The Wall Street Journal article from 3 days ago:
No One Is Looking Forward to the 2024 Presidential Election - WSJ
Painted a dismal picture of voter energy in regard to next year's critical general election. The piece even went so far as to refer to it as the election of dread - which in itself is mind boggling. How could it be an election of "dread" in the final bastion of democracy in the world, and in which all may be at stake (i.e. in losing it ) if Trump and his henchmen and traitors manage to grab power again?
A lot of causes can be named but the most important appears to be an endemic voter "fatigue", to which I also attach a "political event fatigue". Between Trump's facing federal charges, and Biden's puzzling continued low polling numbers, too many have "had it" and just want to bail out. Sit this one out. Or, as one voter interviewed put it: "Fast forward to the end"
But none of these are any kind of rational option and trigger memories of the 1932-33 German elections in which a majority became fed up with the chaos and upheaval, political division and rancor. They simply decided actually getting out to vote wasn't worth the trouble. Hitler was a bombastic clown, and most fellow citizens would see it so it wouldn't matter if they personally didn't go to the polls.
They were wrong. Way wrong.
The faction that was energized to get out to vote mainly wanted a "strong man" in power, and saw Adolf Hitler as that person. They were tired of the pitched street battles between Nazis and socialists-communists and believed Hitler the most likely to stop them. The German industrialists, capitalists believed the same and especially wanted the communist influence to be doused once and for all - so they threw their support behind Hitler- believing in any case they'd be able to manage him. They were also wrong.
The end effect was the minority, high energy voting faction - which saw Hitler at most maybe getting 30- 36 percent of the vote - was enough for him to eventually prevail. In his book The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler, 1973, Robert Payne provides the electoral results 'snapshot' of two consecutive elections in 1932(cf. p. 239):
The final results of the poll of March 13, 1932 were:Hindenburg 18,651,497 (49.6%)
Hitler 11,339,446 (30.1%)
Thaelmann 4, 983,341 (13.2%)
Deusterberg 2, 557,729 (6.8 %)
By (German) law the President needed to have an absolute majority, so Hindenburgs's failure by 0.4 percent meant that a new election had to be called.
The figures for the new election held on April 10, 1932 were:
Hindenburg 19,359,983 (53.0%)
Hitler 13,418,547 (36.8%)
Thaelmann 3 706,759 (10.2%)
Now it is true that too many will see such comparisons as hysterical or histrionic but they also would be wrong, and reveal themselves deficient in their knowledge of history. We already know, thanks to the terrific scholarship of Prof. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, that Trump poses an authoritarian threat every bit as dire as Hitler. Those who have difficulty accepting that need to see her MSNBC interview:
In her interview with Ali Velshi (watch video in link above) she notes his use of victimhood and extending that trope to his followers, i.e.
"These people believe they need to protect him. They see him as oh so vulnerable. And there's this 'weaponization' of government that supports it when Trump says Biden's Justice Department is out to get him.. That's why I believe the GOP is an autocratic cult operating in a democracy. They have talking points just like the Kremlin does and we've seen them use the same language. Jim Jordan even has a sham subcommittee, you know anything to prevent exposing them and their complicity. So Trump has all his greatest hits and that's what his adoring audience expects of him and that's how propaganda works."
Indeed the Germans I met in Bielefeld in 1985, including former Wehrmacht soldiers, also saw it with Hitler. In his case, he insisted he was the victim of an "international Jewish conspiracy" that was intent on destroying not just him but Germany. Ultimately, he identified himself with the German Fatherland and also in his followers' minds - which helped to mesmerize them. In Trump's spiel the DOJ and "deranged psycho" Jack Smith is not only coming after him but his followers, i.e. when he yapped: "They're coming after you and I am just standing in their way."
This is dangerous rhetoric and echoes what Prof. Ben-Ghiat warned about in her book: Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present
This is one book we need all those blase voters to read. In particular those like one Democrat (Barbara Curry, 83) cited in the WSJ piece:
"She planned to vote for Biden,
but with a distinct lack of fervor. She said that, 2½ years in, she has seen no
benefits from his presidency: “I don’t see any difference that he has made.”
This itself is incomprehensible. What about the bipartisan infrastructure bill - which also has components for lowering Medicare drug costs? What about the Chips bill which will prevent a shortage of semi-conductors that affected auto prices two years ago? What about the sheer return to blessed sanity - with no more bombardment by Trump tweet - some fifteen times a day? Is the lady aware at all or wasn't she paying any attention in the wake of Biden's inauguration? If she is emblematic of voter inattention malaise we are in deep doo-doo. Then we read this quote from another voter (Jodi Johnson, 62):
“So much anger, so much
divisiveness has gone on. Nothing’s
going to be smoothed over. It just has to settle down.”
But what did she expect in the wake of Trump's 4 tumultuous, traitorous years, his daily Twitter tirades, attacking group after group with his lies. Oh and leaving one party in the throes of MAGA mania and delusion? Most worrisome, we read:
"The danger for the ultimate
nominees is that the sense of malaise that voters feel now could translate into
a lack of enthusiasm at the polls in November 2024, when turnout could be a major
factor in deciding the winner."
But note, the danger is not just to the nominees (we actually need the danger to Trump's reelection chances!) but to the entire nation. That is should malaise and disinterest scuttle voter participation and lead to Trump's election by default - or by third party influence. (I.e. from the "No Labels" faction.)
Prof. Ruth Ben Ghiat said it all, "He will never leave, and claim total power'.
Nor will he be quiet and magnanimous in any victory. No, he will then use the machinery of government against all perceived enemies and turn this nation into a molten ash pile. Do the sleepwalkers truly want that outcome? As LA Times Jackie Calmes noted in her column yesterday (p. A3):
"What remains perhaps the single most compelling argument for Trump's unfitness for the presidency is his cruelty. His willingness to use people for his own ends, regardless of the peril for them and their families."
I would also add to that his perverse willingness to lie and use the country for his own destructive ends. To wit, to pull it all down in one inferno with him - as Hitler did to Weimar Germany.
The only bulwark against that occurring appears to be enough sane and energized voters, once again (as in 2020). Those who hoped justice might take this dangerous reprobate out of circulation will be disappointed to know that an actual trial may now be after next year's elections - and may not happen at all if the orange pestilence wins. Don't look to his own party either. As Ruth Ben-Ghiat notes they are merely an authoritarian cult operating in a democracy. After reframing the valid federal prosecution as "unfair political persecution" they merit no more quarter than Trump. These are the refuse that will destroy this country if allowed to, and hopefully sluggard voters realize that before it's too late.
In the ideal world and universe we all get to vote for our ideal candidates in national elections. The young(-er) and the beautiful and/or the brilliant, charismatic and energetic. In other times we don't for a variety of reasons and confounding factors (polarization, propaganda by authoritarian cults). In which case we have to live with what we've got, but if we're grown ups we can't make excuses for not voting. Rather, we suck it up like big boys and girls and make the best determination of who will advance the nation's interests and go with it.
In this case, the determination isn't even close. And it shouldn't be like "pulling teeth".
See Also:
by Robert Reich | June 19, 2023 - 6:40am | permalink
by Thom Hartmann | June 20, 2023 - 6:13am | permalink
Excerpt:
The GOP is increasingly clear about their goal: Make America Russia, or at least Russia’s mini-me, Hungary. They are openly embracing a modern, westernized, Christian white supremacy-based version of classic fascism.
And the MAGAT Republicans have a three-step process to bring it about that they’re already putting into place.
They’re willing to put enormous time and resources into the project, because they know that once fascism fully seizes a nation it’s extremely difficult to dislodge it.
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