Trump has given the military in the US more than adequate reasons to not go along with an attempted coup by their “Commander in Chief.” This, however, brings up the troubling prospect of their becoming a player in domestic politics. They have in the past played a role via the various state run National Guard units. Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but their deployment in a political context has been infrequent if not without example, at least as concerns the 5 now 6 main branches: Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and now Space Force.
I wd speculate that except for the politically appointed heads, the CIA, FBI and NSA have little incentive to go along with a Trump coup either. Not sure how the Secret Service wd go but who knows?
On Nov 13, 2020, at 12:25 PM, McCorkle T. Diamond <terence.diamond@gmail.com> wrote:
Honestly, the short answer is no.
Comforting to think of a civilian political solution to Mr. Trump's
autocracy agenda. Insufficient critique of how autocratically political
are all military and law enforcement, internationally and domestically,
ranked, uniformed, armed, civilian collateral harm bemedaled.
At 10:27 AM 11/13/2020, you wrote:
Hello everyone -
Dan is basically right about everything, especially the anxiety and
horror this election produced and the devastating realization that you
live in a country where almost fifty percent of the population is willing
to support an openly white supremacist and fascist political formation.
Election night was the most sobering and profoundly depressing political
moment of my life.
From my viewpoint though, there has in fact been a lot of attention to
the danger of a coup. For instance, all the political-ecology and leftist
organizations that I follow repurposed themselves into anti-coup forces
starting two months ago. This movement from below was paralleled by
mobilizations among political figures, career administrators, lawyer
types and corporates, filtering both down and up into the mainstream, to
the point where a few days ago, some large unions declared their
readiness to hold a general strike (gasp! this is the US!) to ensure a
proper transition.
I kept up with everything through the organizing work of XR Chicago, and
this Monday, when coup anxieties focused on the possibility that
Republican legislators could present rival (and illegitimate) slates of
Electoral College voters to Congress on December 14, I drilled down into
constitutional law to see how likely this could be. It goes without
saying that you have to worry. Probably everyone knows that the 2000
election was stolen by the Republicans with the ginned-up "Brooks
Brothers Riot" that stopped the recount in Florida, followed by a
Supreme Court decision that handed the election to Bush, with all the
consequences. Probably it will come out soon that the whole "Stop
the Steal" movement flourishing just a few days ago was similarly
ginned-up (though maybe not by Roger Stone himself this time). Others
might remember that slates of rival electors were in fact presented by
three states in 1876, leading to tremendous chaos, a back-room deal in
Washington, and ultimately, the end of Reconstruction in the South, with
even greater consequences that still face us today (the myth of the
Confederate "Lost Cause" and the persistence of slaveholder
racism now extending throughout the country).
However, my conclusion is, this Electoral College scenario is not going
to happen for many reasons. Not least of which, because the Electoral
Count Act of 1887 really clarified the process, and it turns out that in
case of disagreement over the validity of the rival electors, either the
House and the Senate would have to agree on which ones to support (which
they obviously wouldn't) or the decision would go back to the Governors
of the states (and in the case of the Northern swing states that are
really at issue, those Governors are Democrats). Trump does not have the
support to overturn all that, his lawsuits are meritless and serve
another purpose. For anyone who wants to wonk out on the question, read
this:
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3685392.
That does not mean the nightmare is over. The explanation of Trump's
failure to concede that has gradually consolidated over the past three
days is no longer that he is planning organized fraud or an Electoral
College coup, but instead, that he is maintaining the fury of his
reality-averse base in order to keep his hold over the Republican Party,
which desperately needs his support to win the two Senate seats that go
to a vote in Georgia on January 5. Additionally Trump wants to start a
new TV channel to maintain his grip on the party and hold himself up as a
candidate for 2024. This thing could go on forever! Trump's defeat, or
what the idiots will refer to as "the stolen election," could
easily become a new caricature of the old Lost Cause, with everything
that entails (basically it would be, or really, already is like yet
another return of the Ku Klux Klan, this time including armed militias
throughout the North). Plus, we don't know what's behind the firing of
top military officials and what kinds of damage Trump is preparing to do
out of sheer spite in the upcoming months, as Covid spirals out of
control... It could go a lot of ways.
Not all of them are bad though. Trump is likely to lose some popularity,
and depending largely on that, the Dems could take those two Senate seats
in Georgia!
As for the carping on the left about Biden, I don't get it. We have a
president who pledges to root out "structural racism" (his
exact words, which target every police department in the country) and who
has already released a 300-page white paper detailing what every agency
of the federal government can do about climate change. The new
administration actually has parallel plans under development, one if they
take the Senate, the other if they don't. Plus we have a powerful
progressive caucus that's basically headed by Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
now (with Bernie in the background) and she just delivered an incredible
riposte to all the quivering Dems who say that radicalism cost them seats
in the House. AOC says, look, seated progressives didn't lose *their*
campaigns, but instead, incompetence in both fundraising and social media
lost those seats! Biden's politics are crucially influenced by the
continuing progressive mobilization, and equally if not more, by Black
and Indigenous radicalism. It's the first time I've ever seen serious
left politics in this country, and it all began almost a decade ago now,
in the wake of Occupy. Everybody who is seriously on the left says Biden
is a president we can push, they're right about that, and the carping
comes from people who are either fatalists or are just not paying
attention.
So anyway, the silence comes from exhaustion, uncertainty and a measure
of relief. I am sure there will be more outbursts soon enough, as the
Republicans try new gambits to maintain minority rule. Unless there's a
political miracle and the Dems take the two Georgia Senate seats, this
nightmare is going to go on, and who knows, maybe we'll yet have armed
risings and a state of emergency and other undreamt of things between now
and January 20. I am amazed that violence hasn't already happened, but
this thing is not over. And Dan is particularly right about the blindness
of liberals to most of what actually goes on in this benighted country. I
am probably afflicted by some of that blindness too - even though calling
me a liberal would be fighting words, so watch out, nettimers!
yours in sorrow, Brian
On Fri, Nov 13, 2020 at 6:09 AM Dan S Wang
<danswang@protonmail.com
> wrote:
- Hi Nettime,
- Here in the US along with millions of others I have been consumed by
the
- election drama for the past ten days. Every day beginning with
November 3
- has been its own news cycle. That Tuesday went deep into the night.
And it
- was a dark moment. Early returns made for the appearance of a
Trump-led
- tidal wave across all the swing states. Trump made his first
statement
- well after 2 AM East Coast time, basically declaring himself the
winner
- even though the counting continued. Shortly thereafter the whole
mood
- changed as Biden's count gained on Trump's 118k lead in the state
of
- Wisconsin and then dramatically overtook it. Wednesday morning dawned
with
- a new optimism. But I didn't sleep soundly until Saturday, the day
the
- states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Nevada were called for Biden,
putting
- him in a commanding lead for the Electoral College--that
political
- anachronism and relic of slave vs free state negotiations. I had a
stress
- rash and lost a few pounds over the week--and I was
comparatively
- confident compared to many of my nervous wreck friends.
- As has been his way all along and now pushed into an extreme even for
him,
- since Election Day Trump's produced a cascade of hair raising
statements
- and tweets, abrupt firings across the security and defense sector
that may
- signal sinister intentions, and stepped up a blatantly
obstructionist
- intransigence in relation to the Biden transition team--complemented
by
- his usual inadvertently sad/hilarious acts of incompetence, ranging
from
- his campaigns instantly ridiculed press conference outside a random
and
- unappealing landscaping firm to his chief-of-staff testing positive
for
- COVID, followed a couple of days later by the confirmed infections of
the
- billionaire Uihlein couple, major donors to conservative causes,
big
- supporters of Trump, and noted corona-skeptics who had recently
visited
- the White House.
- The ten days since the election have forced yet again the crash
course in
- the peculiarities of US election laws, the arcana of legal scenarios,
many
- of them varying widely depending on which states may be involved, and
the
- gaming out of Trump's dwindling but still very dangerous options.
Felix, I
- think you've got it mostly correct. But it's still a long shot
for
- Trump--pulling off reversals and/or machinations regarding the
electors in
- at least four states, each with its own political personalities and
local
- agendas, all at once in the next four weeks is near impossible.
Beginning
- today a trickle of Republicans have said as much. If this snowballs
even a
- little bit, then Trump will soon be running on fumes.
- Meanwhile on the left I see already lots of carping about
Biden's
- centrism, lots of fawning over the various constituencies that
delivered
- the victory--the young voters that turned out in record numbers,
the
- Republican defectors that cut margins in conservative hinterlands,
and
- especially the Black voters of Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia,
and
- Atlanta--and lots of anxiety about a coup unfolding in broad daylight
as
- Trump does his very best to delegitimize the counts by crying fraud
and
- pushing legal challenges that thus far have amounted to nothing,
so
- ridiculous are they. What worries me is that the left seems to be
watching
- all developments with neither much of a contingency plan, nor
any
- agreement on best strategies for countering Trump's assaults on
our
- democracy. As Felix noted, the loading up of Trump loyalists sets
the
- stage for repression and new levels of abuse. And it makes
provocation the
- big danger right now, particularly as Trump runs out of legal
challenges.
- There hasn't been much noise made about disciplined responses. New
rounds
- of disorder and street chaos are quite possible--all it would take
is
- another Kenosha shooting incident.
- And on the right? This, to me, is the most unsettling thing going
on
- presently. Conservative media have attained a permanent state of
frothy
- delusion. Conservative radio probably has the deepest reach,
providing
- millions of listeners with talking points, exhortations from
well
- practiced voices, and vows to "save the country"
from...well, from fraud!
- election theft! tyrannical doctors! big tech companies! (Because
the
- latter have started--four years too late, at least--to place warnings
on
- Trump's outrageous lies, shut down disinformation-based right
wing
- Facebook groups, and declare that once out of office Trump's
Twitter
- account will be held to the same standards of conduct as that of
any
- private citizen.) Then the Trump grassroots turn to social media to
find
- each other, and personally reinforce for one another the stream of
lies
- emanating first from Trump but second from hundreds of conservative
media
- voices hellbent on winning the media sweepstakes to become the next
Rush
- Limbaugh (he of the terminal cancer--yes, Goddess, thank
you).
- I tell my friends, dare to look, dare to visit right wing media.
Trump's
- record breaking vote totals--second most only to Biden's--cannot be
a
- surprise to anyone that pays attention to right wing media. They had
a
- huge get-out-the-vote effort, a massive campaign to register new
voters
- (usually a beneficial strategy only for the Dems), particularly
young
- voters. Moreover, they targeted Black men, Brown men, and Asian men,
all
- with a measurable degree of success. The shock of your average
liberals on
- Election Night, sent into despair upon seeing so many of their
fellow
- Americans choose Trump, confirmed for me that consensus reality is
no
- longer. And that continues right now, with millions of Trump voters
loudly
- rejecting a Biden victory as an impossibility, because to them there
is
- simply no way the country contains this many Biden voters. However
the
- next few weeks play out, what is clear is that reactionary populism
is
- here to stay as a major force in US politics. In addition to his
repulsive
- (and thankfully uncharismatic) sons, there will be plenty of
would-be
- Great Leaders looking to help themselves to the fat electorate
Trump
- brought into being. Defending the society against an armed fascist
threat
- that is networked on a mass scale will be a generation-long struggle,
one
- that opens in earnest now. COVID and climate remain wild
cards.
- Plenty more to say, surely with additional twists to consider by the
end
- of tomorrow. Thank you friends for helping to think through our
situation.
- I return the positive energy, particularly for comrades in
Vienna.
- Dan W.
- —Resident Artist, 18th Street Arts Center, Santa Monica, CA
- IG: type_rounds_1968
- danswang.xyz
- On 11/13/20, 2:07 AM, "Eric Kluitenberg"
<
nettime-l-bounces@mail.kein.org
- on behalf of epk@xs4all.nl>
wrote:
- >
- >Hi Felix, all,
- >
- >The post-election situation in the US is very worrying in many
respects.
- >
- >The darkest scenario, a slow coup d’etat against a clear
election result
- >has been suggested to me by several friends over the past few
days.
- >
- >I can’t read the local situation that well, so it would be
great to hear
- >some US subscribers on the list weigh in.
- >
- >However, when adopting a ‘realist’ perspective on politics it
seems that
- >Republicans are keeping all options on the table, mostly to
secure future
- >positions, when a.o. more senate seats are up for election (in 2
years?).
- >
- >What is significant about the election outcome is not just that
the Biden
- >/ Harris ticket has won, but that the landslide victory of
Democrats did
- >not happen, that their majority in the House declined, and that
it seems
- >likely they will not gain 50 seats in the Senate (to be decided
by the
- >Georgia run-off in January).
- >
- >It seems that voters have voted against Trump, but not for the
Democrats,
- >and that the electorate remains as bitterly divided as it has
been for
- >the past twenty years. That is not a good thing for the country
and the
- >stability of the political system in the world’s most
militarised state,
- >holding the largest nuclear arsenal.
- >
- >So it is justified to be worried right now, let’s hope it is a
‘realist’
- >game for the post-Trump constellation.
- >
- >bests,
- >Eric
- >
- >
- >> On 13 Nov 2020, at 10:10, Felix Stalder
<felix@openflows.com>
wrote:
- >>
- >> Hi everyone,
- >>
- >> I must admit, amidst post-terror assault on civil liberties
and covid
- >> cases spiraling out of control here in Austria, the US
election drama
- >> has moved a bit lower in my attention, but not that
much.
- >>
- >>> From what I understand, the numbers show that Trump
lost. Period. No
- >> recount will change that.
- >>
- >> But, the game of the Republicans is to create so much doubt
about the
- >> fairness of the elections (without any evidence) to make it
impossible
- >> to certify them in time. Frivolous lawsuits are great at
gumming things
- >> up. This would then allow the Republican dominated
legislatures in swing
- >> states to appoint their own electors which would bring Trump
the
- >> majority. In the mean time, the minister of defense, who
previously
- >> refused to send in troops against mostly peaceful
protestors, has been
- >> fired and replaced with a loyalist. Apparently, similar
moves are in the
- >> wings for the FBI and CIA.
- >>
- >> I know, Trump is often portrayed as an incompetent child,
and the
- >> strategy is totally outlandish, but the Republican party has
shown to be
- >> a pretty ruthless and successful power machine playing both
a short and
- >> a long game, and it's exactly the outlandishness of the
strategy that is
- >> its strongest point.
- >>
- >> In the mean time, the democrats pretend all of this to be
irrelevant (an
- >> 'embarrassment' at worst) and happily appoint a transition
team full of
- >> corporate insiders like it's 1992.
- >>
- >> Am I totally misreading the situation?
- >>
- >> Felix
- >>
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