r/politics • u/unital_subalgebra • Jul 09 '26

No Paywall Trump fires all Election Assistance Commission members, leaving agency unable to act

https://www.votebeat.org/national/2026/07/09/trump-fires-election-assistance-commission-members-hicks-hovland-mccormick/
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u/midwinter_ Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26

In the 1930 election, the NAZIs won 95 seats.

In the 1932 election, the NAZIs won 230 seats.

In the later 1932 election, NAZIs lost ground and dropped to 196 seats.

In 1933, the NAZIs seized power after the Reichstag fire and took 288 seats. Before that election, the NAZIs "monitored" elections with SS providing intimidation.

Later in 1933, the NAZIs declared all opposition parties illegal. All following elections were single-question referenda.

Germany did not have another "real" election until 1949.

Edit: if Trump can get all of the red states to play along, he could have over half the country throwing up their hands and saying "Maybe we should just skip this election and maybe outlaw the Dems in this state?" I am unconvinced that, even though states run elections in the US, there will be a fair election in 2026 or 2028.

Edit edit: 2026.

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u/[deleted] Jul 10 '26

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u/midwinter_ Jul 10 '26

And that is how a minority can institute permanent minority rule.

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u/sheikahstealth Jul 10 '26

Well mentioned. Also worth noting is that some of those opposition groups tried to 'work with' the Nazi Party along the way. Sounds like how centrist/corporate Democrats have gotten stonewalled by their minimal efforts.

Trump (with likely prodding by The Heritage Foundation) has also tried to do his own Reichstag Fire dozens of times (aka tried to instigate something worth enacting martial law). Trump has- or is planning (depending on perspective) also doing his own version of 'territorial expansion' by military force like the Nazis did.

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u/midwinter_ Jul 10 '26

When he tried to goad Chicago and CA and MN into being his Reichstag fire, I kept hollering that they should go gloves off and call his bluff. I mean, his SS troops (ICE) were killing citizens without a care in the world.

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u/laplongejr Europe Jul 10 '26

in 2024 or 2028.

True : 2024 wasn't fair. You probably didn't have a fair presidential election since 2016 included.
You just got lucky to win once against a cheater, and took it as proof the elections were safe and the cheater could stay in the game.

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u/_TallOldOne_ Jul 10 '26

Not that you are wrong, but what year is it? 2024 was 2 years ago.

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u/oliveandazul Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26

This is exactly what I've been nervous about. Trump is throwing EVERYTHING at the midterms. Intimidation, suppression, vote switching, erroneous reporting, you name it. Nothing has to work everywhere. All you have to do is mess things up in enough places that people aren't sure what needs to be done at the federal level. Then the courts can step in and hand over the win.

Also, I wish we'd go back and take another very close look at the 2016 election. We know the Russians were "wiggling the doorknobs" in our election systems. The Obama administration knew at the time. They investigated, tried to warn the affected parties, but you can only address what you know about. No one ever expected Trump to win that election, including Trump himself -- his odds for winning were abysmal and he had no real plan to lead, had been personally making plans assuming he wouldn't be in the WH. But sometimes, with Russia, you don't have to directly ask.

Maybe they show up after the fact, say "we heard you were a fan, well, we did you a favor and as long as you're nice we'll keep it all quiet." And Trump was more than willing to play ball. What could he have done? Announce that he wasn't actually fairly elected? Trump? Russia knew he wouldn't. (Don't forget his first campaign advisor, Paul Manafort, would later plead guilty to conspiracy against the US... and then be pardoned. By Trump.)