Democrats need a better blueprint to save democracy.
By Laura Reston Senior Staff Editor, Opinion |
Senate Democrats watered it down. Joe Manchin lobbied for it. And President Biden made a final push to guarantee its passage. But not one Republican split ranks with their party. |
On Wednesday afternoon, after Chuck Schumer called for a vote to proceed with debate on the Freedom to Vote Act, the Republicans blocked it, killing the best chance Democrats had to pass voting rights legislation to protect Americans against a slew of new state voting restrictions before the midterm elections. |
To David Brock, a political strategist who started out as a conservative gun-for-hire before throwing in with the Democrats, it's just another sign that liberals are once again ignoring the threat that Donald Trump poses to our democracy. |
Throughout the 2016 election, Brock underestimated Trump, unable to believe that voters would choose a candidate with a litany of business failures and a history of sexual assault allegations. Even after Trump was elected, Brock dismissed the sky-is-falling analysis of his presidency as hyperbolic, only grasping the true threat Trump posed once he had left the White House and the full sweep of his authoritarian impulses was revealed. |
He paints a brutal portrait of what's about to happen at the state level: "Every election Republicans lose will be contested with lies, every Democratic win delegitimized. This is poison in a democracy." But he also offers a path forward. |
He believes Democrats need to think bigger, and more strategically, about countering the conservative assault on democracy on the ground. Liberal groups can organize poll watching; state bar associations can disbar lawyers who make phony voting claims in court; donors can underwrite super PACs to protect incumbent election officials; and they can strike at the root of the problem, funding media organizations to fight misinformation and engage voters. |
"Democrats can leapfrog the right with significant investments in streaming video, podcasting, newsletters and innovative content producers on growing platforms like TikTok, whose audiences dwarf those of cable news networks like Fox News," Brock writes. |
"Democratic donors have long overlooked efforts to fund the media, but with so much of our politics playing out on that battlefield, they can no longer afford to." |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com |
Contact Us If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times. |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment