In her newsletter, Professor Heather Cox Richardson explained the problem⤵️. Trump (and everyone else) knows he will lose the popular vote. So the Trump-GOP plan is to put lots of barriers in the way of voters.
For example, because so many Democrats will be voting by mail, Trump wants to slow down (or even stop) the mail. It is not a coincidence that the problems are being felt in a Democratic city in a state like Pennsylvania that Trump needs to win.
The solution is to find another way to get ballots into the hands of voters, and a way for voters to return them (drop off places, etc.) In fact, for every barrier Trump erects, we need lots of people finding ways around the barrier.
Getting around Trump’s barriers will require planning, motivation, ingenuity, and numbers.
The Portland protesters make me think enough people across the country are willing to do what needs to be done. Look what happened in Portland. The feds had tear gas and no scruples.The protestors had courage, numbers, and motivation.
And also Wisconsin in April. Remember that? Check out this thread if you’ve forgotten:
Lots of groups and organizations are already working on the voter suppression problem. They need a lot of help. You can start with your state’s Democratic Party.
You may need to become a community organizer. Elections are held and monitored locally, so help your neighbors.
It’s stunning that a US president is doing all he can to prevent Americans from voting—but really, Trump is just doing what the GOP has always done—just more openly and without trying to hide behind euphemisms.
About the post office: Not that this will make you feel better, but Trump isn’t our first destructive president.
Andrew Jackson destroyed the federal bank, which ushered in our first major economic depression, causing widespread poverty and pain. He destroyed the national bank because he thought money and bankers were evil, and because he was vindictive and thought shutting down the bank would hurt his political enemies.
There’s a reason Trump likes Andrew Jackson.
Of course, making voting hard isn’t Trump’s only plan.
He’s no doubt planning a Grand October Lie to sway voters.
Possibilities include:
- A wonder vaccine that will soon eradicate COVID
- “evidence” from Barr that the real crooks are Obama, HRC, and Biden
- Both
- Something else
And of course, he’ll also try to delegitimize the election.
Prof. Tribe was right about how to prepare for the Grand October Lie:
We have to inoculate people. When people are prepared for an outrageous lie—and when they know the source is a habitual liar—they’re less likely to be duped. This article explains that the solution to a firehose of falsehoods is to put raincoats on the population.
I believe the people planning to vote for Biden know that Trump is a liar. They expect him to lie.
Here’s how Americans feel about the direction of the country right now.
You have to admit this makes it hard for an incumbent to come up with a good argument for keeping him in office. (True MAGA people may be unhappy with the way things are going, but they still see Trump as the savior.)
At the same time, “Make things in the country even worse so that it will be harder for people to vote,” is not a smart way to win an election . . . but it’s the only thing he’s got, and he’s willing to do it.
As we saw in Wisconsin, it’s just as likely to make people more determined to vote.
If you want to know what you can do to help, start here.
