This commentary is by Andrew Christiansen of East Montpelier, who was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1986 to 1996.
An open letter to U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy: We need your help. We have not been in the thick of things down in Washington, nor do we have the years of experience you have had in the United States Senate. We need assurance there is a plan somehow, somewhere to save our democracy.
You know about Republican gerrymandering and voter suppression laws being passed in critical swing states. You know the lies about stolen elections, and GOP bills to allow election results to be overturned.
It is frightening when a narcissistic, racist, egomaniac commands a cult following to ride a flawed and compromised democratic process to power. We’ve seen this person, infatuated with what large buildings he can build, succeed by avoiding taxes and taking out questionable loans from Deutsche Bank, while stoking hate and division to galvanize his supporters.
Of course, I’m talking about Adolph Hitler, but I must confess a feeling of being sucked into a time warp, morphing into a German citizen in 1932 watching helplessly as events unfold.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republicans are 100% focused on blocking everything President Biden or the Democrats would propose, refusing even to discuss a nonpartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Two things are clear to me. First, supporters of the coup include Republican lawmakers in Congress. Second, the mythical 10 Republicans Joe Manchin insists are out there for bipartisan voting rights bills are just that – a myth.
I know you have been protective of the Senate and its traditions and have participated in filibusters yourself. News reports and a phone call to your office suggest you support keeping the filibuster. I hope that is not the case, for I see no way we can avoid a fascist takeover if election laws are changed at the state level to forbid Democrats from ever winning in the future. In such a scenario, efforts to avert climate change, fight pandemics, or have equitable health care will be impossible.
So, this is my question: If there are no Senate Republican votes to secure voting rights and you oppose ending the filibuster, WHAT IS PLAN B to avert the installation of a fascist, authoritarian dictatorship?
If it’s winning the “hearts and minds” of Trump voters through the stimulus payments they received and improving the economy, this kind of thinking has a poor track record. It didn’t work in Vietnam or Afghanistan, nor did it work in this country. On Martin Luther King Day in 2008, Barack Obama foresaw a way to resolve racial tensions and said, “So let us say that on this day of all days, each of us carries with us the task of changing our hearts and minds.” Such lofty aspirations fall flat when people belong to a cult.
Perhaps you don’t see an existential danger in the actions of Republicans around the country. If so, could you weigh in on these questions?
- Where is the military in all this? No action was taken against retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn after saying we should have a military coup. Trump is assuring his voters he will be reinstated in August. Military and law enforcement personnel were involved in the Jan. 6 riot. Do you think we will see more coup attempts?
- What’s to keep Republicans themselves from scrapping the filibuster should they win a narrow majority in the coming elections? Can we trust them, given their hypocrisy in the Merrick Garland-Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court nominations?
- if Trump is reelected, do you think he would refrain from seeking revenge on all his perceived enemies?
- Finally, do you think Republicans would resist an effort to pass an “Enabling Act” to give all remaining powers to Trump, just as the Nazis did for Hitler?
If you do see Republicans as a threat to our democracy, there are two other questions:
- What steps should we be taking now in the event of Trump being elected in 2024? Would you support, for example, a bill to take control of nuclear weapons away from one person, the president, and have more people involved in decisions to launch them?
- Should elected officials such as yourself be talking to local leaders and organizations about the dangers we are facing and how best to organize resistance before it is too late?
Thank you very much for your response to this. There is very little time left for our fragile democracy. The 2020 Census redistricting data gets released to the states on Aug. 16 and Republican states can start their gerrymandering weeks before the U.S. Senate reconvenes from its recess.
If you cannot answer these questions, please tell us at the very least what Plan B is. Your constituents need to know.