The Double Flight 93
The Flight 93 argument says, “the terrorists have control of the plane, and they’ll certainly kill us if we just sit here. Our only chance is to rush the cockpit and try to get control of the plane before it’s too late.”
The Flight 93 approach is sound, tactically, when applied by one side, and every passenger on the plane can tell who the bad guys are.
In 2020 America, we have a new dilemma.
Both parties have embraced the Flight 93 ethos.
Both parties are legitimately planning to fend off the real chance of a coup against their candidate.
Both parties believe their leadership may face persecution should they fail.
To stretch the metaphor further, we have one group of passengers headed for the cockpit who are convinced that the plane has been hijacked. We have another group of passengers who are trying to stop those passengers because they think the plane is still being flown by the rightful captain. Both groups of passengers believe they are in a life and death struggle.
It doesn’t take a Ph.D. in sociology to see where this airborne gang war lands us.
Military officers talking about coups
Conservatives commentators talking about coups
Conservative commentators listing the Liberal commentators who are talking about coups
Democratic intelligentsia playing coup pretend
Former Generals oddly hinting at coups
Biden may be hinting at coups
The term “coup” may not be exactly correct in all these circumstances, but in politics, one man’s “coup” is always another man’s “overthrow of an illegitimate government.”
While some observers argue the odds for a violent coup are low, the math suggests otherwise. As it turns out, stable governments are the exception to the rule, and the United States has already had two governments overthrown in its short life.
Recent polling shows plenty of Americans believe the need for armed resistance may be required.
Additionally, the United States is a world leader in toppling and destabilizing governments. To the extent that the “Deep State” and “Military-Intelligence Industrial Complex” want to help things along, they certainly have the tools and experience.
Making matters worse, the election is shaping up to be legitimately close in many states. When elections are litigated, there are always oddities and inconsistencies in re-counts.
Imagine having the election recount from 2000 but with an armed, violent mob outside of the Supervisors of Elections offices that make the Brooks Brothers Riot look cute.
America’s corporate giants are already trying to find a way to stay neutral. Facebook and Twitter have both announced they won’t let anyone claim victory “pre-maturely.”
No word on what “authoritative source” they’ll rely on for calling elections. In fact, no one is saying what source they’ll look to for determining the election.
It’s almost like everyone is just planning to say they won and see what happens.
We’ve previously covered what it would take to keep the peace post-election, but a relatively small group of America’s political and media leaders now hold most of the cards.
The heads of the major media and tech corporations (maybe 20 people), along with the two candidates and their top advisors (maybe 20 people), hold the future of the republic in their hands.
Coming back to our metaphor.
It’s a Flight 93 election, but you and I are in the back row watching the passengers in first-class fight with each other as the plane begins to hit turbulence and veer off course.
Note: If you are looking for a rundown of the process for determining a disputed election, here is a good CNN piece on the unique legal process.
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