Blogpost # M.16 POLITICAL MYOPIA (pliny editorial)Sad experience often teaches us that facile decisions or solutions to problems, made in times of stress or frustration, all too often run the imminent risk of effectively exacerbating the problem. The mainstream, loyal American, in understandable apprehension of the extant (MAGA) threat to American democracy, has variously sought solutions to such threat. We have, in prior writings, suggested that all aspirants for the Presidency be, initially and mandatorily, vetted by an impartial board to screen out Trump-like, anti-democratic candidates; thus, preventing their harmful election by America’s unfortunately, large population of the misguided and populist horde. Regrettably, it is too late to implement said solution since the nightmarish Trump has already been designated as a Presidential candidate.
We would be eternally grateful to learn of any proposed solution that would if implemented, serve to protect and preserve our Democratic Republic. However, this writing is specifically dedicated to the considered restraint of a popular and doubtlessly, well-intentioned, but precariously flawed solution.
The universal dread of mainstream Americans, simply stated, is that the coming Presidential election might result in a populist re-election of the proven and declared autocrat and acknowledged enemy of democracy, the immoral and ego-centric, Donald J. Trump. The demonstrated behavior of Trump, in his one term of office and his public declarations, leave little doubt of his intention to replace our unique democracy, for which many have sacrificed life and health to preserve, with the institution of a fascist autocracy. The cause for panic is, regarding this occasion, empirically rational. Because of worrisome poll numbers indicating only tepid support for President Joe Biden, compared with the huge MAGA cult support for the autocratic and felonious miscreant, Trump, the disquietude of the mainstream American is inarguably realistic, even palpable.
In the dense fog of such anxiety, a solution has been proposed to the effect that an acceptable third-party candidate might be interposed (nominated) who would predictably support a democratic republic; let us say, for example, Gavin Newsome or Liz Chaney. This suggested solution may be well-intentioned, but it is, in reality, myopic and dangerous.
In this context, we need to initially consider America’s (unjust and undemocratic) institution of the Electoral College. Although a popular vote would be significant in ensuring that each vote counted equally and thus, result in a truly representative, democratic nation, we are constitutionally hobbled by an archaic, non-democratic vestigial organ, “The Electoral College.” It is an undeniable fact that it is not the voters who select the President and Vice-President, but the Electors.
This outmoded and undemocratically archaic system affords each State the number of electors, equal to its total number of U.S. Senators and Representatives (total of 528) who select the winners. The voter, in truth, casts his ballot for his party’s State Elector, and not directly for the candidate. The winning Electors choose the President and Vice-President [remember 1/6/21!].
It is puzzling and distressing that the current poll numbers, do not seem to reflect the notably successful performance of President Biden. A sample of his accomplishments would include, his Covid-9 policies, managing and greatly ameliorating the dire effects of the pandemic (following the criminal negligence and mishandling of the problem by Trump, the latter, irresponsibly causing, upwards of one million, avoidable deaths), the lowering of inflation and unemployment, the increase in thousands of jobs, the lowering of prices for medicine, such as insulin, the reduction in oppressive college and professional school indebtedness, the shepherding of a substantial and much-need national infrastructure bill, the wise and competent handling of the Ukraine and Israeli Wars, the appointment of capable cabinet secretaries (as contrasted with Trump’s selection of incapable sycophants) and his compassionate regard for immigrant refugees and the downtrodden in general.
The horrendous and bizarre one-term, twice-impeached, Presidential record of Donald Trump, is undoubtedly, well known. Despite the same and his indictment on 91 felonies, ranging from tax fraud, gross violations of the Emolument Clause, bribery to cover up his brisk commerce with prostitutes, and rape, to the commission of Treason against the Nation, the immutable voting power of his numerous cult of MAGA supporters has effectively destroyed the Republican party and the dynamic functioning of our democracy. Further, in addition to his election denial and promulgation of an insurrection against the nation, he has expressed his clear intention to become a dictator. There is a rational basis for alarm.
However, we must point out that a certain, popularly proposed solution, consisting of a third-party candidate, as an attempted mode of assurance of the defeat of Donald Trump, and the consequent survival of democracy, is quixotic and perilous. In our view, given the flawed dynamics of our electoral system, viz., the existence of the Electoral College system, should the result of such a proposed three-candidate election, result in the failure of any one candidate to win a requisite number of Electors, the House Of Representatives, then, has the constitutional choice of electing our Chief Executive.
It is instructive to recall the diminished responsibility of the majority MAGA-loyal House and to consider the public spectacle of its shameful inability to agree on a Leader. The practical result would be a bizarre combination of an un-American and Kafka-like nightmare.
The appropriate, safest, and most effective solution is for the mainstream, democracy-loving, citizen to energetically undertake to actively and responsibly assure the continuance of our democracy by being a vocal spokesman for its continuance in promoting the re-election of the proven capable and democracy-loving, Joseph Biden.
-p.
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