Alarm Bells Sounding Again For Our Democracy As Trump Claims That His Supporters 'Won't Have To Vote' Again After This Upcoming Election

This is a picture of a magnet that was being sold at Strand's Book Store in New York City a few years ago. No, I did not buy it, but I liked it and took a picture, which I am sharing here now. 

It feels like there has never been a shortage of things that serve as warnings against putting any trust in the leadership of Donald Trump. From his crassness to his temper tantrums, his use of racist overtones and other methods to appeal to the lowest common denominator, and the blatant desire for greater power which threatens our democracy, there are just so many warning signs, that you seem to have to be willfully blind to it not to see it.

Unfortunately, an alarming number of people - tens of millions of voters - apparently are. Either that, or they truly do not value American democracy. And your guess is as good as mine as to which of those options is actually worse.

However, the tone that Trump seems to be employing now, as he seeks a second term of four years in the White House, really feels like he is ramping up with these warning signs. We really need to be aware of what a threat this guy is to democracy, and to the country as a whole. Even to the world, given that he invited Russia to invade any European country - including our official NATO allies - without fear of intervention by the United States, at least if it is led by Donald Trump.

Indeed, the warning signs have been everywhere, and clear as day. Far from backing off allegations that he would be a dictator, he outright said that he would be a dictator on "day one," although he claimed that he would be a dictator for that one day only. But have you ever known a dictator who gave up his power voluntarily? Has there ever been a dictator who did not give up that power without some serious pressure, and a sense of inevitability about the end of his power? And if you cannot think of an example - and I sure can't - then do you really believe him when he claims that he would be a dictator for only that first day?

This is the guy who kept "joking" about being "president for life" and claiming that his supporters might demand that he run for a third term (before the 2020 election, which he clearly assumed that he would retain power after. Recently, he once again suggested out loud that he might still be in the White House for a third term at a National Rifle Association Convention just months ago. And he almost did stay in power even after losing the 2020 election, and all of the recounts, and almost all of the court cases despite his legal team bending over backwards to make it clear that they were not arguing for "massive voter fraud," despite their loud claims of irrefutable proof before television cameras. This was the man who apparently felt himself immune to the consequences of what still feels like nothing short of an attempted coup on January 6th, and for which he still has not been held accountable for. Remember also that he not long ago suggested that it might be  necessary to seek the “termination” of articles of the Constitution. 

None of these are "normal" actions from a politician. Never before in modern times has the loser of an American presidential election refused to concede, the way that Trump refused. Remember, Trump put pressure on Georgia election officials to find him over 11,000 votes weeks after the election ended. 

And this is the man accusing the other side of cheating? 

Now recently, Trump spoke before a crowd at the conservative Turning Point Action event in Florida recently, and what he suggested has people puzzling over what he meant. One way or the other, it does not inspire confidence for many people, as he seemed to suggest to the crowd that he just needed them to get out and vote for him this year, and that they wouldn't have to do it anymore after that. 

Here are more specifics of what, precisely, he said, according to an article by Ben Blanchet:

Former President Donald Trump told Christians on Friday to vote “just this time” and claimed they “won’t have to do it anymore” after the election in November.  

“Four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore,” the GOP presidential nominee told the crowd at the conservative Turning Point Action event in Florida.  

He later continued, “Get out. You gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote.”  

I used to think that even Trump would not be so blatant in his actions as to suspend elections outright. But then I recalled how after downplaying the coronavirus shutdown for months and months, he reversed his position once it came to the 2020 election and suggested that it should be postponed. And it seems to me that this man creates crises all of the time, that his entire term in office felt like one crisis after another, and that it sure seems like his entire strategy is to prevent anyone from being able to catch their breath before jumping into another crisis. 

Then, after giving some serious consideration to these things, it really does not seem even all that farfetched that this guy could "postpone" other elections, or set them up to make sure that he comes out the winner, come what may. 

As if there were not enough clear evidence that this man truly poses a dire risk to American democracy.

Trump Tells Crowd They 'Won't Have To Vote' Again After Election In Bizarre Remarks Story by Ben Blanchet • 3h • 2 min read

Trump Tells Crowd They 'Won't Have To Vote' Again After Election In Bizarre Remarks (msn.com)

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-christians-wont-have-to-vote-anymore_n_66a46c8be4b015f7c2ba6d61