The Bulwark and The New Republic Accuse GOP of Putting Democracy in ‘Serious Danger,’ Yet Support Democratic Proposals That Would Do the Same

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The Bulwark and The New Republic published a joint letter on Wednesday urging all Americans to defend their democracy against the Republican Party and its “Trumpist authoritarianism.” However, in that effort, the Democratic Party (and the Never Trump movement) are now simultaneously working to subvert American democracy.

The letter stated:

Unimpeded by [Donald] Trump’s defeat in 2020 and unfazed by the January 6 insurrection, Trump and his supporters actively work to exploit anxieties and prejudices, to promote reckless hostility to the truth and to Americans who disagree with them, and to discredit the very practice of free and fair elections in which winners and losers respect the peaceful transfer of power.

The letter, which was cosigned by dozens of journalists, writers, and academics ranging from Max Boot to Noam Chomsky, also said, “We vigorously oppose ongoing GOP efforts to change state election laws … to empower state legislatures to interfere with the certification of election results… and we oppose the unending promotion of unprofessional and phony ‘election audits.’”

Before ending with a call for “for citizens of all political backgrounds and persuasions to come to the aid of the Republic” the letter prescribes how the Democrats may avert the end of liberal democracy in the United States: “We urge the Democratic-controlled Congress to pass effective, national legislation to protect the vote and our elections, and if necessary to override the Senate filibuster rule.”

Yes, Trump and the Republican Party have sought to undermine faith in our election system, with the former seeking to overturn the 2020 election results, and perpetuating the “Big Lie” that he won when he clearly did not. The Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was an attack on American democracy as it was an attempt to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power as Congress was tallying and certifying Joe Biden’s presidential electoral victory.

GOP and right-wing attempts to downplay Jan. 6 – such as opposing a 9/11-style commission to investigate that dark day in U.S. history – are inexcusable and a national disgrace.

Plus, the election audits are a complete waste of time and resources as they have not found evidence of voter fraud (the audit in Maricopa County, Ariz., actually found more votes casted for Biden than initially counted).

While this might not be happening had Trump won re-election, contrary to what the letter claimed, the voting legislation that has been proposed in or passed by Republican-controlled state legislatures nationwide would not suppress the vote. Instead, these measures would make it easier to vote but harder to cheat. Purging voters from voter rolls occur when residents have not voted in a long time, imprisoned or are dead – which has been the case in states such as Georgia. It is the responsibility of voters to make sure that they are registered to vote – a simple task.

Other GOP proposals like prohibiting universal mail-in balloting, something that was heavily utilized in the 2020 election due to the coronavirus pandemic, is simply good policy. Unsolicited mail-in ballots create a situation rife for voter fraud as ballots can be sent to wrong addresses allowing ineligible voters to illegally vote in which there is no sufficient mechanism to detect the fraud. Signature matching is clearly inadequate for verification and in many cases even leads to legitimate ballots being thrown out.

In a moment rife with fears over voter fraud, government-issued photo-IDs as a means to verify voter and ballot would go a long way to restoring trust in our elections. It is not difficult to obtain such a photo ID and, as it pertains to non-driver’s licenses.

There are nonprofits, such as VoteRiders and Spread the Vote, that help those who cannot afford to get an ID get one. The cost of not requiring photo ID, which drastically reduces the chances of voter fraud, is greater than the costs to get an ID in states where the non-elderly can’t get one for free.

Studies have shown that states like Georgia, which toughened ID requirements, limited ballot drop boxes and shortened early voting periods, are unlikely to see a drop in voter turnout.

When it comes to trying to upend American democracy, Democrats have been pushing for legislation that would actually undermine our electoral system, allow for the possibility of widespread fraud and federalize elections, which are currently and rightly run on a state-by-state basis. The For the People Act would do such a thing that, for example, would ban voter IDs. The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, in a major overreach of federal authority, would allow Congress to prohibit voting laws in certain states, specifically in the South.

Finally, calls by Democrats for abolishing or reforming the filibuster, in which the letter echoes the former, are dangerous as it would allow for, as The Federalist Papers warned, the tyranny of the majority. The filibuster is a bulwark against extremist legislation that would undermine not only our system of government but also our way of life such as allowing for infringements against our rights, religious and otherwise. The Senate is not meant to be like the majoritarian House of Representatives, rather it is meant to be a slow-moving deliberative body.

Moreover, no majority is forever, so were the Democrats to abolish the filibuster, it would give them short-term victories but eventually allow for Republicans to pass their agenda if and when they have unified control of government.

Both sides of the political and ideological spectrums have pushed illiberal ideals. The press should equally cover and call them out. Without nuance and accountability, the aforementioned Democratic proposals could become reality which could have longer-term consequences than Trump’s perpetuation of the Big Lie. The letter failed in this regard.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.