So you think the title of this piece is fanciful and couldn’t happen, right? Remember that, even as this is written, Scott Walker, the Koch purchased Governor of Wisconsin, is refusing to set special elections to fill the seats of two Republican state legislators who vacated their seats in December, 2017 to join his administration. And, he is doing this in direct violation of state law:
“Any vacancy in the office of state senator or representative to the Assembly occurring before the 2nd Tuesday in May in the year in which a regular election is held to fill that seat shall be filled as promptly as possible by special election.” [Thanks to The Nation for the quote]
Remember too Trump’s insistence that Hillary Clinton only won the popular vote because of illegal voting, and his campaign mantra that the election was rigged to favor the Democrats. That comes to us in the shadow of his now defunct Election Integrity Commission, specifically designed to ferret out massive election fraud where none existed. The Commission was disbanded only because enough states refused to provide data for the Commission to manipulate, and as Democratic members of the Commission went public about being excluded from the process.
Voter fraud is a long simmering (false) grievance of the President and his minions. Now understand that Trump is currently engaged in attempting to castrate the Mueller investigation by firing or forcing the departure of anyone threatening his legitimacy. And, it looks like the Republican majority has joined the tin hatted conspiracy theories to prevent any serious examination of either Russian influence in the election or Trump’s obstruction of justice.
And why does the Mueller investigation figure into whimsical visions of massive voter fraud and Scott Walker setting the stage for denial of electoral activity? Trump is scared to death of a Democratic majority in either the House or the Senate because Democrats in charge would mean protection for Mueller and serious investigations in Congress into Russian meddling. He wants to end investigations, not breathe new life into them as Democratic majorities would do.
Sure, this is speculative. But don’t think it is beyond the egocentric self-preservation of this President to look for ways, legal, illegal and extralegal, of preventing a Democratic majority from coming to Washington to represent the will of the people. I’m out on a limb here, and I know it, but don’t be surprised if, sometime in the next three or four months, you begin to hear about Democratic voter fraud, voting by “illegal immigrants”, dead people voting and all the rest of the usual memes combined with the early trial balloons about the value of “putting off” the midterms while Republican majorities aided by the White House attempt to “find out what the Hell is going on” [to quote someone we have heard it from before in the context of Muslim bans].
If Scott Walker can ignore Wisconsin state law, how far a stretch is it to suggest that Trump is willing to undermine the Constitution and call off elections, or refuse to seat the winners, “in the best interest of democracy”?
Yeah, I’m probably crazy, but crazy is commonplace these days.
Contributor, aka tidbits. Retired attorney in complex litigation, death penalty defense and constitutional law. Former Nat’l Board Chair: Alzheimer’s Association. Served on multiple political campaigns, including two for U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR). Contributing author to three legal books and multiple legal publications.