GOP Is Betting Against Democracy - They Must Not Win

The following is part of an essay by legendary journalist Dan Rather. It's worth reading for those who love our democratic system.

The Republican Party’s anti-democratic crusade is a bet, a big one, and a risky one. That they are willing to blow up the norms that have governed this country for this bet is a sign of desperation and not of strength. The calculus is rather simple. Rather than winning elections by drawing more voters to their candidates, Republicans are trying to win elections by limiting the number of voters their opponents can get for theirs. This bet is predicated on gerrymandering and a Senate that requires 60 votes to get anything done. It is also dependent on locking in these gains in the short term before the demographics of the electorate further dilute the Republican base. 

Republicans fear the will of the majority. And they fear the future. They see this as perhaps their last shot to use their structural advantages to secure the enduring power of their minority position. And they use the fact that they are a political minority as a rallying cry to unite their voters under specious claims of being suppressed by the majority of voters supporting Democrats — which just so happens to be a coalition of many groups who have long been marginalized. This is how white privilege is recast as oppression, raw political power as a return to American “normalcy.”

An honest surveying of this landscape is daunting and demoralizing. But for the first time since the voting rights battles of the 1960s, I see a passionate national movement for enfranchisement. I see energy and activism. I see a unity of purpose. I see a determination that Senate skullduggery be exposed, lies called out, and pressure exerted. This is indeed the biggest struggle of our time, the one upon which all other struggles are predicated. Without free and fair elections, solutions for climate change, income inequality, and all the other urgent needs will be elusive. But I suspect you know this.

And that you know this already, that you and millions of others are aware of this battle, is itself a form of progress and reason for hope. The 2022 elections will be pivotal. History suggests that the Democrats, as the party in power, will face stiff headwinds. But many political observers caution that this may not be the case this time, especially with how partisan the electorate has become and with the question of the future of democracy as a rallying cry. This is what frightens the Republican leadership, although they will never admit it. If enough people come out to overwhelm their election hurdles, this big bet of theirs can implode in spectacular fashion. This is not assured, and it may not even be the likely outcome. But a united Democratic Party around the question of democracy can be a potent force, just ask Stacey Abrams.

Everything is now in the open. The quiet part is no longer quiet. Republican professed concerns about “voter fraud” have always been meant to mask a lust for voter suppression. This is the banner under which the majority of the Republican Party is marching in lockstep. It’s led to dangerous farces like the vote “audit” in Arizona. And it’s led to Senators tying themselves in rhetorical knots trying to explain their positions. But it’s also led to a laser focus on protecting the vote among a wide coalition of interest groups rallying in opposition to this creeping authoritarianism. It’s led to Democratic senators, across the ideological spectrum, coming out in favor of a generational mandate for voting rights. It’s led to the press covering election laws with increased seriousness. It’s even led to a lawsuit from the Justice Department stating that Georgia’s new election law, enacted by Republican lawmakers, denies equal access to the ballot —particularly for Black voters.

It may be trite to say that any one issue is a battle for the soul and future of the nation. But in this case that may be an understatement. The dangers are real, but they are also provoking a backlash that might not only save the nation but strengthen it as a vibrant democracy. A nation that encourages voting — it’s a hopeful vision and one that terrifies the likes of Mitch McConnell.