forces donning military fatigues snatching Portland protesters off the street and into unmarked vans? Unlike the U.S. military which has rules of engagement preventing attacks on American citizens, a ragtag collection of the Federal Protective Service, ICE, Border Patrol and deputized civilians could be summoned by the president and his accommodating cabinet secretaries to provoke conflict then impose “order.” Attorney General William Barr declaring American cities “anarchist jurisdictions” sets the stage for such violence.
3. Authoritarian leaders denigrate and attempt to limit the press, relying instead on propaganda outlets. Have we ever seen a president so hostile toward the media, so frequently invoke “fake news” to avoid accountability, so brazenly work his propaganda outlets, or proclaim the media “enemy of the people”?
4. Authoritarian leaders find scapegoats to take the blame. A sampling of Trump’s greatest hits: Immigrants are taking American jobs; China is responsible for the COVID-19 debacle; and angry Black people are responsible for crime in the cities and deteriorating suburbs.
5. Authoritarians silence scientists and experts who, like the media, challenge propaganda with facts. During the COVID-19 crisis, Trump marginalized and dismissed the best medical scientists in the world when they clashed with his political intentions.
After four years, we know this president. He is dangerously authoritarian, and he must be stopped.