It’s going to be hard to believe when we look back on this time that these were the golden times. We will not be able to believe that we didn't know how good we had it, or that we didn’t do more to save it when we could have.
But that’s the way it is going to be. Because this is how democracy ends.
Democracy is nothing more than an idea we subscribe to, plus the institutions we build to sustain it. Those institutions only are as strong as the commitment of each succeeding generation to respect and uphold them. They require our constant vigilance.
When Richard Nixon tried to undermine the integrity of our electoral process with his Watergate schemes, and then tried to remain in office despite his crimes, my generation rose up to oppose him and throw him out of office.
Democracy survived.
Today we are suffering from the specter of hundreds of soon-to-be-elected officials from the Republican Party who are election deniers. Either out of true belief (which is scary) or a cynical calculus, they mouth support for Donald Trump’s dangerous lie that the 2020 election was stolen.
After Nov. 8th, just a few days hence, many of them will sit in the statehouses or county offices around the nation that matter most. These imposters will occupy key positions in the seven swing states that will determine the outcome of the next presidential election.
Collectively, they will represent in 2024 the one thing that Trump did not have in 2020 — a cadre of officials willing to cheat their fellow citizens out of their votes. If they do that in 2024, democracy for all intents and purposes will be finished.
Speak out now. Act if you can. Or forever hold your peace.
NEWSLINKS:
Full Transcript of President Biden’s Speech on Democracy (NYT)
In the hunt for voter fraud, Republican door knockers are intimidating residents: officials (Reuters)
Obama heckled in Phoenix, slams toxic politics: ‘Everybody’s yelling (WP)
Obama warns democracy 'may not survive' in Arizona if election deniers win (Politico)
This will be the mother of all American midterm elections (Financial Times)
As Stakes Rise, State Supreme Courts Become Crucial Election Battlegrounds (NYT)
Republicans are pulling away with 54% chance of winning Senate and 85% chance of winning House (538)
Cruz calls out Trump for not spending on Senate candidates (The Hill)
Misinformation and the midterm elections: What to expect (AP)
Big agriculture warns farming must change or risk ‘destroying the planet’ (Guardian)
Fed Makes Fourth Jumbo Rate Increase and Signals More to Come (NYT)
Bank of England sets biggest rate hike in 33 years and warns of a long recession (CNN)
Tesla's first European factory needs more water to expand. Drought stands in its way (NPR)
Workers Can Now Use 401(k) Savings to Buy Cryptocurrency (WSJ)
Russian attacks were reported across large areas of Ukraine (Reuters)
Despite ‘Ban’ on Opium, Afghanistan’s Poppy Crop Is Growing (FP)
Glaciers in Yosemite and Africa will disappear by 2050, U.N. warns (WP)
Delhi's 20 million residents were effectively breathing smoke as the air quality index breached the "severe" and "hazardous" categories (Reuters)
Scientists discover largest gas cloud in space that's 20 times bigger than the Milky Way (Space.com)
Dozens of species were assumed to be mute — until they were recorded making sounds (NPR)
Christian monastery possibly pre-dating Islam found in UAE (AP)
Woman Not So Lactose Intolerant When Boyfriend Out Of Town (The Onion)
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