Foundational Cracks
AJ Robinson

I remember, years ago, a documentary on the United States. Its concern was how the Constitution was the foundation on which our nation was built. Well, it’s clear to me that a massive crack has appeared in that fine old foundation and I’m not sure we can fix it.

Where we stand.

Let’s review the scorecard on where we stand. First, the Republicans torpedoed a commission to investigate the 1/6 insurrection. Now, stop and consider for a moment what that means.

Our Capitol was stormed by an angry mob hell-bent on killing any members of Congress they could find, especially Vice-President Pence. Yet, the Republicans, many of whom were the targets of those traitors and quakes in fear during the attack, now want nothing to do with learning the truth. So, clearly, they’re more afraid of Trump and his minions.

Item two: in states across the country Republicans are enacting all manner of voter suppression laws to keep people from voting to keep the wrong people from voting; wrong meaning anyone who won’t vote for them. Some of those same states are looking at doing re-counts, such as in Arizona; counts done by still more Trump minions.

Anyone seeing a pattern emerging here? Right now, the Democrats have control of Congress, barely: an advantage of four in the House and one in the Senate. Yet, they can’t seem to pass anything of significance because of the filibuster, and they won’t do anything to abolish it. Why?

Fear and not merely fear that the Republicans will do the same when they get control of the Senate. After all, they’ve already done that. If the filibuster is removed as an impediment to action those same Democrats will have to vote on some tough issues; they don’t want to do that. So, clinging to the filibuster gives them an out, an excuse for their lack of action.

Issues for the midterms.

This will lead to item three: issues for the midterms. With the Democrats not passing any major legislation, what record are they going to run on in 2022? Oh, they’ll say that they tried and that the republicans blocked them, but that won’t help.

No, the republicans will make the election about Mr Potato Head, Dr. Seuss and transgender athletes. They’ll whip their base into a frenzy and between voter apathy on the part of the democrats and the new anti-voting laws, the republicans will sweep into power. They’ll take back both the House and Senate, and that’ll be that.

No bills will be passed. They’ll launch investigations into the 2020 election, the Biden Administration and the entire Biden family. Trump will take credit for all of it.

That final point is the dangerous one. Once the republicans are firmly in control of Congress Trump will hit the campaign trail and really push to be the candidate in 2024. He’ll also be the de facto Speaker of the House as McCarthy is a spineless sycophant.

Between 2022 and the 2024 presidential election, the republicans will go full throttle on crushing democracy. More laws will be passed to curtail voting or giving the legislatures of the states, most of which are run by them, the power to decide elections.

Couple that with a House and Senate in Trump’s pocket. Thus, the next Electoral College vote certification will go quite differently than in the past. Trump will be made president in 2024.

It sounds too terrible to contemplate or believe. I see it as the logical outcome of where we are headed. It’s sad that no one seems willing to fight to stop it.

Most Republicans think that’s how the elections should turn out. I see one hope for us: the criminal investigations of Trump and his cohorts. If he can be indicted and maybe put on trial, getting locked up would be even better, then we might have a small chance of averting disaster.

Equal to the task.

It seems we have a rough couple of years ahead of us. I wonder if America and Americans are we equal to the challenge? There was a time when I would have said yes without hesitation. Today, no, I’m sorry, I don’t have that much confidence in our nation. Sad, very sad.