This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/08/americas-descent-into-total-oligarchy-was-stopped-for-now

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
America's descent into total oligarchy was stopped. For now America's descent into total oligarchy has been stopped. For now
(about 5 hours later)
American democracy just got some breathing room. Democrats took control of the House of Representatives on Tuesday night, where they can put a check on runaway President Donald Trump and the compliant Republican Congress. Had this not happened, America’s descent into oligarchy was imminent. American democracy just got some breathing room. Democrats took control of the House of Representatives on Tuesday night, where they can put a check on runaway Donald Trump and the compliant Republican Congress. Had this not happened, America’s descent into oligarchy was imminent.
But the election is only a stay; it is not the triumph of American democracy. But the election is only a stay. It is not the triumph of American democracy.
It could have been. Tuesday night’s blue wave was a popular tsunami. Despite voter suppression in states like Georgia, Democrats still won by 7.1% popular margin. Unfortunately, because of the process of gerrymandering, by which Republicans have cut extreme districts that favor themselves, Democrats will pick up only 27 seats despite their popular strength. The majority of voters –  by a large margin – rejects the Republican party, but the party has rigged the system so it retains power. It could have been. Tuesday night’s blue wave was a popular tsunami. Despite voter suppression in states like Georgia, Democrats still won by 7.1% popular margin. Unfortunately, because of gerrymandering, by which Republicans have cut extreme districts that favor themselves, Democrats will pick up only 27 seats despite their popular strength. A majority of voters – by a large margin – rejects the Republican party, but the party has rigged the system to retain power.
Republicans are unpopular enough, though, that voters have turned the House to the Democrats, who now control the House committees charged with oversight of President Trump and his administration. Democratic leaders have already said they will demand the tax returns that Trump has steadfastly refused to release. They will undoubtedly also launch investigations into the corruption scandals surrounding administration officials such as Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and investigate the October 2017 attack in Niger which left 4 Americans dead (the same number killed at Benghazi, which prompted a Republican House to investigate for more than two years). Republicans are unpopular enough, though, that voters have turned the House to the Democrats, who now control the House committees charged with oversight of President Trump and his administration. Democratic leaders have already said they will demand the tax returns that Trump has steadfastly refused to release. They will undoubtedly also launch investigations into the corruption scandals surrounding administration officials such as interior secretary Ryan Zinke and commerce secretary Wilbur Ross, and investigate the October 2017 attack in Niger which left four Americans dead (the same number killed at Benghazi, which prompted a Republican House to investigate for more than two years).
More than that, though, the Democratic House will stand up to Trump’s effort to undermine Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Russian interference in the 2016 election, and any crimes associated with that interference. Mueller has stayed in the shadows lately, likely waiting for the midterms to pass, but with them behind us, we expect to hear more from him very soon. The Mueller investigation has already netted guilty pleas from four of Trump’s top advisors, and Trump’s frantic tweets on the subject suggest that he is worried that he and his children will be connected to obstruction, collusion, and/or financial crimes. His wildly careening press conference the day after the election, followed by his abrupt firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, suggests that he feels the walls closing in. More than that, though, the Democratic House will stand up to Trump’s effort to undermine Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Russian interference in the 2016 election, and any crimes associated with that interference. Mueller has stayed in the shadows lately, likely waiting for the midterms to pass, but with them behind us, we expect to hear more from him very soon. The Mueller investigation has already netted guilty pleas from four of Trump’s top advisers, and Trump’s frantic tweets on the subject suggest that he is worried that he and his children will be connected to obstruction, collusion, and/or financial crimes. His wildly careening press conference the day after the election, followed by his abrupt firing of Jeff Sessions, suggests that he feels the walls closing in.
The loss of the House has made Trump desperate. He has been bolstering his cult-like base during the midterm campaign, egging it on with tales of a “caravan” of terrorists menacing the border, telling his supporters that Democrats are “arsonists” and “socialists” who cannot be trusted, and attacking the media, sowing lies and confusion at a frenetic pace.The loss of the House has made Trump desperate. He has been bolstering his cult-like base during the midterm campaign, egging it on with tales of a “caravan” of terrorists menacing the border, telling his supporters that Democrats are “arsonists” and “socialists” who cannot be trusted, and attacking the media, sowing lies and confusion at a frenetic pace.
His rallies over the last few weeks have seemed to urge his supporters to violence as he doubled down on racism and nationalism. That rhetoric scored some big wins on Tuesday, as Republicans echoing Trump held on to important seats in Texas and Florida. White supremacist Steve King won reelection in Iowa, and Montana voters reelected Greg Gianforte, who garnered Trump’s approval when he assaulted a journalist. We can expect Trump to escalate his rhetoric, and Republican leaders who owe their election to similar rhetoric, to echo him.
The Republican party cannot afford to lose power, but it is facing a popular wave against it. And there is every sign that wave will grow. Voters on Tuesday adopted a number of measures to expand the vote to those currently disfranchised. Florida will permit about 1.5 million ex-felons to vote (Trump won Florida by about 100,000 votes); Michigan, Colorado, and Missouri will reform their redistricting systems; and voters gave Democrats control of the Supreme Court of the heavily gerrymandered North Carolina. Kansas voters threw voter suppression guru Kris Kobach out of office, Brian Kemp’s suppression of votes in Georgia has attracted national disgust, and widespread anger over broken voting machines bodes well for reform of the voting systems that disproportionately disfranchise Democrats.
The Republican party cannot afford to lose power, but it is facing a popular wave against itThe Republican party cannot afford to lose power, but it is facing a popular wave against it
His rallies over the last few weeks have seemed to urge his supporters to violence as he doubled down on racism and nationalism. That rhetoric scored some big wins on Tuesday, as Republicans echoing Trump held on to important seats in Texas and Florida. White supremacist Steve King won reelection in Iowa, and Montana voters reelected Greg Gianforte, who garnered Trump’s approval when he assaulted a journalist. We can expect Trump to escalate his rhetoric, and Republican leaders who owe their election to similar rhetoric, to echo him.
The Republican party cannot afford to lose power, but it is facing a popular wave against it. And there is every sign that wave will grow. Voters on Tuesday adopted a number of measures to expand the vote to those currently disfranchised. Florida will permit about 1.5 million ex-felons to vote (Trump won Florida by about 100,000 votes); Michigan, Colorado, and Missouri will reform their redistricting systems; and voters gave Democrats control of the supreme court of the heavily gerrymandered North Carolina. Kansas voters threw voter suppression guru Kris Kobach out of office, Brian Kemp’s suppression of votes in Georgia has attracted national disgust, and widespread anger over broken voting machines bodes well for reform of the voting systems that disproportionately disfranchise Democrats.
Republicans are a shrinking minority ruling an increasingly angry majority that not only wants to change the Republican policies that are moving wealth upward, but also threatens to hold Republican leaders accountable to the law. In this situation, Republican leaders are acting precisely as Democratic slave owners did before the civil war, when they saw a growing majority turn against them. As then, leaders are packing the courts as fast as they possibly can to try to rig the laws in their favor, and they are trying to retain power by tearing Americans in two and setting them at each other’s throats. And today, as they did in the 1850s, some Americans are falling for it, and they are angry, and they are armed. Already, we are losing countrymen to their murderous hate.Republicans are a shrinking minority ruling an increasingly angry majority that not only wants to change the Republican policies that are moving wealth upward, but also threatens to hold Republican leaders accountable to the law. In this situation, Republican leaders are acting precisely as Democratic slave owners did before the civil war, when they saw a growing majority turn against them. As then, leaders are packing the courts as fast as they possibly can to try to rig the laws in their favor, and they are trying to retain power by tearing Americans in two and setting them at each other’s throats. And today, as they did in the 1850s, some Americans are falling for it, and they are angry, and they are armed. Already, we are losing countrymen to their murderous hate.
But in the 1850s, these same conditions led a majority of Americans to reject that divisive hatred and to stand for the rule of law under the guidance of the majority. They elected leaders who reclaimed the American government “of the people, by the people, for the people.” Until Tuesday, many of us have seen the signs of rising oligarchy in America and worried that that our fellow citizens would ignore it until it was too late to stop. Now, it seems, we have woken up just in time to make the next few years a full-out contest for the survival of American democracy.But in the 1850s, these same conditions led a majority of Americans to reject that divisive hatred and to stand for the rule of law under the guidance of the majority. They elected leaders who reclaimed the American government “of the people, by the people, for the people.” Until Tuesday, many of us have seen the signs of rising oligarchy in America and worried that that our fellow citizens would ignore it until it was too late to stop. Now, it seems, we have woken up just in time to make the next few years a full-out contest for the survival of American democracy.
Heather Cox Richardson is professor of ​history at Boston CollegeHeather Cox Richardson is professor of ​history at Boston College
Heather Cox Richardson is professor of ​history at Boston CollegeHeather Cox Richardson is professor of ​history at Boston College
US midterms 2018US midterms 2018
OpinionOpinion
commentcomment
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on Google+Share on Google+
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content