The January 6 Committee accuses President Trump of running a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election. They may be right about parts of the plot, but not about the larger campaign surrounding the big lie. A conspiracy is a secret plot, and the big lie was not secret. That may sound like a technical objection, but it’s vital. From McCarthyism to Russian “democracy” to the Holocaust, the greatest abuses of power happen in broad daylight. Conspiracies like Watergate threaten us a little. Overt, unapologetic contempt for law and for democracy destroy lives and liberty. If we focus on the small danger, we will not prepare for the real threat.
Senator Joseph McCarthy erodes freedom in broad daylight, 1954
Conspiracy Requires Secrecy
The Cambridge English Dictionary defines “conspiracy” as “the activity of secretly planning with other people to do something bad or illegal.” Conspiracies, in other words, are secret. That limits the harm they can cause. A corrupt county official can quietly miscount a few votes. But if you want to overturn millions of votes, you can’t keep it secret.
Some conspiracies succeed, particularly plots to commit garden-variety crimes, like theft, embezzlement, and the murder of private citizens. But large-scale, government conspiracies have a terrible track record. President Richard Nixon could not hide his role in the Watergate break-ins, for instance. That’s despite a conspiracy of dozens and the resources available to the most powerful man in the world.
Try as he might, President Nixon could not keep his conspiracy secret.
As a result, government conspiracies usually limit themselves to modest goals. A corrupt official takes a bribe and then struggles to keep it secret. Or on a higher level, the Reagan administration breaks the law, selling arms to Iran and funneling the money to Nicaraguan Contras (the 1980s Iran-Contra Affair). That’s very troubling, but it did not overturn governments or destroy liberty. The same goes for most government conspiracies.
Liberty Dies in Broad Daylight
Few doubt that Russian democracy is a façade. We know ballots boxes get stuffed, real opposition candidates find themselves in jail, courts protect the Putin regime, rather than the vote, and the people have little choice. Some election irregularities involve secrecy. But overall, Russia’s undemocratic democracy is not secret. It’s not a conspiracy.
Memorial to those who were detained and disappeared under Pinochet
Far darker wrongdoing plays out in the public eye. Between 1973 and 1990, for example, Chilean President Augusto Pinochet had his soldiers and police torture almost 30,000 “enemies of the state.” And they executed almost 3,000. Some individual executions and torture sessions were secret. But most victims were arrested in front of witnesses. And if you want to keep torture secret, you don’t let the victim leave. Chile and the world knew about Pinochet’s campaign of torture and murder.
Strongmen from Saddam Hussein to Mussolini to Pinochet overthrow liberty and oppress their people in public, under the light of the sun.
The Big Lie in Public
Trump plotted some of his overthrow attempt behind closed doors. He may have committed seditious conspiracy under federal law. That’s a legal question, and my concern is not legal.
Little about the pressure on Pence was secret, but he resisted.
The January 6 Committee points to Trump’s seven-part plan to overthrow the election:
- spread false information;
- replace the Acting Attorney General;
- pressure Vice President Pence to block certified electoral votes;
- pressure state officials to change election results;
- instruct Republicans in multiple states to create false electoral slates;
- summon a mob to Washington and direct them to march on the Capitol; and
- ignore please to stop the violence.
Not one of these things happened in secret. None of them could.
The Open Threat to American Democracy
Today, some Republicans — certainly not all — are working to overturn the next election. They’re campaigning for county and state election offices and for Congress on thinly-veiled promises to reject Democratic victories as fraudulent. Some of these candidates probably believe the big lie. They think they’ve just promised to do what’s right. Others know their promises could lead them to overturn valid elections. Either way, they’ve committed to put a heavy finger on the scale, ensuring Republican victories in close votes — and maybe not so close.
If they turn against each other, we won’t have conspiracies to blame.
That is not a conspiracy. If these officials pull down the pillars of American democracy, they’ll do it in broad daylight. And while some Americans will believe their claims about fraudulent victories for Democrats, most won’t. America could face paralyzing protests, street violence, civil war, and secessions — or possibly worse: unelected rulers, like Russia’s. No one could do harm like that in secret, through a conspiracy.
This attack on democracy is happening under the light of the sun. If we focus on the small threat of conspiracies, we will not prepare for the real threat to democracy.
© 2022 by David W. Tollen. All rights reserved.
Images:
- Counsel representing the U.S. Army Joseph Welch (left) with Senator Joe McCarthy (right), Senate Subcommittee on Investigations, June 9, 1954
- President Nixon with edited transcripts of Nixon White House Tape conversations during his broadcast to the nation, 1974
- Memorial conmemorativo de la violación de los DDHH en Chile durante el régimen de Pinochet, 2012, unknown author – licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license
- Vice President Michael Pence, 2017
- Red and blue states as of 2021, by Wyatttthomas07, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license
“Democracy dies in broad daylight”. I saw what you did there Nicely done
Millions of U.S. citizens suffered a 2016 Federal Election loss because a thing called an “Electoral College” systemi̲c̲l̲y̲ and systemati̲c̲l̲y̲ denied the Right of citizens to a DIRECT ELECTION, and to ONE VOTER ONE VOTE! And because, some OLIGARCHS have determined… over two hundred years ago!… to virtually rig the Election of a U.S. Presidential Candidate, by instituting a mechanism to undermine a National Democratic Plurality! And that mechanism will continue unless a judicious judicial judicare “puts the boots” to this UNDEMOCRATIC Electoral College injustice!
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Nonetheless, however unjust one might perceive the present Electoral College to be to the Principles of Democracy, none of this compares to the DIABOLI̲C̲ NATURE inhere within our “democracies (so-called!)”, which have ACTUALLY ADHERED TO THE DEMANDS FOR DIRECT ELECTIONS AND WHICH HAVE IMPLEMENTED A ONE VOTER ONE VOTE SYSTEM to elect Candidates into Office! And this is demonstrated, in a revelation of the INSANITY that is the U.S. Elections Process!…
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How is’t “democratic”, when not ONE “winner” of an Election Process in the U.S. (but, elsewhere!) will “win” with an ESSENTIAL MINIMUM of 50+1% of the TOTAL NUMBER of eligible voters’ votes within any given District?… and NOT JUST a majority of those who have decided to cast a vote! In other words, how can LESS than the ESSENTIAL MINIMUM of 50+1% of the TOTAL NUMBER of eligible voters votes in a given District constitute a “DEMOCRATIC PLURALITY”? It is… de facto!… IMPOSSIBLE!
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If 50 thousand eligible voters decide not to vote in a District that is composed of one hundred thousand eligible voters, and but five candidates are running, EVEN IF four of the candidates received “0” votes, the math would suggest, that NO CANDIDATE could possibly obtain a “DEMOCRATIC” Plurality from the remaining eligible voters who would cast a vote! Unless!… and of course!… A HIJACKED AND ELITIST POLITI̲C̲ PROCESS MARGINALIZES THOSE WHO’VE NOT SHOWN UP TO VOTE, AND DICTATES THAT THEIR “NO SHOW”/ ABSENCE, CANNOT– AND SHOULD NOT!– BE HELD BINDING IN SOME FASHION, OR FORM!
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And so and thus… and, in my view– at least!… a “win” in today’s Elections Processes IS A BREACH OF THE “LEGITIMATE” PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY BEFORE THE RACES HAVE EVEN STARTED! And it is beyond me, why citizens from the U.S.– and, from elsewhere!– haven’t pursued Constitutional challenges against these scurrilous and shameful “pseudo-elections”!… and, have not proceeded with civil lawsuits against any and all institutions which have allowed this GLOBAL FARCE to continue!
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This horrendous situation has resulted in “winning candidates” “winning” with as little as 1/5th– or, less!– of the SUM NUMBER of eligible voters’ votes!… AND!… THEN DARING TO CALL THEIR RESPECTIVE “WINS” “DEMOCRATIC”! It’s NO WONDER to me (at least!) why so many would-be “democratizens” hate our Elections Processes!
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And on top of this, there are “Parties” within countries… and again, composed of “winning candidates” who have won with less than the ESSENTIAL MINIMUM needed for a “Democratic Plurality”!… whose leadership (e.g., in Canada), cannot be chosen DEMOCRATI̲C̲L̲Y̲ by the people!… but, only, by the PARTY*! And further, rather than have the brightest!… and the best!… “winning candidates” from all across a country– and, from across a legislature’s floor!– forming Executive Cabinets (AND, THROUGH A NON-PARTY BASED LEGISLATURE OR PARLIAMENT!) our current Party-based politi̲c̲ systems within America (and within Canada) have chosen– instead, and virtually!– GANGS AND CLIQUES TO ACT AS “GO-BETWEENS” FOR PARTY-BASED “OLIGARCHIC BACKROOM BOYZ”!
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But, if all of this wasn’t bad enough, there’s no “none of the above” ballot option on many voters’ ballots (AND BINDING!… AS A PREREQUISITE!)!… nor an “automatic translation” of the “NO SHOWS (i.e., eligible voters who have not cast a vote)” to BINDING “NONE OF THE ABOVE” votes (and inasmuch, as such can’t be translated to/ as being FOR, any candidate!)”! And had these two things been done, “NO SHOWS” would have dropped by to vote (for fear of receiving a BINDING AUTOMATIC TRANSLATION!)!… and, COMBINED “NO SHOW TRANSLATIONS” and direct “NONE OF THE ABOVE” vote ballot wins within Districts (wherein, together, these outnumber the total votes cast for any respective “running candidate”!), could’ve meant the introduction of “lottery lists” of candidates within Districts (and vetted!… and the eligible members in which, would not be eligible to run as, “running candidates”!) from which our “winners” could then have been chosen (and reminiscent of the elections processes circa BC*!… see, *https://bit.ly/2C8V2e6; https://bit.ly/2XDzUps; https://bit.ly/2NNtOi4; https://bit.ly/1ipNNL4; https://bit.ly/2EP4S6R– and, etc.!… and, therewith, EFFECTING FULL REPRESENTATION FOR EVERY SINGLE ELIGIBLE VOTER, AND VOTE!
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What we have, presently, are “PSEUDODEMOCRATIC PLURALITIES”!… IN THE GUISE OF “DEMOCRATI̲C̲L̲Y̲ ELECTED” REPRESENTATIVES! An INTOLERABLE SITUATION!… and, deserving of both Constitutional challenges, and civil lawsuits! AND ANYONE FOREKNOWING THESE TRUTHS WHO ACCEPTS ANY “PLURALITY” OTHER THAN A DEMOCRATIC PLURALITY (AND, BASED UPON THE “LEGITIMATE PRINCIPLES” OF DEMOCRACY AS AFORESTATED!… AND FOREKNOWING THE IMPLICATIONS!), IS ONE WHO’S EITHER BLIND TO THE “LEGITIMATE PRINCIPLES” OF DEMOCRACY, OR, WHO IS A TRAITOR TO THE “LEGITIMATE PRINCIPLES” OF DEMOCRACY… AND IN THE LATTER INSTANCE, IS ONE WHO’S A TRAITOR TO THE COMMON GOOD OF THE PEOPLE!
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AND THUS… THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TRUE DEMOCRATIC PLURALITIES WITHIN OUR RESPECTIVE ELECTIONS PROCESSES, IS FUNDAMENTAL TO THE VERY NOTION OF DEMOCRACY– LET ALONE, TO ITS REALIZATION!… AND, WITHOUT WHICH, WE ARE SUBJECT TO MERE OLIGARCHIC WHIM!
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*https://www.upworthy.com/george-washington-told-america-that-political-parties-were-our-worst-enemy-he-was-right?c=hpstream
LOL what garbage
Thoughtful argument, Cactus.