You’d think Democrats would campaign like it
You would be wrong.
The Republican Party has abandoned democratic principles. If it ever had any.
Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano is the GOP nominee for governor (Washington Post):
As a Pennsylvania state senator and gubernatorial candidate, Doug Mastriano railed against the rampant fraud that he believes was responsible for Donald Trump’s 2020 defeat.
He vowed to decertify voting machines in counties where he suspects the result was rigged.
And he asserted that the Republican-controlled legislature should have the right to take control of the all-important choice over which presidential electors to send to Washington.
Should he win in November, Mastriano will hand pick the secretary of state that signs off on presidential election returns and allocation of the state’s electoral votes.
Mastriano’s backers appear well aware of the stakes. A video posted to Telegram by election denial activist Ivan Raiklin from Mastriano’s victory party on Tuesday showed the candidate smiling as Raiklin congratulated him on his win and added, with a thumb’s up, “20 electoral votes as well,” a reference to the state’s clout in the electoral college.
“Oh yeahhhh,” Mastriano responded.
In Colorado, a GOP candidate for governor has a plan to eliminate the concept of one person, one vote from state-level elections (9NEWS-KUSA):
Former Parker Mayor Greg Lopez, who holds the top line on the 2022 Republican primary ballot, says Colorado should create an electoral college system for electing candidates to statewide office.
The plan, which would be the first of its kind on the state level, would give far more voting power to Coloradans in rural, conservative counties and dilute the voting power of Coloradans in more populous urban and suburban areas. Even as turnout numbers vary over time, the sheer number of rural conservative counties would create a built-in advantage for Republicans.
9NEWS has audio.
“One of the things that I’m going to do, and I’ve already put this plan together, is, as governor, I’m going to introduce a conversation about doing away with the popular vote for statewide elected officials and doing an electoral college vote for statewide elected officials,” Lopez said.
Lopez said his electoral college plan would weight counties’ votes based on their voter turnout percentage to encourage turnout.
“I’ve already got the plan in place,” Lopez said. “The most that any county can get is 11 electoral college votes. The least that a county can get is three.”
Democrat Jared Polis won the last election for governor by double digits. Under Lopez’s plan, the race would have swung 30 points, handing the win to the Republican after winning a minority of votes.
Unconstitutional? Sure. Does Lopez care? No.
As Trumpists scheme to end the republic as we know it, Democrats nationwide, risk-averse as ever, continue to campaign on cruise control like Kevin Bacon’s character at the end of Animal House. They insist on campaigning on kitchen-table issues as if eveything is normal. “Remain calm! All is well!”
The Post’s Paul Waldman warned in February about Democrats relying on over-used metaphors like “bread-and-butter” issues:
It’s about a dangerous fantasy that has gripped Democrats for decades, the idea that they can drain the emotion out of politics by focusing on concerns that are immediate and mundane, and thereby stave off defeat.
Let’s say this as clearly as we can: If this is all Democrats do between now and November, they will fail.
Republicans are tearing holes in the ship’s hull while Democrats act as if this is politics as usual. The republic is at risk of sinking. Rearranging the deck chairs won’t save it.
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Request a copy of For The Win, 4th Edition, my free, countywide get-out-the-vote planning guide for county committees at ForTheWin.us.
If in a position to Play to win in 2022 (see post first), contact tpostsully at gmail dot com.