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So we should probably talk about Trump's possible invocation of the 12th Amendment -- a legal and Constitutional path to victory for Trump if his fandom causes so much disruption that states don't certify their election results.
If states do not certify, the electoral college is not empowered to vote, which means it goes to the House. But not everyone in the House gets to vote. Each state gets one elector.
So the odds shift considerably. It is important to understand that this is a maneuver that could be made *legally*, but it is wholly reliant on the illegal acts of others. It is also a course of action that actually invites Trump's fandom to escalate in very blatant ways.
Bc the politics of ppl who burn buildings or even hijack ballots Will not determine the legal course of the process. Also, the cops are on their side, Trump's fed squads are on their side, the DOJ is on their side, Trump is on their side, & they have the courts, including SCOTUS.
If states have a sufficiently difficult time certifying results, it goes to Congress. I have previously shared Robert Paxton's definition of fascism:
That last part. That's what we are talking about. "Effective but uneasy collaboration" and redemptive violence without legal or ethical constraint.
I'm not saying it will happen, but at least 2 experts have suggested in recent months that the threat is real, and now Trump has mentioned it himself. He does not think he will win clean, so he is making plans to win dirty -- which is something the Republicans have gotten good at
If you're wondering what to do, I would say 1) familiarize yourself with the terrain of voter suppression in the U.S. and 2) do as Ruthie Gilmore says and organize with people who are already organizing.
There are some suggested orgs and readings at the end of this podcast transcript about voter suppression: http://bit.ly/3iKJ7Xo
If there is nothing in your area, and you really want to take action around this, then learn from what is happening elsewhere and build something of your own. There are many places where there will be work happening that you just haven't heard about.
It's important for people to accept that certain things are possible. You cannot fight something you cannot bring yourself to imagine, and we have to fight. I know a lot of you believe that. It's time to figure out how.
For more on what Trump potentially invoking the 12th means: http://bit.ly/35MRoGr
The Trump administration must be understood as the criminal organization that it is. These people do not value anything that you value. There is no bottom. Laws are just lines in coloring books to them.
Neoliberals suck and there will be life and death battles w them too over things like austerity, but fascism much more immediately escalates the breakdown of all civil liberties, mass murder and mass die-offs, and the strip mining of the world for resources in a time of collapse.
This is the fight.
The dimensions of our struggle for survival, in a time of ecological, economic and political collapse, with fascism ascendant globally, are being determined now in many ways. This election is just one factor, but I believe we must surrender nothing and no one to the fascists.
I think that's a line we should have collectively drawn a long time ago. But it's not too late.
I talked w @sarahkendzior last month about Trump's authoritarian maneuvers, his likely efforts to steal the election & the scope of what we are up against. Again, it is crucial that we acknowledge what's possible. There's no fight w out that understanding. https://truthout.org/audio/the-election-is-being-sabotaged-before-our-eyes/
Back in 2018, I co-authored a piece with @MayaSchenwar about the kind of solidarity it will take to fight fascism as it entrenches itself. It's one I return to periodically to remind myself. https://truthout.org/articles/the-midterms-did-not-stop-the-march-of-fascism-but-we-can/
This speech I gave at a Remove Trump rally I co-organized in Chicago last winter also feels relevant right now. You can find the text here: https://truthout.org/audio/should-we-all-be-in-the-streets-lets-talk-about-protest/
To the folks saying it's not possible: https://twitter.com/MsKellyMHayes/status/1307088997324292098?s=20
Also, for the folks who are rattled after reading all of this: https://twitter.com/MsKellyMHayes/status/1307076329003724800?s=20
