The unthinkable is upon us
MAGA has plans to take power no matter how the votes are cast in November. They have described how to circumvent the 22nd amendment and keep Mr. Trump in power for life.
I feel the need this week to write something personal.
As everyone knows, I’m optimistic about winning in November, and about the country we will build together going forward. I’ve long written about what it will mean to finally have the world’s first truly multi-racial, multi-faith democracy, where each person counts, and no one group is empowered over all the rest. I’m confident that once we put an end to the politics of division and distraction, we will not only meet our most difficult challenges, but we will also take full advantage of the tremendous opportunities in front of us. It should not go without saying that a true democracy, one that looks like the entire planet in its diversity, is a model for the world and a profound challenge to race based autocracies like China, Hungary, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
I must confess, though, to a deep sadness. I am profoundly distressed at the lost time, energy, talent, money, and will. These in abundance we could be using to move the country forward together, to overcome the challenge of climate change, to build a fairer, cleaner, and more prosperous America. Instead, we must dedicate so much of ourselves to the near-term fight for the survival of our democracy.
If I am being honest, it takes courage to think the unthinkable, even when the unthinkable is upon us. It is now beyond doubt that what I earlier called “the politics of division and distraction” is a tactical effort by an arrogant minority power to impose its dominion on the rest of us. It is part of an end game for our democracy. It only sounds absurd because it is so painful to contemplate.
Mr. Trump’s partisans have detailed their plans to take power no matter how the votes are cast in November. They have described how to circumvent the 22nd amendment and keep Mr. Trump in power for as long as he lives. They have described their mission to impose their will upon the rest of us, in areas as diverse as abortion bans, censorship, and even the version of history to be taught to in school. They even plan to pressure private companies to hire and promote only those who share this mission. Democracy’s biggest enemies- Russia and China- are feeding the disinformation machine to help them succeed. Far from distancing himself from an of these efforts, Mr. Trump embraces them all.
The capture of the Republican party by Mr. Trump and his MAGA movement means one of the two paths to power in America is the political arm of this new-fascist movement. It is important to understand that this victory for autocratic movement was made possible by their earlier wins. It would not have been possible but for the terrible Citizens United decision. Foisted on the country by Justices loyal to this movement, the Court assured the movement would be well and secretly funded.
The autocrats are smart. They are the ones saying our institutions are broken. They are the ones saying elections are fake. They say that to hide their own efforts to corrupt anything and everything that checks their power. They know we will react by holding on to those institutions, even as they poison them. Contemplating all of this is as painful as it is essential.
It will not be enough to stop Mr. Trump now. We have the added burden of making sure the institutions that protect our democracy are strengthened. Just having a Supreme Court, having a Congress, is insufficient. Those institutions must be allowed to function free from the corruption that now infects both. We can learn from history. When Rome fell, its old institutions survived. There was still a Senate. There were still Consuls and Tribunes. There was no emperor, just a “first citizen.” And yet… there was only tyranny.
To see just how much damage they have done, and how fast, just think back to 9-11. On that terrible day, Americans came together. We were all New Yorkers then. Folks from counties that voted overwhelmingly for George Bush wore FDNY hats. Democrats and Republicans sang together on the steps of the Capitol. Together, we improved security and no longer feared airplanes would be weaponized against us. (We did much more, but that’s another story.)
Yet as bad as 9-11 was, it did not pose an existential threat to American democracy. It was a cowardly terrorist act. Today when democracy is attacked, when an actual existential threat is upon us, a majority of Americans still rally to fight back. But we no longer fight together. We could never all be New Yorkers now.
Just last week, a disabled ship took down the Francis Scott Key bridge in Maryland. It was a disaster. Instead of coming together, Fox news looked for ways to blame the White House. Social media was full of racist tropes blaming the accident on DEI. GOP members of Congress are balking at the idea of helping to rebuild the bridge- essential though it is to commerce across the east coast. What should unite is, in this moment, just another chance to pull us apart.
It is all so sad. So exhausting. Sometimes I envy those who pay only partial attention to American politics. The certainty of folks in their MAGA delirium, the complacency of the business-focused who think all politicians are alike, the crusaders who believe their one issue is the only one that matters. I envy those who pay no attention at all. The ones who just want to live their lives, unaware of the ways political decisions shape their choices.
I envy them because they do not bear the great sadness that sits on the shoulders of those of us who see the attack on our democracy and recognize the damage we have sustained.
But none of that lasts. Yes, it is sad. Yes, I sometimes wish I couldn’t see what’s going on. But then I talk with others who see the same thing. And I stand besides still others who are working every day to help our democracy overcome this threat. It is thrilling. We live in a meaningful time. What we do matters. And in 2020 and 2022, and in 2023 where there were elections, voters rejected the MAGA power grab. And still today, despite the damage done, our system of laws, despite the capture of our highest court, is largely holding. In several swing states, there are stronger guardrails to protect election integrity than there were four years ago.
And there’s this: the contrast between Joe Biden and Donald Trump is so clear no amount of fake news can erase their differences. The common decency of one and the uncommon nastiness of the other are everyday on display.
I began by saying I’m an optimist. Let me end by making a prediction. History will envy us. This moment of greatest peril will also be a moment of rebirth. A third birth of freedom for Americans, as significant as the two previous. And as we now look back at the founders and those who carried us through the Civil War, future generations will be in awe of the great American coming together that overcame this challenge and led to a more perfect union.