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RED MIRAGES AND RED WAVES
Election Day has begun. Yes, it’s officially on Tuesday, November 8th, but millions of Americans have already cast their ballots, and millions more will in the next two weeks. (If you need information on your registration status, skip on over to vote.org.) As the pressure grows, the conventional wisdom has shifted from, “It’s too close to call,” to “Republicans are going to clean up on Election Night.”
While I’m in the former camp, the shift in tone matters emotionally, practically, and politically. Yes, it may be a rough night for the pro-democracy forces, but that doesn’t mean it will. Panic will lead to discouragement which will lead us exactly to the outcome much of this country don’t want or need.
Politically, we should not underestimate the utility of this narrative for the #UltraMAGA GOP. If November 8th, turns out not to be a wave but another “red mirage” Republican candidates, many of whom have said they won’t accept an outcome they don’t like, will declare the election stolen and invalid.
We have to remember that most of the party leadership, and too many Republican voters are unmoored from reality, and have seen little-to-no sanction for their anti-democratic words and deeds up to now. Their threats of violence are trending from implicit to explicit and we will see more of the kind of intimidation already occurring at drop boxes in states such as Arizona.
When a party lies about everything, they can match any outcome to suit their next set of lies. And because they lie with impunity, you can’t shame them. They are post-shame, post-democracy, post-decency. Their words will lead to deeds, some of them violent, should Republicans in force, starting with Donald Trump, once again declare the whole system rigged.
In the aftermath of 2020, we saw how close a country can come to sliding into autocracy. Many of those Republicans who didn’t cross the line for Trump then, might now. After all, what’s wrong with humoring them, a little? Everything. There is everything wrong with humoring people who wage nativist, nationalist campaigns and then allowing one inch of leeway when they’re defeated.
What can we do?
First, let’s do all we can to ensure that pro-democracy candidates don’t just win, but win by such margins that even the kookiest Republican loser can’t say the race was rigged. For most campaigns, their last ad buys are made, their mail is ordered and waiting to drop, and the last debates have been held. Now it’s up to the ground game – to those millions of volunteers who will spend their fall afternoons knocking on doors, texting their neighbors, and ensuring every available voter is getting to the polls.
You can and must do you part. These races are winnable. And we must win as many as we can. Together, we’ll make sure that every pro-democracy candidate has the votes they need to win and help steer America back toward a path of democracy, decency and truth.
— REED GALEN
Twitter: @ReedGalen[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]