We're sharing portions of editorials this morning that crystallize, once again, the stakes in this election. We do this knowing much of this has been said before, but it all takes on a much greater urgency with the election approaching in a matter of days. Please go to the links for the full reads.
The New York Times (whose news department has often been operating crossways with its editorial board) imagines America on November 9:
The United States has seen worse than Donald Trump. It has endured political crises and corruption, war abroad and bloodshed at home. But that doesn’t make it any easier to contemplate the catastrophe that looms if we wake up Wednesday morning to President-elect Trump.
There’s no sense complaining anymore. The hurricane is three days from landfall. The urgent thing now is to avert the worst, minimize the damage, save the foundations, clear the mess.
Averting the worst starts with electing Hillary Clinton. For many voters that will mean defying Republican efforts to jam the electoral machinery through lies, legal obstructions and the threat of violence. We hope the voters hold out, however intimidating the process and long the lines. For Americans who may feel unmoved or unwilling to vote for Mrs. Clinton, here is a question from the future: In 2016 we were closer than ever to electing an ignorant and reckless tyrant — what did you do to stop him? [snip]
The rejection of Trump is the simple part. Win or lose, the harder job will be confronting the conditions that spawned him. This country’s problems will still be deep and complex, and the Republicans in Congress show no signs of giving Mrs. Clinton any more respect than they gave President Obama, or of abandoning their jihad against responsible governing. If she wins, Mrs. Clinton will have the burden of managing the jihadis, while governing for the benefit not only of her supporters but also of the tens of millions who will have voted for Mr. Trump expecting — against all evidence — that he will make everything better. It won’t be easy.
“Winter Is Coming” is the title Garry Kasparov gave his book about Vladimir Putin. Autumn is here in the United States, too. It’s time to focus. To confront what Trump represents, the better to end it. Let this election have the salutary effect of reminding Americans as a nation of who we are, and the good we can do, when we are put to the test.The Washington Post (whose news department likewise has too often taken the rotten bait offered by Republican ratf*ckers, in contrast with its editorial board) asks if Republicans will respect democracy if neo- fascist threat Donald "Rump" Trump loses on November 8 (spoiler alert: past and current evidence suggests not):
Unfortunately, many congressional Republicans appear set on making an already corrosive atmosphere in Washington even more toxic. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (Utah), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, promised to mire the country in years of investigations if Hillary Clinton wins. Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.) raised the possibility that Republicans would block any Clinton Supreme Court nominee. Now Republicans are brazenly and irresponsibly discussing the true nuclear option: impeachment.
“Assuming she wins and the investigation goes forward and it looks like an indictment is pending, at that point in time under the Constitution, the House of Representatives would engage in an impeachment trial,” Rep. Michael McCaul (Tex.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said last week. “All options are definitely on the table,” Rep. Trent Franks (Ariz.), chairman of a Judiciary subcommittee, said when The Post asked him about impeachment. “I would say yes, high crime or misdemeanor,” Sen. Ron Johnson (Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, told a Wisconsin newspaper. Other high-profile Republicans have warned of a “constitutional crisis.” [snip]
Factionalism and the naked quest for power are overwhelming the rule of law and essential civic norms. The FBI has become embroiled in a presidential election, with law enforcement agents selectively leaking material in an apparent effort to damage a political candidate who has been neither indicted nor convicted of any crime. Talk of impeaching the next president on trumped-up charges is becoming routine. Republicans must ask themselves if surrendering to their worst political instincts is worth surrendering their country.The Clinton campaign has its own exercise in visualizing the unthinkable, packaged in 45 seconds:
"Reality has no rewind."
Early voters have been lining up in record numbers to exercise their franchise. Some have put up with Stormtrumpers trying to intimidate them. Volunteers have been making calls and knocking on doors to get out the vote (including, we're proud to say, our San Francisco Bureau Chief Shauna). As the Times said, despite the degradation of all that Trump and his Republican Party represent, we have a duty to show "who we are, and the good we can do, when we are put to the test."
Tuesday is the test. Failure is not an option.
