Right now even as I write this blog, people are gaming out various scenarios as to what will happen after Election Day. I am using the term “Election Day” in a generic sense since it is quite possible people won’t know yet whether or not to be upset. Indeed, they may not know for several days whether or not the world has come to an end and they must do something to save it.
As has been said on numerous occasions over the past four years, “I never thought I would say this in America, but…” Now the exceptional and unthinkable is the new normal, so much so that we don’t even flinch when it occurs. It’s more “OMG, what else is possible.” Some people still haven’t gotten over the revelations of the Trump sister and niece. Now we have the former BFF of the First Lady dishing dirt, the Fixer about to detail more criminal activity, another Woodward book…and meanwhile the only V economy is China and Covid is still running wild in America. Why hasn’t the miracle happened yet? Do we have to wait for Halloween for the announcement of the miracle vaccine? We are on notice now.
What we should have expected to occur is now occurring. We have witnessed the Woke taking the law into their own hands and toppling statues. It should be no surprise that such actions would lead to a counter effort to defend those very same statues, violently if necessary. We have witnessed marches in the wake of more deaths by the police. Now a line has been crossed. An armed teenager crossed state lines to defend the property that had been “abandoned” by the local and state governments. The new Bernie Goetz has struck as if he were Michael Douglas in Falling Down or Charles Bronson in the five Death Wish movies. Look what real Americans have to do to get justice.
Are the private militias ready for the big one? Are they ready to take the war to the next level? Are they ready to bring it on at the nation’s capital? There is nothing new about marching on Washington. There just was one on the 57th anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” march in 1963. That march at the Lincoln Memorial undoubtedly was the event that cause the teenage-child who became President to think that Lincoln was a Democrat. Imagine what Fred Trump said at the dinner table about it! In a larger sense, it established an image of marches on Washington as something Democrats do and still do. However nothing limits Million Man or Woman marches to Democrats, the Politically Correct, Progressives, or the Woke.
So far the discussions about what would happen after Election Day, have focused on the use of the military to protect the authoritarian leader. This is standard operating procedure in Trump-hole countries. It is reasonable to expect the same weapon to be deployed here. However also so far, the military has resisted such efforts. Its preference appears to be to respect the Constitution and not to be involved in domestic political disputes. We may be the sole country on this planet where the military fidelity to the law trumps all other considerations while the President, Attorney General and Senate operate beyond, outside, or in ignorance of the law.
A lot of the public discussion has been about the legal fight. There are armies of lawyers already pre-positioned for the disputes to come. Since voting by mail has been vouchsafed in Florida, ironically that state may not be the battle ground this time it was last time if the vote is for Biden. The Democratic-governed states of Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin may be the battlegrounds they defend. Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, and Texas may the ones the Democrats attack. That’s a lot of potential disputes. There is only a very short time to resolve them before the Electors are required to cast their votes. I am still open to the idea of a Nancy Pelosi presidency if the electoral dispute drags on. That would mean the Princess would not be the first female President!
But, what about the private militias? What will they do while all this legal maneuvering is going on? For months already and for two more to come they will be hear incessantly about a rigged election. They will hear about the end of the world as they know it if their Lord and Savior, the Chosen One, Blessed Be his Name, is removed from office. They will hear about the triumph of Deep State Socialism despite the indictments brought by the Attorney General in October. They will see it on Twitter. They will see it on Fox. They will see in on Russian- and American-based websites. Then the moment of truth will arrive. The clarion call of Sarah Palin to take back the country will ring true. Now is the moment. Now is time to act. If not now, when?
Suppose a few hundred armed militia decide to march on Washington. What will the response be?
Suppose a few thousand armed militia decide to march on Washington. What will the response be?
Suppose 250,000 armed militia with motorcycles and trailers packed with provisions pour forth in caravans from around the country and descend on Washington as they did in South Dakota. What will the response be?
Suppose there is a million man march in support of the one person who can save the country. What will the response be?
I have no idea. The previous actions in the Michigan statehouse and now in Wisconsin are small compared to what potentially could occur. I don’t even begin to know how you map out a defense against caravans of heavily armed private militias descending on Washington especially if they are violating no laws in traveling there. Oh, you say, they don’t have a parade permit as if that would stop thousands of people bent on saving their Savior.
At this point, no one knows what will happen. We don’t how many will vote. We don’t know what the impact of the Post Office slow down and coronavirus will be on the voting. We don’t know how effective voter suppression will be. We don’t know how effective the Russians will be? We don’t know how the people will vote and when the votes will be counted. There is a lot of uncertainty with two months to go. It’s hard to imagine the situation not getting meaner, uglier, and deadlier.
