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The Biggest Threat to Democracy Is the GOP Stealing the Next Election
The Atlantic ^ | 7.9.2021 | Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt (Harvard Profs)

Posted on 07/11/2021 11:23:32 AM PDT by libh8er

The greatest threat to American democracy today is not a repeat of January 6, but the possibility of a stolen presidential election. Contemporary democracies that die meet their end at the ballot box, through measures that are nominally constitutional. The looming danger is not that the mob will return; it’s that mainstream Republicans will “legally” overturn an election.

In 2018, when we wrote How Democracies Die, we knew that Donald Trump was an authoritarian figure, and we held the Republican Party responsible for abdicating its role as democratic gatekeeper. But we did not consider the GOP to be an antidemocratic party. Four years later, however, the bulk of the Republican Party is behaving in an antidemocratic manner. Solving this problem requires that we address both the acute crisis and the underlying long-term conditions that give rise to it.

Last year, for the first time in U.S. history, a sitting president refused to accept defeat and attempted to overturn election results. Rather than oppose this attempted coup, leading Republicans either cooperated with it or enabled it by refusing to publicly acknowledge Trump’s defeat. In the run-up to January 6, most top GOP officials refused to denounce extremist groups that were spreading conspiracy theories, calling for armed insurrection and assassinations, and ultimately implicated in the Capitol assault. Few Republicans broke with Trump after his incitement of the insurrection, and those who did were censured by their state parties.

From November 2020 to January 2021, then, a significant portion of the Republican Party refused to unambiguously accept electoral defeat, eschew violence, or break with extremist groups—the three principles that define prodemocracy parties. Because of that behavior, as well as its behavior over the past six months, we are convinced that the Republican Party leadership is willing to overturn an election.

(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2018; 2020election; authoritarian; danielziblatt; election2024; gop; harvard; howdemocraciesdie; j6; stevenlevitsky; theatlantic
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1 posted on 07/11/2021 11:23:32 AM PDT by libh8er
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To: libh8er

Obvious projection. Measures that are “nominally constitutional”; as opposed to democrat measures that are nominally unconstitutional, and as well by any other calculus.


2 posted on 07/11/2021 11:25:48 AM PDT by DPMD
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To: libh8er

Starting to sow those seeds of doubt, discontent and evil in preparation for the landslide that is going to cover them next year and in ‘24.

How come they get to throw crap like that his out there and folks believe it, but when we do it, because the left actually cheated, we get banned and canceled?

Don’t bother answering... Isn’t rehtorical folks.


3 posted on 07/11/2021 11:26:41 AM PDT by Mathews (It's all gravy, baby!)
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To: libh8er

Get your children out of Harvard, their safety depends on it.


4 posted on 07/11/2021 11:27:24 AM PDT by Irish Eyes
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To: libh8er

What a couple of clowns. It’s a lunatic conspiracy theory to say that Dems stole an election, but now they are saying - with no evidence whatsoever - that Republicans will do it in three years.


5 posted on 07/11/2021 11:27:35 AM PDT by Steve_Seattle
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To: libh8er

That is just funny.

Beside the fact that the GOP never wants to win the majority. Senators like mcconnell and graham are in their seats for ever they prefer to not be in the majority. They do not care about any other election and they shoo Themselves inTo their own.

They sure as sh$t don’t ever want nor defend the gop presidency.

This is a joke

The Atlantic should be ashamed


6 posted on 07/11/2021 11:27:36 AM PDT by stanne
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To: libh8er

The Atlantic are crazed elitist creeps.


7 posted on 07/11/2021 11:27:53 AM PDT by Browns Ultra Fan (ua)
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To: DPMD

Anything from The Atlantic is straight from the Dem parties mouth. Seems they are worried about elections being honest.


8 posted on 07/11/2021 11:28:03 AM PDT by pnut22
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To: libh8er

Anyone in the media or government saying we live in a democracy needs to be mocked relentlessly. Never let up. Just keep piling on.


9 posted on 07/11/2021 11:28:04 AM PDT by Dutch Boy
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To: libh8er

WTF are these morons smoking?


10 posted on 07/11/2021 11:28:22 AM PDT by nesnah (Infringe - act so as to limit or undermine [something]; encroach onre)
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To: libh8er

From November 2020 to January 2021, then, a significant portion of the Republican Party refused to unambiguously accept electoral defeat, eschew violence, or break with extremist groups


From November 2016 to November 2020, a significant portion of the democrat party refused to unambiguously accept electoral defeat, eschew violence, or break with extremist groups.


11 posted on 07/11/2021 11:28:57 AM PDT by hanamizu
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To: libh8er

Oddly I don’t find either of these guys names on the rolls of the Continental Line, or any of the militia regiments fighting at places like Kings Mountain, the Cowpens, Alamance...

Hilarious that they rap about democracy. It’s something they had nothing to do with, other then perverting it to the Russian Communist version.


12 posted on 07/11/2021 11:29:29 AM PDT by Regulator (It's Fraud, Jim)
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To: nesnah

Republicans are too stupid to learn how to steal elections....


13 posted on 07/11/2021 11:29:46 AM PDT by cgbg (A kleptocracy--if they can keep it. Think of it as the Cantillon Effect in action.)
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To: libh8er

If we wanted to steal an election at least we know who to ask how to do it best and it’s not other Republicans.


14 posted on 07/11/2021 11:29:52 AM PDT by Hillarys Gate Cult
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To: libh8er

Republicans point to actual election fraud. Democrats hyperventilate over their fantasies.


15 posted on 07/11/2021 11:30:29 AM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: libh8er
Back in 2016 their Messiah Obama said it wasn't possible.

Which is the lie?

16 posted on 07/11/2021 11:31:33 AM PDT by lewislynn ( How long before they replace Martin Luther King Blvd with George Floyd Blvd?)
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To: Mathews
Starting to sow those seeds of doubt, discontent and evil in preparation for the landslide that is going to cover them next year and in ‘24.

Well stated and insightful.

And a good sign. They have to get the cheating down right because they actually sound afraid now that the people may honestly vote them out of the House and Senate control if it is a fair election. Good points.

17 posted on 07/11/2021 11:31:44 AM PDT by frank ballenger (You have summoned up a thundercloud. You're gonna hear from me. Anthem by Leonard Cohen)
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To: libh8er
" . . . a significant portion of the Republican Party refused to unambiguously accept electoral defeat, eschew violence, or break with extremist group."

I can name several Democrats who did not eschew violence, and most expressed support for left-wing extremist groups, but can they name one elected Republican who called for violence or who was a member of an "extremist" group?
18 posted on 07/11/2021 11:33:14 AM PDT by Steve_Seattle
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To: libh8er

Well Harvard professor, I believe the democrats etc. stole the 2020 election and there is substantial evidence that should be heard in a court of law.

Now.

5.56mm


19 posted on 07/11/2021 11:33:29 AM PDT by M Kehoe (Quid Pro Joe and the Ho need to go.)
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To: libh8er

They think this kind of crap buttresses their position that there’s no evidence of fraud in the 2020 election. The audits have them apoplectic about getting caught for their fraud.


20 posted on 07/11/2021 11:33:46 AM PDT by Spok (There are many more things that frighten us than can cause us harm.)
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