Concern Over Probability of Violence
There is a lot of anxiety surrounding the U.S. presidential election this year, as people anticipate violence on election day and after. Already Washington State and Nevada have the National Guard on standby and others may follow. In 2022, 14 states had National Guard on standby. Most states and counties have plans for a significant police presence at polling places, which in itself is an act which is intimidating for voters.
Trump has promised to have 200,000 supporters at polling places nationwide. How many of these will be his neo-Nazi militia forces is not known.
There is also great concern, among the rulers and the people, about the likelihood of violence in the days following the election and the period from November to January when the inauguration takes place. This includes the potential for extreme violence and state racist attacks directed against the people in the name of law and order.
Talk of Enemies and Retaliation Against Them
Concerns about violence comes in part from the considerable civil war talk from the Trump side about "the enemy within" or, as Kamala Harris puts it, defending the Constitution from "enemies foreign and domestic." It is important to look at what is being said and what is its significance. Given how key the military and civilian bureaucracy are for forestalling and/or launching civil war, it is also important to see how they are lining up one way or another.
A main reason Trump's attempted coup in 2021 failed is he did not have sufficient backing from the military or civilian forces like Vice President Mike Pence and others. If he loses this election, it is not clear if he will first attempt legal recourse, as occurred in 2020, then more open violence, or resort to violence more quickly. Various neo-Nazi militia forces are lined up behind him but so far not so the federal military and policing agencies. Where the many policing agencies at the state, county and city level stand is also a consideration.
If Kamala Harris loses, she is also promising challenges about voter intimidation or for recounts, etc. The difficulties for both are that the courts are highly discredited so their rulings may not be accepted, especially by the people.
Both candidates are also preparing for retaliation against "enemies" if they win, though Harris is considered more likely to try reconciliation as part of her efforts to unite the military and civilian bureaucracy. The weeks immediately after the election, and again at the time of inauguration, will be critical.
Biden remains in power during this period from November 5 to January 20.
This article was published in
Monday, November 4, 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/ITN2024/Articles/TI54463.HTM
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