Opinion & Analysis
Charles Goodmacher, Rio Rancho
Recently, President Trump declared on Truth Social that he would not sign any bills until the SAVE Act is passed. It’s a stark escalation in the effort to pass the bill, and both the bill and his speaking as though he is already a King by demanding Congress pass it or he will not sign other bills without regard to any other considerations, are both ample demonstration that he is moving toward Kingship. So far the Republican Congress has caved to him on every matter, acting more as court jesters than the partners in governance our constitution requires of them.
The Save Act is for Trump and the anti-American Democracy MAGA movement what the Enabling Act was for Hitler and his Nazi’s of Germany in the 1930’s. It will spell the end of a semblance of unity among our people, and it is the end of our democratic Republic. Notice how Hitler’s bill was euphemistically called an “Enabling Act” while it disabled balances of power, making Hitler as Supreme as Trump hopes to be. The parallel to calling a bill “the Save Act” while ending free and fair elections is very telling – in both cases the proponents want(ed) a nation with only the “right” people in power – all white, male “Christian nationalist” and totalitarian suck ups.
The Enabling Act of 1933 marked the end of democracy in Germany. This pivotal legislation allowed Adolf Hitler to enact laws without parliamentary approval, effectively dismantling the democratic framework of the Weimar Republic The “Save Act” will make it impossible for millions of Americans, mostly women and people of color to vote.
This is how it this heinous act disenfranchise millions of Americans:
About half of all Americans don’t have a passport, and millions of married women who have changed their names might need to jump through extra hoops to vote.
The bill would now also require states to regularly hand over sensitive voter rolls to the Department of Homeland Security — a troubling thought, especially as the administration is set to tap Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, an election denier, to replace Kristi Noem as DHS secretary. Recently Trump called for “nationalizing” elections though the Constitution unequivocally leaves election administration to the states and local officials.
As the Brennan Center for Justice wisely notes: “Amid an ongoing war in the Middle East and a brewing economic crisis, Trump has chosen to focus on restricting access to the ballot. He’s using maximum pressure to pass what would be the most restrictive federal voting law in American history. And he’s using the bully pulpit to undermine and meddle with our elections.”
How ironic it is that through the Save Act Trump is trying to make America into a nation more closely resembling today’s Iran or Russia than the America foreseen by the founders of our unique American experiment with a democratic Republic. The president and congress should use his authority to expand democracy, not restrict it as authoritarian kings and dictators do.
See you at No Kings Day March 28!