Five years ago, I began to worry about a new American civil war breaking out.... I am less concerned by that prospect now.Ricks thinks we're still at some risk, but he's less concerned than he used to be -- and I think he has a point. But is it just that the system appears to be capable of pushing back?
... I worried that there would be a spate of assassination attempts against politicians and judges. I thought we might see courthouses and other federal buildings bombed. I also expected that in some states, right-wing organizations, heavily influenced by white nationalism, would hold conventions to discuss how to defy enforcement of federal laws they disliked, such as those dealing with voting rights. Some governors might vow to fire any state employee complying with unwanted federal orders. And I thought it likely that “nullification juries” would start cropping up, refusing to convict right-wingers committing mayhem, such as attacking election officials, no matter what evidence there was.
... Oddly enough, the main things that give me hope arise from former president Donald Trump’s attack on the electoral process, culminating in the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol.
... Again and again, both federal and state courts rejected claims of election fraud. Now those who alleged fraud without substantial evidence are themselves being investigated. Hundreds of people who invaded the Capitol, attacked police and threatened lawmakers were tracked down and charged with crimes. It was as if the American system had been subjected to a stress test and, albeit a bit wobbly, passed.
I don't think so. I think right-wing radicals haven't declared war primarily because they believe the establishment, as soon as it's controlled by Republicans, might really deliver for them. There's not a lot of ideological daylight between most right-wing radicals and electable (or, in many cases, actually elected) GOP politicians, in the way that there's serious distance between radical leftists and elected Democrats. Republicans really can deliver abortion bans. Republicans really can crack down brutally on immigrants. Republicans really can throw non-white voters who didn't realize they were ineligible to vote in prison. Republicans at the local level really can terrorize trans people, and intimidate librarians and teachers who are deemed "woke."
When you know the system can give you what you want, why wouldn't you assume that voting rather than revolution is the way to go?
Ricks writes:
... the Capitol invaders turned out to lack the courage of their convictions. Having broken the law, they shied away from the consequences. Unlike the civil rights activists of the 1960s, they did not proudly march into jails, certain of the rightness of their cause, eager to use the moment to explain what they had done and why. They lacked the essentials that gave the civil rights movement and others sustainability: training, discipline and a strategy for the long term.They don't really have a goal like the civil rights activists of the 1960s, do they? The civil rights activists wanted nothing less than full citizenship for Black Americans. The right-wing radicals are happy just to own their enemies. Disney got spanked in Florida -- we won! The judge said Trump gets a special master -- suck it, MSNBC!
It was only when the system seemed to be completely failing the radicals, after the 2020 election, that they rioted. They might riot again if the midterms don't go their way, or if a Democrat beats Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis in 2024. But for now, betting on the political process to deliver for them seems perfectly reasonable, so they're mostly holding their fire.
No comments:
Post a Comment