Did We Just Save Democracy?

[babylonsister]

https://prospect.org/politics/did-we-just-save-democracy/

The American Prospect
Did We Just Save Democracy?
The 2022 midterms were stunning as much for what didn’t happen as for what did.
by Robert Kuttner
November 11, 2022


Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, takes the stage at an election night party in Pittsburgh, early Wednesday morning, November 9, 2022.


We had a very narrow path to saving American democracy this year, and we just might have begun that journey. For starters, it’s likely that Democrats will hold the Senate. Catherine Cortez Masto seems on track to eke out a narrow win in Nevada once all ballots are counted. That success, along with the almost certain victory of Democrat Mark Kelly in Arizona, means that Democrats are likely to keep 50 Senate seats whether or not Raphael Warnock wins the December 6 runoff in Georgia.

So even if Democrats very narrowly lose the House, Biden will have a Senate that can confirm nominees, conduct investigations, and block crazy Republican legislation. And if it’s clear that Democrats have kept control even without the Georgia seat, that is likely to depress Republican turnout more than Democratic turnout when Georgians vote. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, an anti-Trump Republican, cruised to re-election, and we can expect an honest vote count.

More remarkably, the anticipated Trumpian claims of election fraud, as well as Republican attempts to use it to their advantage, totally fizzled. Trump’s calls were widely ignored. Almost everywhere, it was a normal election.

Efforts at voter intimidation at polling places were blocked. With a few exceptions, even conservative courts refused to connive with Republican strategies to deter or depress voting.

snip//

Tuesday proved that America is still a democracy. We are going to have to keep fighting like hell to keep it that way.

[Blue Owl]

1. I hope so...

If only we could get rid of the real cancer -- FOX News and their ilk -- they will continue to poison the well and work to destroy our democracy from the inside...

[Walleye]

2. That's what I said,whew the United States is not over after all

[Tanuki]

3. Special thanks to all the young people who voted blue! So proud

that you represent our future!

Link to tweet

[SheltieLover]

4. Hold the vision of a huge Blue tsunami as if it is already history!

[nycbos]

5. We have to do it again in two years.

[kansasobama]

6. No we have not quite saved democracy

I think about 150 election deniers won. Even if it is a GOP member, they need to, at least, lose to a GOP member who supports democracy. If Kari Lake wins, there is enough of a seed, a strong one, for the danger to continue. And, yes, young voters have to come out every two years including the off-years. It is not just about abortion.

[wnylib]

10. We made good progress in this year's battle,

but the war to save democracy continues.

It is an ongoing fight in each election and each generation.

[lees1975]

7. Key phrase--"Keep Fighting like hell to keep it that way"

These insurrectionists and treasonous fascists are still there. Republicans still have to deal with what happens to their election chances if they stand up to them and take back their party and it's sad that they've been brainwashed to think party loyalty is more important than Patriotism, which isn't the same thing.

There were election deniers and Trump fascists in charge of elections and of drawing congressional districts. In Texas, the redrawing didn't yield the predicted 5 more Republicans that were expected, I think the gain was 1. But Florida deliberately gerrymandered minorities out of seat opportunities. Instead of charging in there, shrieking about voter fraud, those who have the power to do so, Democrats in Florida, need to exercise their legal options to see if the sudden Republican landside had root causes other than just everybody liking the governor. They had a strong Democrat in Val Demings, going up against a sniveling, immature flip flopper in Marco Rubio. It's worth looking into.

[Midnight Writer]

8. We won a battle, but we haven't won the war.

Democracy will always be at risk.

In my opinion, the biggest danger right now is megalomaniac billionaires who want to be worshipped as gods.

[NullTuples]

9. We postponed it's possible demise for two years.

If the GOP gains control of the House, as one journalist put it, "there will be a sh*tshow from now until election day 2024. Nothing else will get done and it will be a continual circus".