This conversation with Bill Kristol and U Chicago law prof William Baude on the very real possibility of election subversion is worth watching. It gives us good reasons to be alarmed, without being alarmist. As Baude writes in an essay the conversation is based on, ”The real enemies of democracy . . . are those who try to ignore the rules of the game after they have already lost it. This past election, that means the real enemies of democracy were President Donald Trump and those who fought for him.” What are the chances of successfully subverting the election in 2024?
Baude makes two excellent points that many of us have been insisting on for a while, but are worth repeating.
First, while we should put legal safeguards in place and work to protect voting rights, much of this will turn on the character of the American people.
Second, while it’s the Republican Party and its supporters who are currently working to undermine democracy, why do they think it won’t spread beyond them? Why won’t ambitious Democrats decide to abandon the rules of the game if they think they can get away with it?