When Democracy Turns Toxic

 What is the democracy of the United States of America turning in to?

Masked Men Stalk The Ballot Drop Boxes In Arizona

 

..... what is turning its democracy so toxic?

The idea that its politics could turn so vicious, that police protection is required to stop physical, murderous attacks by opposition extremists from either the Republican or Democratic Party, would have been simply laughable, even just seven or eight years ago .... until Donald Trump decided to 'Make America Great Again,' by running for the presidency, on a campaign based on half truths and outright lies.

The recent attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul, by *David Depape, who apparently demanded to see Mrs Pelosi (she was out campaigning), before attacking Mr Pelosi, just highlights the same sort of attitude of disregard for democracy, the rule of law, and the legality of the electoral system, that was displayed in the attack on Capitol Hill, by Trump supporters on January the 6th, 2021 (in which incidently Mrs Pelosi laptop was taken and still hasn't been found).

Other Democrat politicians such as Eric Swalwell of California, have been subjected to threats, while Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, a liberal leader in the Democratic Party, was also threatened by a man with a handgun outside her Seattle home.

The fact that the majority (about 70%), of Republican voters, say that they don't think Joe Biden is the legitimate winner of the 2020 election, and that that belief is also reflected strongly by the Republican candidates for the forthcoming mid-terms, with 199 Republican (Out of 552 total Republican nominees), who have fully denied the legitimacy of the Presidential 2020 election, and an additional 61 candidates have raised concerns around the results, while not explicitly saying that the election was stolen, suggests that the rift between the two political parties is growing not healing. 

Unbelievably, in Arizona, masked men with firearms have been photographed staking out some of ballot drop boxes, ostensibly to monitor the sites for 'election fraud,' ala Trumps claims in the last presidential elections ... this is apparently legal (at least in Arizona), even though it could easily be interpreted as intimidation by many.

Conservatives such as Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, have also been threatened with death, and Republican candidate Lee Zeldin, was attacked while on stage during a campaign rally. Another Republican congresswoman, Marjorie Taylor Greene has had police respond to her home six times based on anonymous hoax calls in a practice, known as "swatting", which is employed by those trying to provoke an accidental armed confrontation between the target and law enforcement. She has also been the target of numerous death threats.

Republican, Steve Scalise of Louisiana was critically injured five years ago, in a multiple weapons attack by James Hodgkinson, a left wing activist, that left three other Republicans injured during a baseball game in a park, while another man, Carlos Bayon, was convicted, and sentenced to five years in prison for death threats to Scalise on the 30th of June 2018.

US President Joe Biden has condemned the attack on Paul Pelosi, and said "enough is enough" when it comes to violence in politics, while the US government distributed a bulletin to law enforcement across the nation that warned of a "heightened threat" of domestic violent extremism against candidates and election workers driven by individuals with "ideological grievances".

Its become increasingly difficult in the USA to pass new laws or reforms over the last three decades. The current system was largely designed the the 18th century, for a rural United States, and with the aim of stopping a 'tyrant' such as George III ever taking power in the USA. So under the current arrangements, any law passed by Congress, can be vetoed by a president (and to prevent that Presidential override requires a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate). In the Senate, procedures allow the minority party there to block most major legislation that doesn't have the support of at least 60 of the 100 senators.

So effectively it requires a 10 plus majority in the Senate, with a majority also in Congress and a President, all from the same party to pass laws on things such as gun control, abortion, a minimum wage bill, or immigration reform etc .... this scenario, if it ever happens, will likely only be available for two years until the next mid terms. 

So, a situation created by the founding fathers, designed to stop tyranny, no longer works in the 21st century and now just creates gridlock in the political system ... in fact a tyranny of inaction, which is now the cause of much of the problems that US is struggling to overcome, but can't because of it being hog-tied by very system that needs some reform.

Its a sad reality is that only the act of starting wars gets a majority vote from all three sides in the US's current political system ..... that's the price the US pays for its sclerotic political system.

Update November 2023:

Depape Attacks Mr Pelosi

Police Bodycam footage shows both men struggling for the hammer then after being ordered to drop the hammer by police, Mr Pelosi loosens his grip, but Depape then strikes Mr Pelosi to the floor as the police rush in. Security footage also shows Depape breaking in to the house with the same hammer.

Additional To Original Post *David Depape had a blog and website (as well as social media accounts) hosting anti-Semitic memes, Holocaust denial, and references to far-right and conspiracy theory websites, such as the infamous 'QAnon'. He has also posted the Trump allegations of election fraud. 

As could be expected these days false claims about his attack have now also spread widely on-line amongst the far right nutter brigade. Including that Depape and Mr Pelosi either knew each other, or were even lovers, who were found in their underpants by the police. None of which claims have any connection with either, witness, police or FBI accounts, and nor with the charges being laid against Depape. 

Some are also claiming that his blogs/posts etc detailing his beliefs were all 'faked' and only created the day of the attack, before being deleted within 24 hours .... again utter palpable nonsense, disproved by the fact that various media organisations have seen screen shots taken as early as August 2022 of the blogs and posts by Mr Depape. In his police interview, Mr DePape described Nancy Pelosi as the "leader of the pack of lies told by the Democratic Party", adding that he wanted to "break her kneecaps". 

He has been charged with two violations of federal law, plus the attempted kidnap of Mrs Pelosi, and San Francisco's district attorney has also brought six additional charges, including attempted murder and elder abuse, and said that there may be further charges. Many of these charges carry sentences of up to 20 years or more .... so its safe to say that Mr Depape is facing a very long time in prison.