How do we maintain our democracy when Repulbicans have given up on democracy and now want authoritarianism? (1 Viewer)

[coldseat]

It's hard to believe how far down the road we've gone towards authoritarianism. Republicans are not even trying to hide anymore. If they are able to recapture control of the House in 2022, I have serious concern about how much longer we'll be able to maintain our democracy. Just look at how far they're willing to go in the article below. How can we stop this speeding train towards authoritarianism and nationalism in the Republican party and get them to defend and support democracy once more?

Their polls found that after the election, a supermajority of Republicans backed Trump's efforts to overturn the results: 86% said his legal challenges were appropriate, 79% said they weren't confident in the national vote tally, and 68% said Trump really won. Another 54% said Trump should never concede, and a plurality said state legislatures should override the popular vote.
This set the stage for Trump, GOP lawmakers, and right-wing media outlets to continue pushing the lie that the election was "rigged," which Trump did yet again in a press release this week.


Additionally, only 34% of Trump voters said they would accept Biden as the legitimate president, according to the post-election polls. That pales in comparison to similar surveys conducted by Gallup after previous controversial elections -- 68% of Al Gore voters in 2000 accepted George W. Bush's legitimacy, and 76% of Hillary Clinton voters in 2016 accepted Trump's as president.
The organization was among the first to raise the alarm last summer about the potential for unprecedented political violence if the 2020 election was disputed -- warnings that became a reality with the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. They released the new polls as part of a series of reports about the manufactured "crisis of confidence" in US elections.

New polls show GOP willingness to subvert 2020 election

New polls released Thursday show just how far Republicans were willing to go to support then-President Donald Trump's unprecedented efforts to subvert the 2020 election.

www.cnn.com

An excellent podcast on how Hungary's democracy has fallen and the similarities between what Orban and his party have done and how Republicans are doing the same thing here in the US.

 

[Optimus Prime]

In my neck of the woods there are plenty. This is made possible by the local citizens that volunteer to work in the polling station (schools). I would go to those counties and recruit the locals to works as volunteers and create more polling stations.

I'd assume that more goes into having a polling station than the people wanting one and having the people to work it

Lack of desire and volunteers isn't why they're being closed

 

[Paul]

I'd assume that more goes into having a polling station than the people wanting one and having the people to work it

Lack of desire and volunteers isn't why they're being closed

Who is the mayor, city council? Just open a school and staff it with volunteers.

 

[CoolBrees]

@Paul -

the polling places and precincts are set by the state legislature, not the municipality; but I am sure you already know that.

 

[bdb13]

In my neck of the woods there are plenty. This is made possible by the local citizens that volunteer to work in the polling station (schools). I would go to those counties and recruit the locals to works as volunteers and create more polling stations.

That is something, but I'm not sure lack of staff is really the main reason why they close polling locations or that it could even be that simple (maybe it could, doubt it though).. I think you have to at least consider that maybe it's not just that people are lazy and/or much less politically involved in a particular area.. but that there are also actions that can be taken with the intent to make it more difficult to cast votes in certain areas.

 

[Paul]

That is something, but I'm not sure lack of staff is really the main reason why they close polling locations or that it could even be that simple (maybe it could, doubt it though).. I think you have to at least consider that maybe it's not just that people are lazy and/or much less politically involved in a particular area.. but that there are also actions that can be taken with the intent to make it more difficult to cast votes in certain areas.

That would only apply if the local government is overwhelmingly Republican.

 

[Paul]

@Paul -

the polling places and precincts are set by the state legislature, not the municipality; but I am sure you already know that.

No I did not
thanks.

 

[CoolBrees]

I meant that sincerely. You come across as knowledgeable and able to articulate your position. I honestly thought you were being coy.

 

[Bigdaddysaints]

I'm pretty sure thats all decided at the state level with the Secretary Of State.

Lack of workers IS NOT a reason. They are not "volunteers" like you are thinking. They pay us to work the polls, and its not pennies..

 

[Paul]

I meant that sincerely. You come across as knowledgeable and able to articulate your position. I honestly thought you were being coy.

I am no expert on this matter. But, I thought local government could take care of the problem.

 

[bdb13]

That would only apply if the local government is overwhelmingly Republican.

No I did not
thanks.

Yeah it was pretty sure it wasn't the local government that was responsible for it.. but being that it is the state legislature and not the local government that's responsible for it (I'm not sure that's the case in every state? @CoolBrees maybe it is) you can probably see how it's plausible that certain areas could be targeted.

 

[nolaspe]

 

[DaveXA]

Considering what we know, this really isn't a surprising outcome.

 

[MT15]

I am no expert on this matter. But, I thought local government could take care of the problem.

If they could, there wouldn’t be the problems we are seeing. The local election board in Fulton County GA (IIRC) fixed up a mobile voting center in a bus or RV of some sort. They did it to help folks who don’t have means to travel to the polls during early voting could more easily vote. I’m not aware there were any allegations of abuse, all regulations for voting were still followed. Yet the new Republican voting bill expressly forbids mobile voting.

 

[Sun Waves]

The Republicans will pay dearly for this error. The minorities will go out and vote in large numbers.

Have the people most likely to live in areas with high crime and failing school systems shown the ability to elect good leaders?

 

[Paul]

Have the people most likely to live in areas with high crime and failing school systems shown the ability to elect good leaders?

No! Cities under the control of POC Democrats for the last five decades have not done well.

 

[wardorican]

I'm just annoyed that I'd have to request a mail in ballot every 2 years, instead of what Florida has allowed for years, which is you can have a multi year request (I forget if 4 years or longer). So, now it's a lot easier for me to forget during a non-presidential year, and have to deal with trying to figure out when I could physically vote. I'm not that likely to forget though, but I'm sure a lot would.

 

[Taurus]

Have the people most likely to live in areas with high crime and failing school systems shown the ability to elect good leaders?

You mean Appalachia? You know, those entire cities that depend on moonshine for income?

 

[Lapaz]

Unless there is some kind of voting rights bill that passes, and somehow eliminates gerrymandering... well not too much will be done. You've already seen the lengths (R) will go to in regards to voter suppression etc

I support the voting rights bills, but it doesn't assure that democracy can be sustained. We need to go further by removing the Justice Department from the Executive Branch. I would make it pseudo independent like the Federal Reserve so that it can be free to pursue the law according to the constitution without fear of being fired by the president. I would also give congress veto power over firings of the head of the FBI and the heads of the major military commands which control our troops. Even those alone won't assure that we sustain democracy, because a majority of people can become convinced that democracy has to end, in which case supermajorities can overturn the constitution.