Our Democracy was Tested…
Our democracy has been tested. It has been tested and prevailed. This time…
As of this writing, Joe Biden has been sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. Since election day, we have seen an unprecedented assault on our constitution. Having the election challenged is not what makes it unprecedented. What makes it unprecedented is the manner in which it was challenged. Outside of the courtrooms, in the court of public opinion. The undeniable aspect that makes this challenge historic, is the fact that it was created, endorsed, and hammered into the public’s view by our sitting president while holding the highest office in the land. This challenge (scheme) was promoted through the press and social media outlets for months and even years before the election. Promoted by the man himself, his political supporters in office, fringe conspiracy theory, white supremacy and militia groups.
Over the weeks that passed since the November 3rd election, we watched the challenge playbook unfold as the process moved from one chapter to the next.
In a never seen before fashion, we watched as staged hearings were coordinated in key battleground states. Hearings that were scripted and designed to misinform the public with one sided information. To what end?
On the surface it would seem it was to garner support to have various states throw out votes the losers deemed illegal. Perhaps that was the goal. Perhaps it was to prolong the losing side’s relevance in an effort to continue fundraising for the losers and their party. As of now, we’ll never know what the true motivation may have been.
Hearings ended, states certified their votes despite these staged and scripted efforts to misinform.
Electoral votes were cast across the country amidst calls to Stop the Steal and outright threats of violence against those civil servants just doing their not highly paid jobs.
State legislatures were called upon to invoke special sessions to re-slate their electors due to what surely must be fraudulent election results. None of the states in play took this action.
All of these activities were occurring against the backdrop of dozens of lawsuits being filed by the losers and being dismissed by the courts. The losers would have you believe none of their evidence was being reviewed by the courts. Senate hearings were called that involved republican senators such as Ron Johnson and Josh Hawley. They paraded republican sympathetic witnesses in their Senate chamber to continue to make the case that the election was fraudulent and stolen. Ken Starr made an appearance to convey in his ever calm tone how all these things were in question.
The state of Texas took it upon themselves to solicit the Supreme Court of the United States and sue the other battleground states and ask for their results to be overturned because they didn’t do it right. This suit was spearheaded by Missouri’s AG Eric Schmitt and joined by over a dozen other AGs from other states. It was also later joined by Josh Hawley of Missouri as well as over 100+ Republican members of the House of Representatives. All these government officials who took an oath of their office, signed on to a suit asking the will of millions of voters to be overturned in one decision by SCOTUS. As expected, this suit was also dismissed. The fact that it was filed and joined by so many in public service should not be forgotten.
And if that wasn’t enough, surely Congress’s certification of the electoral votes on Jan 6th would seal the deal. A mostly ceremonial event that usually goes unnoticed by the general public. What could possibly go wrong?
Again we see Josh Hawley’s name along with Ted Cruz in statements that they will be providing Sentate support for electoral vote objections. Not all that unprecedented of a move and within their rights to do. Under different circumstances perhaps. Their reasoning for objecting was based solely on the LIE that the election was fraudulent. A fact that was not upheld by any court. We learned of their plans to object days before the Jan 6th Session where this would occur. In parallel to these activities was a plan to bring all the loser’s supporters to Washington to rally around the loser and show their support. Although, that was not the tone for the variety of speakers at the rally. They rally goers were urged to fight to take their country back, have trial by combat, be strong and fight or lose their country forever. And finally, to march on the capitol and make sure it doesn’t happen. While Congress is in session by the way.
These same crowds had also been previously convinced that our sitting Vice President somehow had the authority to save the day for them and wave is VP wand and declare their loser as the winner. They were convinced through days and weeks of constant media bombardment that this was somehow a valid scenario within our constitutional framework. It is not.
Well, and as most of us know, when the mob found out their VP savior wasn’t going to save the day, they got angry. The rest of the day is very well documented.
BUT after calm and safety was restored to the capitol, Congress certified the electoral votes as our constitution requires. Some of the congressional members had a change of heart after seeing the results of what a years long misinformation campaign can inspire people to do. Some did not. Our friends Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz stood fast and have been wearing out the soles of their shoes pivoting and pivoting again trying to justify their actions.
Under what was also unprecedented security and no crowds, the 46th President was inaugurated as dictated by our constituion.
One of the real tragedies in this historic saga is that so many Americans allowed themselves to be convinced these lies were true. I don’t blame all those people individually. It’s the unfortunate nature of our current society. Americans entrenched in their own lanes of news and information that suits their point of view. There is no single source of truth for any American to turn to for honest facts about anything. However, that doesn’t mean the facts aren’t out there. It takes work sometimes to find them, but they can be found. How do we inspire millions of Americans to not take the media sound bites as gospel. How do we get them inspired to research and read information from unbiased sources and come to their own conclusions based on unbiased information? I don’t have that answer. It’s a dialogue I’d love to see happening in this country.
Democracy doesn’t run on autopilot. It survived a historic challenge in this time. History cannot let how this happened be forgotten. In another time with a more popular President, at a time of greater weakness in our country, our democracy may not survive.
It’s incumbent on all Americans to guard our democracy, from all enemies, both foreign AND domestic.