To democratize our way of life, we need 'democratic contempt' for the spoils of white power

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.editorialboard.com/to-democratize-our-way-of-life-we-need-democratic-contempt-for-the-spoils-of-white-power/


The House passed Wednesday an upgrade of the old Electoral Count Act in an effort to prevent another criminal president from staging another attempt at a procedural coup. The Senate has its own version with sufficient sponsors among the Republicans. All signs point to reconciliation before the measure goes to the president.

Nine House Republicans were for the bill. All the others were against it. Their rationale appears to be that if Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney is for something, as she was for this legislation, then the Republican conference is against it – out of spite for her high-impact role on the committee investigating Donald Trump’s attempted coup.

In another time and place, voting for a bill that protects democracy from democracy’s enemies – anti-democrats – would be easy, as easy as voting for an anti-crime bill. No member of Congress wants to be seen on the other side, looking like they’re pro-crime. Voting for an anti-crime bill is a twofer. You can look tough while paying nothing.

The same should have been the case for this pro-democracy bill. But as Jonathan Bernstein said Thursday, even mainstream Republicans (so-called, I’d say) are as extreme as the Republicans on the margins, including, as Bernstein quipped, “Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson and Mark Levin and the other leaders of the Republican Party.”

*snip*

[TheRealNorth]

1. No surprise

Of course the Republicans are not going to vote for something that would stop them from stealing the 2024 election if their candidates loses.

[crickets]

2. K&R for visibility.

[Hortensis]

3. What's happening on the right goes far, far, FAR beyond mere white male greed

for wealth and power. We're in the middle of an attempted religio-fascist coup, currently with the trumpist mob's Orange Jesus fronting for the other extremist power blocs behind it, including the religious right.

So best to prioritize saving our nation from them.

There are big lessons from Germany and Russia on where we are. Both fell to their versions of "trumpist" populist revolutions. One ended with a RW fascist dictator, the other with a supposedly LW union of socialist states but in reality just as murderously authoritarian and destructive as fascist Germany's. The wealthy classes of both were unable to control the populist mobs, and those who survived the resulting national holocausts mostly did it by sending what they could out of country.

Most of our wealthy are appalled and afraid of the trumpist populism they also mistakenly thought they could control, especially since the mob hostility is turning against the wealthy as well. Right now they fear existential threats to continuation of their classes from both sides, but in the past craziness has scared them less than the prospect that the need to contain extremism could cause a rational bipartisan mainstream majority to form. One that would come together to start taxing their classes into the oblivion they came from and restore sensible regulation of business.

So we're not going after the ultrawealthy big time right now (just passing some needed measures requiring them to pay more of their "share" ), because stabilizing and protecting us from fascist takeover is more important right now. They know that doesn't mean never. Please see House Speaker Pelosi's quote below.