(Perhaps this belongs in P&E. But it’s a topic likely to provoke anger. I know I’m very unhappy about it.)
Some pundits say it will take decades for America to recover from Trump even if Ds sweep the 2026 and 2028 elections. I worry that Rs will win in November and that the nightmare gets even worse.
Mischief in elections is as American as apple pie. Nixon might have won the 1960 election without malfeasance in Chicago and Texas. Other recent examples abound. But most of the “stolen” elections were close anyway. When an election goes 49-51 instead of 51-49 it’s almost an an exaggeration to say democracy was subverted.
That is NOT what is going to happen in November. Polls are likely to make it clear that the Ds will win, perhaps in a “landslide.” Yet, due to a variety of cheats the Congress seated in January will be controlled by the GOP. The huge scale of blatant cheating will be impossible to ignore.
As one example of likely malfeasance, consider that mail-in ballots pass through the hands of the Trump-controlled Post Office. The Supreme Court MIGHT rule that Trump’s planned postal crimes are illegal, but Trump doesn’t obey court orders anyway. Simply destroying ALL mail-in ballots would be a major swing: Ds (37%) mail-in at half again the rate of R’s (24%), so a 54-46 D victory turns into defeat if mail-ins are not counted. (Note that some states have already started the mail-in process.)
And malfeasance by Post Office and election officials may be more selective: “True the Vote”, “EagleAI NETwork”, and “VoteRef” are examples of past GOP programs to disenfranchise voters specifically likely to vote D. Those programs were largely unsuccessful, but the criminals are much more in control now.
There are many other ways MAGA criminals might swindle in the coming election. ICE may seize and destroy ballot boxes. Just intimidating certain classes of voters can have big effect. I won’t be surprised if, with the support of a Trumpist judge, California’s redistricting is declared illegal. Trump may simply declare martial law and cancel the elections.
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It’s true that Trump isn’t exactly helping the GOP win in November. That’s because he doesn’t want a “Republican” Congress: He wants a Congress controlled by extremists who will comply with his power grab and crimes.
So. What WILL happen when Rs and MAGA retain power in 2027 despite strong voter disapproval? What SHOULD happen? I’m afraid the only suggestions I might offer would be violent and labeled treason.