For my final post before Tuesday’s election, I turn over most of the space to two of my preferred publications: The New York Times and The Atlantic — with a listing of ultra-worthy articles published in the last couple of days.
I will spare you citations to articles that cover predictions as to who will win on Tuesday. We’ll know that soon enough (and I remain optimistic that Harris will prevail).
Rather, I focus here on a plethora of articles that assess the current state of our country as it sits on the verge of this most consequential of elections — with an emphasis on the unique dangers that Trump represents.
If this election were a jury trial, the case against Trump would be overwhelming. He’d be convicted on all counts. However, the final result is instead dependent on the court of public opinion — which has a different standard. If you are somehow still undecided here — and seek assistance in these last hours — read even a small selection of the following columns. The answers you seek will become very clear.
From The New York Times
There Will Always Be a Trump. That’s Only Part of the Problem:
“I’m writing those words in the context of a presidential contest that already represents a national failure. Even if Kamala Harris wins on Tuesday, there should be relief, not lasting joy. The United States will have come within an eyelash of electing a man who tried to overturn an election to cling to power.”
Donald Trump Is Done With Checks and Balances:
“Most Americans have lived only in a world where democracy was secure, where democracy was assumed. On Tuesday we’ll decide if we want to stay in that world or leave it behind.”
What I Truly Expect if an Unconstrained Trump Retakes Power
I’ve Covered Authoritarians Abroad. Now I Fear One at Home
Will Democracy Ever Not Be on the Ballot?
There’s Something Very Different About Harris vs. Trump
and an Editorial Board statement that sums it all up:
You already know Donald Trump. He is unfit to lead. Watch him. Listen to those who know him best. He tried to subvert an election and remains a threat to democracy. He helped overturn Roe, with terrible consequences. Mr. Trump’s corruption and lawlessness go beyond elections: It’s his whole ethos. He lies without limit. If he’s re-elected, the G.O.P. won’t restrain him. Mr. Trump will use the government to go after opponents. He will pursue a cruel policy of mass deportations. He will wreak havoc on the poor, the middle class and employers. Another Trump term will damage the climate, shatter alliances and strengthen autocrats. Americans should demand better. Vote.
Of course, even if Harris wins on Tuesday, the battle will not be over. We will have have to contend with the inevitable Trump counter-attack: false claims of fraud and stolen elections, echoing what happened in 2020 — but with much greater preparation this time:
Trump, Preparing to Challenge the Results, Puts His 2020 Playbook Into Action
Monitors, Once Meant to Prevent Election Fraud, Now Seek to Prove It
The Army of Election Officials Ready to Reject the Vote
And from The Atlantic
“Donald trump’s presidency was mitigated by his ignorance, idleness, and vanity. Trump did not know how the office worked. He did not invest any effort to learn. He wasted much of his time watching daytime television.
Defeat in 2020—and Trump’s plot to overturn that defeat—gave him a purpose: vengeance on those who bested him.
A second Trump presidency will have a much clearer agenda than the first. No more James Mattis to restrain him, no more John Kelly to chide him, no more Rex Tillerson to call him a ‘fucking moron.’ He will have only sycophants.”
The Unique Danger of a Trumpist Oligarchy
and
How Republicans in Congress Could Try to Steal the Election
A personal postscript
I have claimed Trump is a fascist. I have said he is a threat to our democracy. Both are true.
But to clarify: When I say Trump is a fascist, I mean that, based on his past behavior and his own words during this campaign, I believe autocratic control is his goal. People like Putin are his idols; that’s who he aspires to be; a dictator. And I believe he will seriously attempt to achieve those goals. As The New York Times succinctly put it: When he says he will do things like prosecute his enemies and use soldiers against citizens, “Believe him.”
But do I believe he would end democracy within his first weeks of taking office? Of course not. Democracy will not instantly die if Trump wins. It will be more like a gradual erosion until the transition is at some point completed. So what about over the longer haul? Will Trump be successful in his autocratic aspirations before his term ends in four years? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
But that’s not the sole criteria by which we should judge the danger a Trump victory represents. Even if things never go quite that far, we are far from out of the woods.
What also matters is what Trump, explicitly or implicitly, will attempt to do. And how far he will actually succeed. And how much negative impact that will have on our daily lives. Do we really want a country where the survival of freedom and democracy requires a constant fight against the efforts of a President determined to undermine them? Where each dawn we awaken with a fear of what the coming hours will bring — with a President who will keep testing and retesting our willingness to tolerate his abuses? Is that what we want for our future — even if some form of democracy ultimately prevails? It is questions like these that most of the articles cited above (as well as my own prior posts here) attempt to address.
Whatever happens next is up to you, the voter. If the worst happens, don’t say you weren’t warned.