The Second Republican Coup Is Already Underway
The Republican Party is currently in the process of executing a second coup attempt to gain full control of the federal government through undemocratic means. This coup is based around Republican state legislators abusing their power to rig future elections for their party, allowing them to gain seats regardless of their popularity with the public. Cornerstones of their election cheating strategy include extreme partisan gerrymandering, voter suppression, and refusing to certify election results.
Though this coordinated undemocratic plot is one born of desperation, it is not in the slightest bound for failure. If nothing major is done, Republicans will very likely succeed in seizing power through these methods in the coming years. Republicans are not divided and confused, they are united against free and fair elections. Their current actions are an attack on American democracy no different than the capital assault of January 6th. A coup is a coup, whether its participants wear viking helmets or suits and ties.
Not since the Civil War have we seen such a large-scale assault on the democratic function of our government. Once Republicans gain full control of the federal government, they will lock in their minority rule by further warping election law in their favor. At this point it will no longer be possible for Democrats to win federal majorities despite representing far more of the population. If the second Republican coup succeeds we will be living under permanent Fascist rule with no electoral path out of this situation.
Our institutions will not save US democracy
Democrats in congress will not save us from the second Republican coup. We had a slim chance at averting this crisis through actions such as passing voting rights legislation, expanding the supreme court (which may otherwise deem any new voting rights legislation that passes unconstitutional), and adding DC as a state. However conservative Democrats such as Joe Manchin have shattered all hopes of these efforts succeeding through their relentless obstruction. Even if some watered down voting rights legislation is eventually passed, it will almost certainly be insufficient on its own.
Corporations will not save us from the second Republican coup. Every political action by big businesses is a profit motivated strategic decision. We saw how quickly the corporations which claimed they would stop funding Republicans who denied the presidential election results after January 6th went back on their promises. Putting our democracy entirely in the hands of corporations would be an extremely dangerous move even if these companies had the will to defend it, which they do not.
The courts will not save us from the second Republican coup. Our nation's highest court has already been captured by Republican appointees who have already begun declaring their party’s undemocratic electoral coup to be entirely legal. Repeated appointments of these anti-democracy partisan judges by politicians representing only a minority of American voters has greatly diminished the legitimacy of the Supreme Court, which now stands as a boldly anti-democratic institution.
Federal law enforcement will not save us from the second Republican coup. This coup will be an entirely legal one from a technical standpoint as it is based around Republicans abusing their power to warp electoral law in their favor. Agencies such as the FBI and DHS which not long ago occupied the streets of Portland, Oregon on behalf of Donald Trump will almost certainly side with the Republicans in power.
The military will not save us from the second Republican coup. As with federal law enforcement, they are unlikely to prevent a coup which is technically legal. If anything those in power would attempt to deploy the armed forces against their domestic enemies, though this would likely cause mass defection and disobedience. For this reason, Republicans will likely to hesitate to use such a tactic for quite a while.
Other countries will not save us from the second Republican coup. The United States simply holds too much economic and military power for any other large country to make a substantial stand against our government. Though other governments may be of some help if put under enough pressure, they alone cannot be relied on.
Only we can save US democracy
Only we can save us from the second Republican coup. During the Trump years we saw the guardrails of American democracy bend and break one by one. The checks and balances we initially had so much faith in only barely managed to prevent Trump’s first coup from succeeding. We will not be so lucky the second time. No longer being able to take back control of an illegitimately occupied federal government through electoral means does not mean that this cannot be done at all. It is important to stop talking as if the now likely scenario of cemented Republican minority rule would simply be the end of American democracy.
Though it is tempting to, because what lies beyond this point is frightening. However the future that awaits us and our descendants if we do nothing as a Fascist party takes hold of our country is horrific beyond imagination. It will be up to every American to decide what democracy means to them, and what they are willing to sacrifice to resist tyranny. Have you ever wondered what you would have done had you lived in Germany as the Nazi party was rising to power? Now we are in a similar position, and the collective response of Americans to this crisis will shape the future of our country and the world.
No matter how bad things get, never give up hope that a better future is possible. Though the prospect of forcing an illegitimate Fascist party from power in the United States may seem daunting, never before have we had more knowledge on strategies of anti-authoritarian political resistance than we do today. Victory in this struggle will not be easy or swift, but it is possible. In the next article we will delve into what a functional mass movement for democracy may look like from a strategic standpoint and how you might be able to get involved.
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