It’s hard for anyone to sound the alarm about an upcoming potential coup without sounding like an alarmist, but writers in the next issue of The Atlantic are doing just that.
Pulitzer Prize-journalist Barton Gellman with “Trump’s Next Coup Has Already Begun,” and National Book Award winner George Packer with “Are We Doomed?” lay out the case that Trump is poised for another Presidential run in 2024 and once again claim victory, regardless of the results, just as he did last year.
Trump lost the 2020 election and he’d probably lose again in 2024, but this time around, his party has eliminated the Constitutional barriers to reversing the result at the local level in key swing states.
Our democracy was saved in January 2021 when a handful of ethical county election officials in several of those states refused to bow to Trump’s pressure to decertify the legitimate results; and Vice-President Mike Pence, in perhaps the only principled moment of his career, refused to subvert the Electoral College vote.
It was only by the actions of these few Republican officials, therefore, that Trump’s first attempt at a coup ended in failure.
Still, there is something so strange and fantastical about talking about a “coup” in America that it’s difficult for me to use the word. But our election processes are vulnerable to subversion and that is exactly what Trump and his allies appear to be planning to do the next time around.
This wouldn’t be happening if not for the proliferation of disinformation promulgated by conspiracy theorists, i.e., that the 2020 election was “stolen” by Biden. That is a lie, of course, but it is by repeating such lies loudly and incessantly that the authoritarian forces have been able to seize power throughout history.
What can an honest, responsible citizen do about this? For now, perhaps our only option is to speak out — as loudly and repeatedly as possible.
Staying silent is not an option. Because not speaking out is choosing to stand by and allow American democracy to pass into the dustbin of history — on our watch.
I, for one, cannot and will not do that.
TUESDAY’S HEADLINES:
Seven days: Following Trump’s coronavirus trail — From the day of his first positive test until his hospitalization last year, the former president came in contact with more than 500 people in proximity to him or at crowded events, according to a Washington Post analysis. (WP)
A Party, and Nation, in Crisis — The GOP’s leaders are attempting to destroy the foundations of American democracy. (Atlantic)
Inside the growing alliance between anti-vaccine activists and pro-Trump Republicans (NPR)
Rep. Devin Nunes to leave Congress to become Trump media company CEO (WP)
Trump’s Next Coup Has Already Begun — January 6 was practice. Donald Trump’s GOP is much better positioned to subvert the next election. (Atlantic)
Are We Doomed? — To head off the next insurrection, we’ll need to practice envisioning the worst. (Atlantic)
Justice Dept. sues Texas over new voting maps, saying they discriminate against Latinos (WP)
Police fired teargas and used water cannons to disperse protesters pelting officers with cobblestones and fireworks as a demonstration in Brussels over government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions turned violent. (Reuters)
Trump Ally Sidney Powell’s nonprofit raised $14 million spreading falsehoods(WP)
Dr. Anthony Fauci said "the signals are a bit encouraging" that the new omicron variant of the coronavirus doesn't have "a great degree of severity to it." But he and other health officials continued to urge Americans to remain vigilant and get vaccinated due to the variant's complexity in mutations. [HuffPost]
U.S. coronavirus cases top 100,000 daily as delta remains dominant (WP)
Next pandemic could be more lethal than COVID, vaccine creator says (Reuters)
An examination of COVID-related American death data showed that the most strongly Republican counties had an October death rate six times higher than that of the most strongly Democratic, NPR reported. The single biggest factor in the difference was "misinformation" about COVID-19, which was linked to lower vaccination rates. [HuffPost]
Pandemic stress weighs heavily on Gen Z: AP-NORC, MTV poll (AP)
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has spread to about one-third of U.S. states, but the Delta version remains the majority of COVID-19 infections as cases rise nationwide, U.S. health officials said. (Reuters)
CNN fired anchor Chris Cuomo over the weekend, less than a week after documents revealed he was more involved than he previously revealed in helping his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, respond to sexual harassment allegations. Chris Cuomo also denied a new sexual misconduct allegation made against him. [HuffPost]
‘This is a disaster.’: Severity of learning lost to the pandemic comes into focus(Politico)
VIDEO: Pope Francis Criticizes an ‘Era of Walls and Barbed Wire’ for Migrants(AP)
China Increasingly Obscures True State of Its Economy to Outsiders (WSJ)
President Joe Biden is set to announce a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing sometime this week amid ongoing criticism over the country’s human rights abuses, according to multiple reports. The move would mean athletes could compete as normal, but no American officials would attend the games. [HuffPost]
China attacks potential US diplomatic boycott of Olympics (AP)
French far-right presidential candidate Eric Zemmour promised a "reconquest" against decades of decline at his first political rally, as scuffles with anti-racism protesters broke out on its fringes. With echoes of Donald Trump's first campaign for U.S. president, Zemmour promised to slash immigration and taxes to cheers from flag-waving supporters. (Reuters)
An Afghan family tried for months to flee to California. Their journey has stalled — Less than half a percent of applications from Afghan nationals who have applied to resettle in the U.S. are accepted. (SFC)
Russia said it was reinforcing its military base in Tajikistan with 30 new tanks and that its forces at the facility had carried out exercises with missile defence systems, highlighting Moscow's concern about turmoil in Afghanistan. (Reuters)
All coral reefs in western Indian Ocean ‘at high risk of collapse in next 50 years’ (Guardian)
California consumes half the oil from the Amazon rainforest. (NBC News)
Myanmar sentences Aung San Suu Kyi to four years in prison (WP)
Fortress Europe: the millions spent on military-grade tech to deter refugees(Guardian)
Michigan Is Playoff Bound and Life Will Never Be the Same (WSJ)
Every Ingredient In Recipe Substituted To Avoid Trip To Store (The Onion)
TUESDAY’S LYRICS
“Someday We'll Be Together”
Songwriters: Bristol Johnny William / Fuqua Harvey / Beavers Robert L
I say it, say it, say it, say it again
(Someday, we'll be together)
Oh, yeah, oh, yeah
You're far away from me my love
And just as sure my, my baby
As there are stars above
I wanna say, wanna say, wanna say
Yes we will, yes we will
(Say, someday, we'll be together) Some sweet day
I know, I know, I know, I know
My love is yours, baby
Oh, right from the start
You, you, you possess my soul now, honey
And I know, I know you own my heart
And I wanna say
Some sweet day
Oh, yes we will, yes we will
(Someday, we'll be together) Tell everybody
Yes we will, yes we will
Long time ago, my, my sweet thing
I made a big mistake, honey
I, I, I say, I said, goodbye
Oh, oh, baby, ever, ever, ever
Ever, ever and ever since that day
All I wanna do, all I wanna do was cry, cry, oh
Hey, hey, hey
I long for you every, every night
Ooh, just to kiss your sweet, sweet lips, baby
Hold you ever, ever so tight
And I wanna say
Someday we'll be together
Yes we will, yes we will
Someday we'll be together
Yes we will, yes we will
Someday we'll be together
Someday we'll be together
Yes we will, yes we will
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