As we look back to the attack on the Capitol in Washington by forces loyal to the outgoing President, we see clear reminders of the Civil War—including the astonishing sight of an attacker parading through the Capitol rotunda with a large Confederate flag! And we need to see what that attack really was–an attempt to overthrow our American government by force and chicanery. Trump and his minions were trying to get Vice President Pence to bypass the will of the voters and throw the election into the House of Representatives, where each state would have one vote, and Republicans—holding a majority in state legislatures—could choose the Republican, Trump.
Thankfully, Vice President Pence, pressured to declare the electoral college vote invalid, temporarily found his courage or integrity and stopped the actual “steal” that Mr. Trump wanted—with some among the insurrectionists yelling, “Hang Mike Pence,” and carrying a scaffold!
Unfortunately, Mr. Trump and his forces are planning another effort in 2024. He’s likely to lose the popular vote again. In fact, Republicans have only won the popular vote once since 1988. But, if Republican states can change the way votes are counted, or certified—or who gets to vote in the first place—they may be able to piece together a “win.” Or prevent an electoral college majority for the Democratic candidate and throw the election to the House, where—partly because of gerrymandering—Republicans are most likely to hold a majority.
And the forces that Mr. Trump represents—beyond his own ego—are led by white, southern, rural, Christian-in-name- only men, who fear they are losing power to people different from them. Nor is this their first attempt in our lifetimes to secure power by questionable means. In 1948, Southern Democrats, like Strom Thurmond, who later became Republicans—kept President Truman’s name off the ballot in several Southern states. In ’68, Richard Nixon interfered in Viet Nam peace talks to keep that war going, giving him the edge to defeat Vice President Humphrey. In ’72 President Nixon’s agents burgled the Democratic National Committee. In 1980, Reagan’s supporters collaborated with Iranian leaders to hold American hostages until Reagan’s inaugural, helping him beat Carter. In 2000, a variety of actions were taken in Florida, where George Bush’s brother was governor, to confuse the vote count long enough to get the Supreme Court to throw the election to Bush.
Since the 1920’s, Republicans have worked mostly for big business, and they can rarely win fair elections where voters are informed. So they have sometimes tried to win by limiting the vote and controlling the messages. President Reagan’s Federal Communications Commission ended the “fairness doctrine” on electronic media, giving communications power to those with the most money. Reagan’s administration also stacked the National Labor Relations Board against unions and weakened their role in political communication.
We’ve never been a democracy, with everyone getting an equal vote, but we’ve had a republic, where electors, not heredity or brute force determine our leadership. That republic is now in great danger, again. An encouraging sign is the number of Republicans following the lead of Liz Cheney and others to disavow the totalitarian tactics of Mr. Trump and his supporters. Ultimately, responsible Republicans and “woke” Democrats—along with 3rdparty folks who support Democratic ideas generally–hold the key to restoring our system of responsible politics—and saving our republic. We’re going to need all hands on deck to get through this neo-fascist storm!
Jack Burgess is a retired history teacher and columnist who’s also worked in Republican & Democratic campaigns. He’s served as Executive Director of the Columbus Education Assn. & Chief of Arbitration Services in the Celeste Administration.