TRUMP CONCOCTS PROBLEM SO HE CAN “FIX” IT.

           

Donald Trump has used the office of President to now give credence to a long held alt-right conspiracy theory that millions of undocumented alien residents of the country vote in our elections. There is not one scintilla of evidence that this is the case. In fact every reputable study and bipartisan reviews have found our elections among the cleanest in the democratic world and no longer plagued with the frauds often perpetrated by various party machines prior to the 1960's.

I believe that the people around Trump will use his need to believe in these illegal votes to explain to himself how he was out polled by a woman on Nov. 8, 2016, to seek voter repression legislation at the federal level to keep minorities, young people and poorer people from exercising the franchise.  These efforts which the courts have rejected in some states but which were successful in North Carolina and Wisconsin in helping Trump will be his “fix” for the problem that doesn’t exist.

There are imperfections in our democratic processes.  As the great Democrat Al Smith said “the cure for the ills of democracy is more democracy”. Rather than suppress the vote the federal government should be concentrating on protecting the right to vote and making it easier for all to participate in the electoral system.  Those who oppose the Trumpian vision of a controlled democracy should rally around real democratic reforms and not allow the myth of election fraud to dominate the conversation.

1.  We should demand the direct election of the president of the US. Abolish the antiquated Electoral College and join other democracies in directly electing the one official who represents the entire nation.

2.  We should adopt some of the ideas that are working well in the states: Same day registration (with id evidence required of course); voting by mail; early voting; unquestioned right to an absentee ballot; sufficient polling places to eliminate lines and hour waiting time.

3. We should end the two party structural monopoly of our election system by adopting open primary voting, or the California multiple candidate primaries with top two runoffs, and universal ballot access for candidates without requiring fees or signatures.

4. If we truly want to increase the electorate than give the voters a reason to participate.  End the partisan gerrymandering that make most of our congressional and state legislative districts one party bastions and replicas of the 19th century English rotten boros. Set term limits for Senators and Representatives so that new faces can flourish.

5. And, if we want to really democratize our democracy than enact public financing of campaigns - end unlimited corporate donating and allow the average working man or woman to compete in political contests.

The only threat I could see to democracy last Nov. 8th was the result, with the election of an authoritarian minded pseudo populist who is spearheading right wing fanatics in the greatest threat to our democracy since the abomination of slavery tore this nation apart. America ended slavery and unified as a better nation. 

What will happen if the Congress says No to some of Trumps ideas? Does the capital get burned down and the President blame illegal aliens or Muslims?  Wake Up America - It CAN Happen Here.

26 January 2016.