What Are They Afraid of?

On May 19^th The House approved by a vote of  252 to 175 a bipartisan Bill to investigate the January 6^th insurrection.  35 Republicans voted in support despite Minority Leader McCarthy’s last-minute decision to oppose it. Apparently, the former president had voiced his displeasure after negotiations were completed, so McCarthy had to back out even as his requests had been agreed to by the bipartisan co-chairs. The committee had been constructed with five Democrats and five Republicans and had subpoena power which required agreement by both sides.  But even this was too much for some Republicans; whatever could they be afraid of?

Perhaps they are afraid that their propaganda campaign is failing.  Recent polls show that while most Republicans believe that the insurrection was carried out by leftist terrorists, the majority of Americans do not. A Quinnipiac poll noted that 55 percent of Americans believe that the attack was an assault on our Democracy. Not surprisingly, there is a breakdown along party lines with Democrats agreeing 84-12 percent, Independents agreeing 54-42, and Republicans disagreeing 78-18. The Gallup poll taken in early May 21 noted that Americans are divided into three groups – 29% are Republicans, 35% are Independents and 33% are Democrats, so approximately two-thirds of Americans do not agree with the Republican perspective.

Minority leader McConnell in a speech, after he voted no on impeachment declared that the former president was morally culpable for the January 6^th insurrection. A review by Harvard Law professor Michael Klarman discusses the history and actions which led up to that event. He claims that there were two coup attempts that day as he indicated that the attempt to deter, delay and defeat certification by Congress was another attempt to defy the results of a fair election. He claims that these two were related and “were the logical culmination of a two-decades-long assault by Republicans in an assault on democracy through gerrymandering, voter suppression, and promotion of the Big Lie.” (paraphrased) He also notes that starting in 2000, efforts were made to suppress and contest voting in several cities where there were large minority populations. Klaman posits that the insurrection was predictable. He goes on to say:

“If you lie to people long enough about the prevalence of voter fraud and convince them that their democracy is being stolen from them, why would they not rise up in resistance? And if you have consistently encouraged them to regard their political rivals as “traitors,” “communists,” and “Satan-worshiping pedophiles,” while declining to admonish the president for inciting political violence, why would they not believe that violence was a legitimate form of resistance?”

He notes that the success of the birtherism claims against President Obama, the lies about climate change, and the pandemic are part of this problem and asks how does one fix a nation when the majority of one of the two major parties exist in an alternative factual universe?

He encourages corporate America, responsible Republicans, and those who care about our democracy to shore up the principles of those beliefs. He advises President Biden and the Democratic party to increase access to the ballot. Some of the other fixes he advises are:

·         Automatic voter registration upon turning 18,

·         Enfranchisement of felons,

·         Election day should be a national holiday

·         Same-day voter registration

·         Increased early voting days and more polling places

·         Elimination of onerous ID requirements

·         Ending gerrymandering

He places the responsibility for these fixes on Democrats.  (This article was written in January 2021 before the Republican states started messing with voting laws.) With many state legislatures controlled by Republicans, I am concerned that many of these changes will not be attainable.  I do know that Democrats also have done partisan gerrymandering, but I would be happy to have them stop this if it will make our country more stable. Certainly, if the Senate can pass the new voting rights bills, there will be some hope as bipartisan redistricting is included there as well as national reforms.  I guess time will tell.

Democrats were unprepared for the depth of the contested results in Florida in Bush v. Gore, but Republicans were ready. Current Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Kavanaugh and Barrett were all part of that effort; long before they were on the court. In 2016 Republicans were silent as DJT claimed that he really had won the popular vote if votes by illegal voters were discounted. This statement has been proven untrue. Throughout his campaign and later during his term, the former president regularly incited his followers to be violent against those who protested “knock the crap out of them” he said on more than one occasion. He continued to portray immigrants as criminals and promoted the theme at one of his State of the Union addresses, which showcased where an illegal immigrant had murdered the family member of his guest. Certainly, his tacit approval of white supremacists and Nazi sympathizers after Charlottesville sent a loud message to that fringe of our society. During the debates with Biden, he sent another message to the Proud Boys gangs. They heard him and showed up in force on January 6^th. The former President was never subtle; he called out his thugs openly. Before the 2018 mid-terms, he and right-wing media outlets spoke of the threat from an immigrant caravan, which was said to be soon coming to invade our borders (it never happened). He continued to present the nation as in danger and, as he noted at his inauguration, he was the only one who could hold back the oncoming carnage. He was creating a climate of fear and gave his followers reason to be afraid of the unknown. So, when they came and stormed the Capitol at his urging, I guess we should have not been surprised.

NPR reviewed the 911 commission and this proposed insurrection commission in an in-depth report here and noted that the 911 commission also had people who were opposed and found many levels of blame identified in its bipartisan findings. Perhaps the Republicans are afraid of similar results where not only Republicans, the former president, and even members of Congress might be found at fault. Possibly the capitol police, the military, national guard, and intelligence communities might also be found to have been lax in their preparations, as has been charged. Some members of Congress have claimed that they saw electeds leading some of the protestors in the Capitol the day before the insurrection.  Were they giving tours as has been claimed or pointing out security flaws?  I guess we might never know if the Republicans stifle the investigations. Without an investigation, we will never learn the ‘whys’, ‘whos’ and ‘wheres’ and cannot fix whatever systems might have been broken. But, as NPR points out the Republicans are afraid that the investigation might reflect badly on their members and would come out too close to the 2022 mid-terms for their comfort levels.  So, it seems after the vote in the Senate this week defeating the proposal, that to the Republicans, ignorance is bliss – or something.

Once Minority leader McConnell declared that he wanted his caucus to vote against the bill for a bipartisan investigation as a personal favor, even though he had earlier indicated that he would have an open mind on the issue, that the bill was doomed. As Senator Schumer asked, – ‘what are the Republicans afraid of?’ Because of the filibuster threat, the Bill needed 60 votes to pass.  The final vote, with six Republicans voting in favor, was 55 votes for and 35 votes against. The Senate is the only place I am aware of where a minority can overrule the majority. The six Republican Senators in favor mirrored almost those who voted to impeach: Cassidy, Collins, Murkowski, Romney, Portman, and Sasse. There were no discussions which a real filibuster would have required, no this was the pro forma filibuster where one just needed to be threatened. I am all for getting rid of that rule; sure I understand that it gives the minority power and Democrats might be in the minority again soon, but it is a mechanism that has served to paralyze the Senate, to the detriment of effective governance, n my opinion. Some West Virginians need to talk to Senator Manchin, I think.

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In America, COVID seems to be on the run, although cases are still happening and people are still dying, just fewer of each.  The Economist this past week indicated that in a statistical review of excess deaths across the globe it believes that COVID deaths might be as much as 3 times as high as currently reported, in the ranges of 7-12 million with many countries significantly underreporting. It has also reported that the figures from Wuhan were not accurately recorded and were much higher than claimed. President Biden has this week asked for an intelligence assessment of the cause of the pandemic, leading many to think that the issue of the Wuhan viral research laboratory might have been responsible, despite the WHO report to the contrary. The Chinese government has pushed back against this.

Half of all people in the US have been vaccinated, 40% have completed the process. Our country’s total deaths are now close to 600,000.

COVID stats – NY Times:

Total US cases: 33,275,365. New Cases: 20,055. Total Deaths: 594,051. New Deaths: 446.

Maryland totals:  Cases: 459,528. New Cases: 185. Total Deaths: 9,599. New Deaths: 7.

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In closing–I must remark on a tempest in a teapot.  Memorial Day weekend has long been the unofficial start of the summer for many. This week saw over 5 million people fly away to somewhere, 135,000 fans pack the stadium for the Indy 500, and countless thousands flock to beaches across the nation or backyard barbecues with neighbors. This was the first extended weekend in over a year when we could collectively leave our homes and breathe the air around us freely in most cases. And, as Americans, we embraced this recently regained freedom. Many others added a visit to a cemetery to place flags or flowers on graves to remember those who served and have been lost. These actions do not contradict each other. That is why I take exception to those who criticized VP Kamala Harris as she tweeted out a wish to Americans to enjoy the holiday weekend. I echo her remarks, breathe deeply Americans, enjoy, and remember.

And as a person whose three brothers all served in the military and are now deceased, I do honor their service and will not forget their time in uniform, nor that of their compatriots.

“Til next week – peace!