Republicans Want to Oppose Trump on This Issue. Let Them.
Democrats have felt betrayed and dismayed in recent months on the issue of voting rights. Reform on voting rights was supposed to revitalize the Democratic agenda following stalled negotiations on Joe Biden’s Build Back Better (BBB) program. The enthusiasm from this shift in strategy lasted approximately four days. On January 14, Kyrstin Sinema came out strongly against ending the filibuster for voting rights. West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin joined her along with every Republican in the chamber to block the measure. Democrats have now shifted to a confused strategy of focusing on inflation and pushing Joe Manchin on BBB while mostly abandoning the voting rights push.
Republicans have kept their wall of opposition on the right to vote. But they have shown willingness to pass one reform that would help ensure the fairness and freedom of elections at least at the presidential level. The Electoral Count Act reform is a bipartisan bill designed to clarify the rules governing the counting of electoral votes following a presidential election. It is designed to reduce the role of the vice president in the process to that of a figurehead. Most importantly, it is designed to stop the kind of election law chicanery that former president Donald Trump nearly used to retain power after his 2020 defeat. The bill has the support of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the House Democratic majority.
Democrats are understandably concerned that the Republican desire to change the electoral count process is a sham. They know that the next election has a wide variety of opportunities for subterfuge and sabotage. A Republican House of Representatives could admit bogus electors from states with Republican legislatures and governors. Republican Secretaries of State could refuse to certify legitimate election results in their states. According to the bill’s opponents, a proposal that combats only one small avenue for dirty tricks, while leaving dozens of others open and intact, is not one that should be taken seriously.
Democrats are also chagrined at the opportunistic nature of Republican reformers. The lone reform that the GOP supports is the one that could be used against them. Kamala Harris will be vice president during the next electoral count. She could theoretically reject electors that were pledged to Trump after the 2024 election and only prioritize those that voted for Joe Biden. Democrats could use their hatred of Trump and his fascist predilections to hold onto power or call a new election. At the same time, they are at a disadvantage in state legislatures and are less likely to overturn the election through that avenue. Democrats believe the Republican approach is hypocritical and are uneasy about giving up any sort of leverage they may have to help make wider reforms possible.
These criticisms fall flat for multiple reasons. One is that the drive for reform indicates that something was wrong with the way the 2020 electoral count unfolded. Republicans sense that January 6th was not “legitimate public discourse” and was actually a menacing act that should not be repeated. In this way, they are rebuking former president Trump. The former president has come out strongly against the Electoral Count Act reform. He believes that Mike Pence should have rejected Biden electors and made him president on January 6th. By taking this stand against Trump, no matter how seemingly trivial, Republicans are opening themselves up to negative attention and primary challenges. Even limited courage should be applauded in the otherwise craven, amoral world of politics.
Also, the idea that Republicans are worried about Kamala Harris stealing the election for Democrats is laughable. Any sabotage that she could perform would be in the service of keeping Joe Biden in power illegitimately. Throughout his five decades in politics, Biden has prioritized the rule of law and the traditions of government as much as any other politician. He has built his entire career and his winning presidential run on a return to normal operations and comity between both parties. It would be impossible to imagine him flipping at the last moment to seize power and reject an election that he knew he lost.
Democrats want to fix the electoral system entirely. They do not want any holes that Trump and his cronies can exploit to steal the next election. However, they are also limited by the calendar and their two recalcitrant senators, neither of whom want to abandon the filibuster for voting rights legislation. Democrats need to take up Republican support for fixing the Electoral Count Act and pass the reform as soon as possible. They would be striking for Democracy and also dealing a heavy blow to their nemesis in the process. There is no good reason for them not to embrace this new law.
Probably the biggest obstacle is complacency, where the media and citizens are not taking the threat seriously, or grasping the radicalism of the Republicans.
For instance you’ve probably all seen that article about rural Pennsylvania where they talked about how toxic the Democratic “brand” is and how the Democrats who live there are living in fear of the hatred of their neighbors.
What is striking about the Republican radicalism is that it is entirely identitarian as opposed to political. They aren’t angry over policies that harm them, or advocating for policies that will benefit them.
Instead their anger is directed at their fellow citizens and neighbors. In this, our politics today more resembles the Balkans in the 90s or Northern Ireland in the 80s.Report
Hard pass. Republicans could have opposed Trump by voting in support of the watered down voting rights bill that Manchin allegedly spent most of the spring negotiating with them. They wouldn’t even back that up with voting to open debate, much less agree to cloture or support the bill for passage. They haven’t actually brought forth an EC bill to consider, and with election season got upon us their time to act is up. There is nothing coming out of the hill – even in deep background – to indicate this is anything more then a delaying tactic.
And as Chip notes above- whatever the Republican politicians think or say privately, they remain publicly committed to a cause that is all about taking and keeping power against “illegitimate” Democrats, who are not fellow citizens in their narrative. They have repeatedly shown themselves to be uninterested in bipartisanship – which is why a number of Bill that have passed the House with bipartisan support are dying in the Senate.
This is another in a long line of red herrings that the left doesn’t care to eat.Report
“Democrats want to fix the electoral system entirely” in their favor. I added that for you. Do they really? I think so. I also think the Repubs would like to do the same. The existing process has held up for a long time. I see no compelling need to change it right now. Lots of other stuff Congress should be doing now.Report