Friends,
Behind today’s NO KINGS DAY 2.0 is a question of strategy and power. Marching is fine but it’s hardly enough.
I keep hearing from Democrats that they have to “fight fire with fire” in meeting the Republican’s authoritarian assault on American democracy. But what does this actually entail, and what’s the downside?
Consider, for example, California governor Gavin Newsom’s intent to redistrict California to elicit five new Democratic seats — the same number as Texas governor Greg Abbott has eked out for Republicans by redistricting Texas. Newsom calls this “fighting fire with fire,” but some critics worry he’s unleashing a race to the bottom. (Btw, I’m in favor of Newsom’s move and plan to vote “yes” on Proposition 50.)
Or think about the government shutdown, now well into its third week. Senate Democrats aren’t budging. Many Democratic voters applaud their tenacity. But critics worry that the standoff could wreak even more havoc on the federal government and workforce than the Trump regime has already wrought.
Finally, consider the oft-repeated threat by elected Democrats that when they’re back in power, they’ll do to Republicans exactly what Republicans have now done to them — including defunding and canceling projects that have been appropriated for Republican states and congressional districts. Where will this end?
Underlying all this is a fundamental issue that was raised in Michelle Obama’s famous quip that “when they [Republicans] go low, we [Democrats] go high.” As Trump’s Republicans go lower and more authoritarian than anyone ever imagined, should Democrats stop taking the high road? Or should they go as low as Republicans are going? Or even lower?
The danger is that going low may undermine the very democratic values that Democrats are trying to uphold.
To put the question bluntly, is it justifiable to use low-road authoritarian tactics to rescue democracy from authoritarians?
When I ask this question, I usually get back three types of answers. I’d be interested in knowing which of them you’re most comfortable with. Herewith:
This post has been syndicated from Robert Reich, where it was published under this address.