On Wednesday, Senate Republicans voted against an amendment to a bill offered by Patrick Leahy that would have provided $250 Million to states in emergency funding to assist in strengthening defense of the entire voting infrastructure. The lone Republican to vote to defend democracy was Bob Corker of Tennessee. The justifications for denying the money lacked a basic acknowledgment of the threat to our way of life as well as any sense of urgency. From The Hill:
Republicans argue more funding isn’t needed and that states haven’t yet spent the $380 million previously approved by Congress. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said it was “far too early” for the Senate to sign off on more money. “We don’t know how the first $380 million has even been spent, and the intelligence committee did an extensive research on how much money was needed and the $380 million amount was what was needed for the moment,” he said.
If the threat were a “classic” military threat (I say “classic” because the primary conspirator in the 2016 election was the Russian military), the Republicans would have passed whatever amount was requested. If the threat extended to the stock exchange or if our ability to protect corporate property rights across the globe were threatened, the Republicans would have held hearings long ago and would be willing to spend “whatever it takes” to protect “American interests.”
But, the only thing at stake was the integrity of the vote, and Republicans have spent the last 10 years attacking the “vote” element of our democratic republic. Republicans are “party over country” in every issue, they will definitely be “party over country” with respect to an issue that does nothing but make it more difficult for Russia or Saudi, or whomever, to assist Republicans in the 2018 elections.
Republicans will NEVER commit to protecting the vote. First, many who call themselves conservatives are quite authoritarian by nature, many would gladly hand over their voting decisions to their “pastor,” “husband,” “Fox analyst” or “Trump, MAGA!” Self-government always sounded “off” to those people anyway. Second, Republican politicians have always been in a fundamental bind, they must convince a large number of people to vote for the platform matching a “trans-national CEO, .1%.” For a long time, the Republicans simply used race as a “higher interest” to align their voters with Wall Street. Their voter may not get the programs he/she needs, but they’re assured that black people and immigrants will have it worse. That was good enough.
But, increasingly, even that strategy is doomed to fail as the country increasingly becomes “minority-majority.” The “values” of the Evangelical right and the Heritage Foundation do not mesh well with the average young “American.” Thus, left with fewer ways to “win” elections, Republicans have sought to make voting more difficult, increase corporate political power, and make elections “mean less” by denying certain Supreme Court nominees if they happen to fall to the wrong party.
When I say “Republican” – think Mitch McConnell, not Donald Trump. Trump is not a real republican. Real Republicans, like Mitch McConnell, have one over-arching priority; corporate profits and the privatizing of corporate profit to the right people. Thus, putting “party first” is another means of saying “putting business profit first.” Increasingly, corporations do not have much of a national character, they are nations unto themselves and do business across the globe. The Kochs and their ilk function in corporate form whether in Kansas or Kuwait. Exxon wrote out its own treaties with Russia. That is why it should not surprise you that McConnell will sell out any traditional norm in the Senate, all for pitiful short-term gain. That’s how businesses act, the bottom line is the bottom line. There may once have been a time when international threats led even Wall Street to believe that there should be a “America First,” ethos, even if it frustrated them in the Senate, respecting tradition. No more.
For a long time, I used to joke that Republicans had information about an asteroid heading toward Earth that will destroy the planet in 2036 and only a few of the most prepared will live. That explained why Republicans gave up all the old “Senate Rules that forced the majority to work with the minority,” in favor of governing by 50 votes plus Pence. It was the only explanation for such reckless behavior.
Obviously, asteroids play no roll in how McConnell has played his tenure in the Senate. Lately, it has become increasingly apparent to me that the Republicans have given up on even the idea of governing by majority through appealing to a majority. Instead, they are seeking to maximize power that doesn’t require a vote, and change what it means to “vote” and have an election. Their primary focus, such a central focus they stole a seat, is governing through the Supreme Court.but also continuing to stretch the bounds of gerrymandering, voter suppression, and coordinating the RW media to function as the “commercials” needed. Did you note that only a miraculous vote of conscience by Chief Justice Roberts saved Obamacare? (The ACA was so clearly constitutional it was a joke that the vote was 5-4, and I still believe Roberts knew it would be the most naked political decision since Bush v. Gore, and he didn’t want his name associated with it.). If the Republicans have their Federalist Society SCOTUS, they don’t need to worry about universal healthcare being passe by Congress and a popular Dem president – they’ll get their Court to kill it. Repubs know they represent an increasingly narrow “constituent” base (the top 10 donors) and they have no interest in “democracy” or strengthening the vote, or the interests of the “majority” of Americans.
I will just toss out a list of buzzwords/topics, you can see the pattern: Bush v. Gore, Citizen’s United, Hobby Lobby, Voter ID, SCOTUS overturning sections of the Voting Rights Act, McConnell refuses Garland, no more 60 vote requirement in Senate, Republican politician support of Trump despite obvious issues, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, Kennedy “negotiating with the White House” about stepping down, Kris Kobach voting commission, Mueller finds Russians hacked an election software firm, “pre-existing conditions case” coming to the SCOTUS, Russian money in the NRA and to Republican pols, neither the House or Senate under Republican leadership set up a committee to look into election security – despite an act of war, an attempt (at the very least) to manipulate ballots.
It is just a partial, off the top of my head, list of “signs” that point in one direction. Republicans have given up on appealing to a majority of Americans. Instead, they want it extremely hard to vote. They will gerrymander through an apartment building. They will rule with an iron fist, the “no compromise” rule McConnell instituted for Obama will remain.They will also use their behind the scenes network to get as many issues as possible in front of the SCOTUS (wait until the SCOTUS takes us back to pre-New Deal days by saying the Federal Government cannot regulate healthcare). Trump is not a Republican but he’ll do what they tell him to do and nominate who they tell him to nominate. So, they will protect him, lest people start believing all this Mueller stuff. Trump is a fascist, but Republicans weren’t for representative government, either. They will live with each other.
The other thing? They damn sure won’t write a check for $250 Million that could only help states monitor procedures in the months leading to the election, all the ensure a safer, more fair, vote. No no no, Republicans want as much room to work as possible, even if it means that they are – in effect – saying; “We want it possible for Putin to hack 2018, because otherwise Democrats may win, and we’re all better off being partially ruled by Putin than being partially ruled by Democrats.
That’s the other thing about Republicans. They hate us far more than they hate Russians, or the Chinese, or North Koreans, for that matter. Democrats are with the “media” as “enemies” (a word Trump often invokes, but he was late to it since Mitch McConnell declared Democrats enemies when Obama won by refusing all compromise). If cheating kept Hillary Clinton out of the White House, even cheating that involved our greatest adversary, one that can do lasting damage to this country, it will still be considered “good” that it happened, and thus even if “technically a crime” should not be punished because it was “needed.” Your average Republican voter surely believes this, and your average House Republican does, too. The scary thing is that I think that Orinn Hatch and Mitch McConnell might both believe it, too – and they are old enough and smart enough to know they’re wrong.
