Fellow Democrats, Please Ignore What's-Her-Name

The current news cycle has been dominated by sturm und drang about a certain freshman member of Congress. While the Representative in question certainly purveys ludicrously toxic views and has been malignantly engaged on social media for several years, the current furor feels contrived. We have known that this person was headed to Washington for months now, her social media activities were a matter of public record. The current shock and awe is....curious.

To be fair, the events of January 6 have lent some real urgency to the situation. Talk of violence in the Capitol can no longer be treated as an abstraction. The new member's colleagues cannot be blamed for viewing her with suspicion, and insisting that her behavior be regulated. 

But even allowing for a level of legitimate concern, the current moment of stridency is highly suspect and politically foolish. GOP voters sent this person to Congress out of the same impulse that has been gaining force on the political right for five years: a voracious desire to "own the libs" and a ravenous yearning for lulz at the expense of "the system." All of the current gnashing of teeth and rending of cloth plays directly into those pathological impulses. 

Moreover, there is a degree of cynicism at play. Certain interests in both the Democratic Party and the media are casting about for a bete noire to replace the one that skulked away on January 20. This is understandable, but its being so does not make it wise or even acceptable. The Democrats do not need and cannot use their own version of AOC to serve as a whipping post. However much such theatrics may serve in the short term to distract some voters on the left, in the long run it can only detract from Democratic electoral prospects in 2022 and 2024.

Any and all attention given to What's-Her-Name (hereafter WHN) can only increase her celebrity and cachet among GOP base voters. The votes to expel her in the closely divided House do not exist. Attempts to do so will only set off guffaws from her supporters about the impotence of the libtard snowflakes. There are only two steps to take in confronting WHN:

1)If she tries to bring a gun into the Capitol, call the SWAT team.

2)Who were we talking about, again?

The Democrats live beneath the sword of Damocles. In the ordinary course of politics, given how thin their majorities are and the general trend of past midterm elections concerning the party in the White House, one would expect them to lose both the House and the Senate in 2022. If that happens and they have achieved nothing by way of alleviating the misery in which millions of Americans live (many of them since long before the pandemic began), the entire nation will suffer a calamity. 

If the current Congress proves to be a "Do-Nothing Congress," not only will voters hand power back to the GOP, but they will make sure that they give it over to the most maliciously racist and authoritarian elements of the Republican Party. Their logic will be clear and incontestable: "We gave the Dems the House, the Senate, and the White House, and they did nothing. It must be because they are owned by Wall Street. Let's try the fascists. They may be lunatics, but they at least have the courage of their convictions."

Take heed, Democrats. You don't like Congresswoman WHN? How about Governor WHN? President WHN? That is what you are opening the door to if you allow yourselves to be distracted now. GET STUFF DONE. GET STUFF DONE NOW!!! Pass the $1.9 trillion relief package. Pass voting rights legislation. Create a public option to make health care more affordable. Raise the minimum wage. DO IT NOW, OR ELSE.

Could doing those things be politically risky? Could it require eliminating the filibuster? Might it cost you the election in 2022? Sure. WHO CARES? The alternative is DISASTER. In the face of such ludicrously asymmetrical risks there is only one choice. IGNORE WHN. GET STUFF DONE.

An Open Letter to My Republican Compatriots Who Voted for Joe Biden

 

Dear Friends, Republicans who Voted for Joe Biden in 2020,

       I write as a Democrat, a citizen, and a fellow American to thank you. You saved our Republic. You rescued the American experiment in democracy from destruction. That has been a fair supposition since November 3, but the terrible events of January 6 made that absolutely clear.

       Why is that so?  The numbers tell the tale. Democratic candidates for the House of Representatives received 3.9 million fewer votes than Joseph Biden on November 3. Those were your votes, my friends. That represents more than half of Joseph R. Biden's margin of victory in the last presidential election. 

        What would have happened if Joe Biden hadn't had your 3.9 million votes? Perhaps he would have lost the Electoral College. More likely than that and even worse, he would have won the Electoral College by the slimmest of margins. 

         If that had been the case, the past two months would have been much worse than what we have experienced. Though Donald Trump would still have lost the election, all of his fraudulent challenges to the integrity of the vote would have gained much more traction. Perhaps a handful of his court challenges would have produced recounts or delays. Perhaps a few dozen more election officials, emboldened or shaken by the closeness of the tally and the passion of the mob, would have falsified reports, lied about outcomes, or sabotaged tallies.

        If that had happened, all of the ugliness and violence we saw break loose at the Capitol last Wednesday would have happened much sooner, and would have been much worse. As large, angry crowds gathered to protest Donald Trump's moves to steal the election, the fascist criminals who perpetrated the attack on January 6 would have had their choice of dozens or hundreds of very soft targets. Instead of settling for storming a fortified federal building at the incitement of the President, they could have just brought their assault rifles and bump stocks to an open, public place and started murdering people in the name of "America."

        By giving Joe Biden a clear and unimpeachable victory in both the popular vote and the Electoral College, you saved our nation from that awful eventuality. Future generations will praise your patriotism, wisdom, and foresight. We all owe you a debt of gratitude.

       But the fight is not over yet. The fascists who attacked the Capitol still have shelter inside the machinery of the Republican Party. As long as Donald Trump controls the GOP, extremists will be able to piggyback on Republican politicians. 

       The problem is with the primary process. At this point (slightly) more than half of Republicans can see that Trump is a con man and a fraud. Unfortunately, the group that still believes Trump's lies is very passionate, very vocal, and very active. They can be counted upon to vote in Republican primaries in disproportionate numbers, thus all of the equivocation and civic cowardice on the part of GOP officials that gives aid to extremists is in deference to that cultist wing of the party.

     The answer again lies with you, my friends. You must rise to the urgency of the moment. You must be as passionate and motivated in your wisdom and sobriety as the Trumpists are in their derangement. We need a Republican faction of the "radically sane" to take back the GOP and make it the Party of Lincoln once again. If you can manage that, it will not be an exaggeration to say that you have rescued America a second time.

      I give you my thanks again, and extend you my very best wishes for the new year. Let us stride forward in the confidence that though we may disagree on matters of policy, we share a love of America and the democratic principles on which it is founded.

                       Sincerely,

                       Andrew Meyer

An Open Letter to Governor Phil Murphy (D-NJ)

 

Dear Governor Murphy,

           I write to you as a resident and citizen of New Jersey out of concern for the growing threat of white supremacist terrorism to the government and people of our state. The attack on our nation's Capitol on January 6 has emboldened the terrorists who planned and perpetrated that crime. They have broadcast their intentions over social media to stage further attacks, in Washington DC and across the nation, on Sunday January 17 and again on January 20 during the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

          Panic would of course be counter-productive at this juncture. The criminals who are broadcasting this message are doing so precisely to stoke fear and sow chaos. They hope that the people of New Jersey will overestimate their numbers and overreact to even innocuous disruptions, turning on one-another in our distress. That must not happen.

         But neither can the threat of these attacks be dismissed as wholly insignificant. On November 1 caravans of right-wing thugs blockaded highways and bridges at several points in the Garden State, ostensibly to show their support for Donald Trump. That was an act of domestic sabotage that may be prelude to more violent seditious acts to come. 

         As a citizen of your state, I would like your assurance that preparations are being made against this danger. Please assure us that state and local law enforcement agencies have been put on high alert, that the National Guard has been mobilized, and that steps have been taken not only to protect government offices and elected officials but also key infrastructure (power stations, internet servers, radio stations, etc.). 

         Calm is vital. Terrorists only win if they can induce panic. But the preservation of calm relies on awareness of two principles. 

          The first is that for terrorists, success breeds success. Leaving the Capitol vulnerable produced dramatic images, which produced fear in the general public and enthusiasm in criminal extremists, which in turn produces new vulnerabilities. It falls on you to prepare the state so that these terrorists cannot score another propaganda victory and further leverage their influence.

           The second principle is that calm must be cultivated from the top. We need you to get the message out that the state is prepared and that violent extremism will not be tolerated. If you are forthright and determined, we the people will respond with civic courage and unity.

           Thank you for your service during this difficult time. Please accept my best wishes for your health and safety, and that of all who serve with you.

                          Sincerely,

                           Andrew Meyer

An Open Letter Opposing White Supremacist Violence: Addressed to Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ04)

 

Dear Senator Menendez, Senator Booker and Representative Smith,

           I write to you as a constituent and a citizen, out of concern for the growing threat of white supremacist violence to our democracy. The attack staged against the Capitol on January 6 was not only a tragic disgrace, but demonstrated the woeful vulnerability of our nation's most sacred institutions. The threat posed to your safety and security, and to the business of government in general, was intolerable. Those whose negligence (or collusion) contributed to this debacle must be held accountable. 

        Now reports proliferate of more obscenities planned in coming days. The terrorists who staged the attack of January 6 have been emboldened, and show every indication that they mean to escalate the level of violence and destructiveness directed against our government and its elected officials. THIS MALICE CAN NOT STAND.

      Our President has proven himself faithless in the execution of his duty to protect the Republic. It falls to you, our elected representatives, to ensure that preparations are being made to protect our democracy from these gathering threats. Have provisions been made for the security of the Capitol, the White House, and other institutions? Is law enforcement and/or the military prepared to meet these criminals with the force necessary to repel them? 

     We your constituents are owed answers to these questions. Please contact me directly with your assurances that the urgency of the situation is being met. Moreover, please pass along the word to the Congressional leadership of both parties that a coordinated response to this terrorism must be prepared and announced to the public at large.

      I thank you for your service, and extend my best wishes for your health and safety during these troubled days.

                 Sincerely,

                 Andrew Meyer

Merry Shitmas

 Yesterday's obscenity in the US Capitol achieved a weird kind of alchemy. On the one hand it was absolutely pathetic. With regard to the election of 2020, the goons who stomped around the Rotunda and vandalized Speaker Pelosi's office accomplished exactly as much as they could from the outset, which was absolutely nothing. In the realm of political identity, however, they drew boundaries that will force all Americans, especially those who seek elected office, to choose sides and stake claims.

The spirit of the moment was perfectly encapsulated by one thug, who when asked by BBC reporter Robert Moore why he was assaulting Congress, replied, "Because they work for us." The operative word there is "us," as in "us, not you." It doesn't matter that a majority of Americans voted for Congressional representatives who disagree with the ostensible object of yesterday's riot, we in the majority are all wrong. The government belongs to the minority of right-thinking people who wear red hats and worship pictures of the President.

This is of course how every Fascist movement in history has operated. Many of the goons trying to smash the door of the House Chamber no doubt really believe that the election had been "stolen," just as many of Hitler's Brown Shirts believed that a Jewish cabal had betrayed Germany in World War One. The fact that many accept the lie separating the "right" from the "wrong" doesn't make it other than a lie. If history teaches us anything, it is that a movement to destroy democracy must make the truth its first casualty.

Mr. Trump was quite clever in staging yesterday's little piece of reality-TV farce. Moving forward, January 6, 2021 will be a new sign that distinguishes the "wakened" from the deluded. Anyone who wants to continue to claim an ownership stake in "our government" will have to remember January 6 as a day of great patriotism, a surge of righteous rage. Donald Trump will be ready to address the ceremonies to commemorate this great day that will undoubtedly be held on January 6 next year. Any politicians like Ted Cruz or Josh Hawley who want to ride to power on the crest of the MAGA wave will have to be ready to put on a red hat and wax nostalgic about the day that blood ran in the Capitol. 

These "Shitmas" celebrations (a vulgar label, I know, but it aptly describes all that yesterday accomplished, which mainly amounted to throwing feces like a feral chimpanzee) will have a clarifying function for the rest of us. We will be able to recognize anyone who puts on the hat and stands next to Mr. Trump on the podium as a traitor, not so much to the US, but to the principle of democracy itself. If you want to know whose electoral opponents to donate to or what campaign to volunteer for, keep an eye out next January 6. Any politician who wishes us a Merry Shitmas is begging to be given the "Perdue and Loeffler" treatment.