Today I spoke with the great historian Tim Snyder, who has long been a North Star for me and so many others trying to understand today’s authoritarian crisis, about the bigger-picture stakes of Tuesday’s midterms. We covered a lot in half an hour, including:
This is a once-in-a-lifetime (or more) chance for Democrats to not only flip both chambers of Congress, but to begin the process of transformative change that will be our only way out of this crisis. In some of the Senate races we’re watching most closely, a Democrat hasn’t flipped a seat in more than a century.
Don’t be a spectator. If a race is within the margin of error, it’s within the margin of our effort.
The election interference has already happened. Asking whether something will “go wrong” in this election moves the goalposts. The Roberts Court has been been interfering in our elections for the last 20 years. Callais, Citizens United, gerrymandering, and Trump on the ballot were all made possible by the Roberts Court. Instead of Elon Musk being limited to contributing $7,000 to any one candidate just like the rest of us, it’s reported that he has already spent nearly $450 million on the midterms. Someone who fell asleep in 2004 and woke up today would barely recognize the system we now treat as normal. (For more, read “The John Roberts Election.”)
Watch for the quiet stuff after Election Day. I’m less worried about stormtroopers at the polls than about close races in MAGA-run states getting buried in lawsuits and confusion until we’re back in Bush v. Gore. Delaying when a senator is seated could mean a Republican Senate on opening day.
Don’t repeat the mistakes of 2021. Winning only matters if Democrats use the power. That starts with accountability like after Watergate.
Watch the full conversation for more.
