Welcome To Our New Idiocracy- Cheaters Never Prosper
But Republicans can cheat and rig elections
The fact that I suspect I'm an asshole means I probably am not, because a real asshole doesn't think he's an asshole, does he? Therefore, by realizing that I'm an asshole, I am in fact negating that very realization, am I not? Descartes's Asshole Axiom: I think I am; therefore I'm not one.
Jonathan Tropper, The Book of Joe
The essence of representative democracy is that those being represented elect those who represent them. For said representative democracy to function most effectively, it’s important that as many people as possible are allowed to exercise the right to vote. This ensures that whoever wins a majority of the vote actually carries a mandate of a plurality of voters. Anything short of that, and what you have is a corruption of the process and almost certainly a tyranny of a minority.
America has been heading in this direction for some time, of course, something which should come as no great surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention. While Democrats have been trying to ensure the broadest possible access to the ballot box for all eligible Americans, Republicans have been fighting to choke off paths to that franchise.
Worse, Republicans have stopped being stealthy in their attempts to make it harder for minorities, college students, and the poor to vote. They’ve made it clear what their plans and intentions are, and they don’t particularly care who knows it. Red states are making it increasingly difficult for those who aren’t White and Conservative to exercise their franchise- and they’re doing so in the name of “electoral integrity.” That’s a “dog whistle” for racism, in case you hadn’t already figure that out.
Why are Republicans doing this? Because they know that young people, college students, minorities, and the poor are far less likely to vote Republican than White Conservatives. And so they plan to do everything in their power to make it difficult for those who aren’t White Conservatives to exercise their franchise.
Here in Oregon, all voting is done by mail and has been for the past three-plus decades. It works beautifully, and the Beaver State consistently has one of the highest voter turnout rates in Presidential elections. Listen to Republicans in other states, though; they’ll declare how much they hate vote-by-mail because of the “potential” for fraud.
In Oregon, though, fraud in mail-in elections hovers around zero. It’s safe, efficient, and costs less than conventional elections. Republicans hate it because they can’t control and manipulate the system, which is why many red states reject vote-by-mail. It’s far easier to suppress the vote when you can limit the number of polling places, limit the locations of drop-off boxes, tighten voter ID laws, and/or limit early voting hours.
When Republicans talk about “electoral integrity,” what they’re telling you is that they’re trying to create laws that make it more complicated (or next to impossible) for Black and Brown people (and college students) to vote. They want to create an atmosphere that suppresses Left-leaning votes and maximizes Right-leaning votes.
Of course, reasonable people might look at that and think of it as “cheating”- and they wouldn’t be far from the truth. Republicans, though, see it as protecting their power and keeping the radical Left from destroying what they’ve built. It’s just how business is done.
Here’s the problem with that, however- Republicans don’t build things. They don’t create, they don’t improve, and- most importantly- they don’t govern. What they’re primarily interested in is political power- achieving, maintaining, and maximizing it. They use that power to enrich and entrench themselves, so remaining in power becomes their raison d’ etre. It’s not about public service or the greater good. It’s about self-aggrandizement.
And so red state legislatures have taken what in some cases seem to be ludicrous steps to suppress voter turnout. For example, in Georgia, it’s illegal to pass out bottled water to people standing in line as they wait to vote. Imagine that; a simple humanitarian gesture of kindness with no partisan intent is now illegal.
Would Georgia Republicans rather have voters pass out and be hospitalized from heat stroke than vote? While I can’t presume to speak for the intentions of Peach State legislators, it’s difficult to imagine what else they might have been thinking. Denying the kindness of handing out water to those standing in line defies understanding…unless you’re a Republican intent on doing anything you can to suppress voter turnout. Risking voters suffering heat stroke might not seem like a bridge too far.
So why would Republicans go to all this effort to cheat and rig elections? Well, there are two very quick and easy answers:
GOP candidates are largely devoid of ideas and, more specifically, plans for carrying out what ideas they do have. They might have goals, but they haven’t thought through how they want to get from where we are to where they want us to be. That requires hard work and planning, two things Republican candidates are generally adverse to. They want power, but they aren’t willing to do the work of governing once they get there.
They understand the language of power, but not the language of governing. They’re good at saying, “NO,” but saying “yes” comes far less naturally, which is what happens when you see government as the problem and not as a potential solution.
In 2020, the GOP didn’t even have a party platform for their Presidential candidate to run on. Their “platform” was whatever Donald Trump wanted, and what he wanted was power. It wasn’t about public service, or even “Make America Great Again”- because he never cared about that slogan. It wasn’t about what he could do for his country; it was about what America could do for Donald Trump.
The GOP has over the past eight years devolved into a cult. It’s no longer a political party with a central message and a vision for making America a better place based on classical Conservative principles. It’s become a cult centered around worshiping Donald Trump and bowing to his every whim. The previously proud Republican Party- the party of Ronald Reagan- no longer exists. What remains is a collection of hucksters, creeps, and never-weres that’s become a parody of itself, a collection of extremist nutjobs and fodder for late-night comedians.
Yet Republicans still insist they, and ONLY they, are the rightful heirs to power in America. This despite never being able to govern effectively during the times when they’ve been the party in power. The GOP suffers from selective amnesia and gross hypocrisy, which only gets worse with each passing year.
America needs an effective opposition party. Unfortunately, the GOP is no longer capable of being the loyal opposition; it’s a running sophomoric joke.
Sadly, American politics is poorer for the decline of the Republican Party as a serious player. The Democrats need a serious competitor to keep them honest and on top of their game. Right now, the GOP can’t even stay on top of its own game.
And so our politics continues its inexorable slide into self-parody. Welcome to our new idiocracy, eh?
