The Gathering Storm

The heading for my blog today is the title of Volume One of Winston Churchill’s six-volume history of World War II. It’s also an apt title to describe the present political situation in the United States. In a searing column that appeared in last evening’s online Washington Post, Paul Waldman recounted a conversation he had with Yale historian Timothy Snyder, an expert on how authoritarian factions have toppled democracies. Snyder noted that the January 6th insurrection was a failed coup, and that “a failed coup is practice for a successful coup.” The evidence is overwhelming that Republicans are gearing up to take power in 2024 even if they lose the election. They’re setting the stage for it. They control the governments of critical swing states, and they have the power to enact laws that have the effect of controlling election outcomes. They’re doing just that, and they’ll get away with it unless they’re blocked by federal legislation to protect voting rights. As of this writing, it doesn’t look likely that Democrats can get any such legislation passed by the senate. The storm clouds are gathering in our country. They are growing darker and drawing closer.