You could almost hear a collective sigh of relief among many when Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 election. That seems a long time ago now.
Trump and his supporters were quick to claim election fraud and launched court challenges, recounts, and audits. Not one has revealed any problems with the election, but that doesn’t matter, because the aim has been to show Trump’s power and to sow doubt in the election process.
At the same time, election officials who defied Trump’s demands to change the vote count are being hounded from office. And as many as 16 Republican state legislatures are passing bills that limit the power of election officials and even transfer authority on election certification to the state legislatures.
This is a recipe for chaos and could lead to more violence — and to a party that has rigged the system to get into power and then found ways to stay there.
There is little doubt that Trump is planning to run for president in 2024. Underestimating him in 2016 was a mistake and shouldn’t happen again. He has a cult-like following and almost complete control of the Republican Party.
Almost complete. Now is the time for the Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the January 6 riot to find their voices and join Democrats to stop this slide to authoritarian rule. Congress must pass a voting rights bill. And it’s time for all of us to get off the side lines and back into the game.
I’m Deborah Booth and that’s my perspective.
