Former President Barack Obama issued a message this week outlining how there remains work to be done to safeguard democracy against threats such as those posed by former President Donald Trump and his allies. Holding the individual perpetrators of last year’s attack on the Capitol responsible isn’t the end of the road for shoring up democracy’s defenses — there’s also, for instance, a need to push back on the attempts by Republicans in states around the country to alter the electoral process towards their own political ends. Restricting mail-in voting, allowing greater power to be held over the process by certain officials, outlawing steps as simple as the mailing of un-requested mail-in ballot applications to voters — these developments seriously threaten democracy.
‘Although initially rejected by many Republicans, the claims that fanned the flames of violence on January 6th have since been embraced by a sizeable portion of voters and elected officials — many of whom know better… Historically, Americans have been defenders of democracy and freedom around the world — especially when it’s under attack. But we can’t serve that role when leading figures in one of our two major political parties are actively undermining democracy at home. We can’t set an example when our own leaders are willing to fabricate lies and cast doubt on the results of free and fair elections. Our system of government has never been automatic. If we want our children to grow up in a true democracy — not just one with elections, but one where every voice matters and every vote counts — we need to nurture and protect it.’
Read Obama’s remarks by clicking on the post below:
One year ago, a violent attack on our Capitol made it clear just how fragile the American experiment in democracy really is. Here’s my statement on what the anniversary means, and what we need to do today. pic.twitter.com/9rjbjPLwLH
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 6, 2022
Those within the Republican Party who have proven themselves to be consistently willing to take on the lies from Trump and others about the integrity of the last presidential election… let’s just say that there aren’t very many of them. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) used the opportunity provided by the anniversary of the Capitol attack not to point out the dangers of lying about the election but to complain about a push from Senate Democrats to change the Senate’s filibuster rules in order to pass new protections for voting rights. Such protections, it’s been accurately noted, would help curtail the mad rush by some Republicans to dismantle the electoral system as it stands for the sake of non-existent election security concerns — the same sort of “concerns” that inspired the violence last January.
Criticized for lying, Trump responds with lying https://t.co/k44KUySqam
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 6, 2022
On Thursday, President Joe Biden also publicly presented sharp criticisms of former President Trump, noting that Trump “has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. He’s done so because he values power over principle, because he sees his own interest as more important than his country’s interest… and because his bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our Constitution.” Trump remains committed to his lies about the presidential election, even though no evidence to prove the existence of some kind of grand rigging scheme for Biden has ever emerged.
President Biden: Trump lies "because his bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy and our constitution. He can't accept he lost."
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 6, 2022
