They underestimated the extent of his popularity and the strength of his hold on his followers they underestimated his ability to take control of the Republican Party and then they underestimated how far he was willing to go to retain power. The political and intellectual establishments in both parties have been underestimating Trump since he emerged on the scene in 2015. They have followed the standard model of appeasement, which always begins with underestimation. As has so often been the case in other countries where fascist leaders arise, their would-be opponents are paralyzed in confusion and amazement at this charismatic authoritarian. Most Americans - and all but a handful of politicians - have refused to take this possibility seriously enough to try to prevent it. Some state legislatures seek to impose criminal penalties on local election officials alleged to have committed “ technical infractions,” including obstructing the view of poll watchers. An Arizona bill flatly states that the legislature may “revoke the secretary of state’s issuance or certification of a presidential elector’s certificate of election” by a simple majority vote. As of this spring, Republicans have proposed or passed measures in at least 16 states that would shift certain election authorities from the purview of the governor, secretary of state or other executive-branch officers to the legislature. Republican legislatures are giving themselves greater control over the election certification process. Those recalcitrant Republican state officials who effectively saved the country from calamity by refusing to falsely declare fraud or to “find” more votes for Trump are being systematically removed or hounded from office. Meanwhile, the amateurish “stop the steal” efforts of 2020 have given way to an organized nationwide campaign to ensure that Trump and his supporters will have the control over state and local election officials that they lacked in 2020.
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