An elephant-sized test for American democracy

The United States has an elephant problem. No. Not like Thailand where ecotourism attracts thousands to 80 sanctuaries teeming with real elephants, hungry elephants wandering about and, too often, stepping on people.

In most nations today our Elephant is typically a meme, a cartoon or photo of an elephant (e.g. the government) standing before us (or on us).

In other words, an “elephant in-the-room” foretells concerns about a nation’s future, something that should change to prevent larger future problems.

Our astute observer of American society “Mark Twain” (Samuel Clemens) observed “To lodge all power in one party and keep it there is to insure bad government and the sure and gradual deterioration of public morals.”

A chance to corral our current Elephants began Feb. 12-28 with in-person, absentee, and mail-in voting at any designated site in Burke County.

The actual primary election day is Tuesday, March 3, as you vote at your assigned polling place. The Big One comes during national mid-term elections Nov. 3for 33 of the U.S. Senate’s 100 seats and all 435 House of Representative seats.

You know the routine: show up at your polling station; get checked in by the registrar; receive your ballot; carefully mark your favorites; return your ballot to be counted.

As you leave, place one of those “I VOTED” stickers on your shoulder (or forehead). It’s an honor and a privilege most people around the world do not have.

Now, back to our Elephant and its current campaign strategies designed to avoid that 2020 loss to Joe Biden, now promoted as the “stolen” election – with absolutely no evidence to confirm that claim.

In fact, the Elephant’s attack on the U.S. Capitol and our Vice-President on Jan. 6, 2021, amounted to an insurrection against the Constitution and established law.

Too Big To Rig

Our Elephant believes that Democrats cannot “rig” this 2026 mid-term if enough Republicans show up early to “Swamp the Vote.” This includes an early arrival for absentee ballots, voting by mail and in-person — with what happening?

Perhaps seeing an early lead that declines to a loss at the end becomes another example of “stolen.”

Never Surrender

Whatever the issue may be, our Elephant can claim IT is a lie or witch-hunt. Hire lawyers and take IT to court and to Truth Social and the evening news.

In past years this strategy produced two Senate votes for impeachment. Other legal cases have produced felony convictions and many more are pending — some in the Supreme Court.

This is called a “legal log-jam strategy” to choke our federal court system and laws. Make America Great Again: A nod to Ronald Reagan’s presidency, but today posted at many events or attached to any proactive idea currently in the news, e.g. drug runners, Iran, Venezuela, immigration, healthcare, etc. etc.

More recently, this idea has been expressed as “Make America Greater than Ever Before.” But MAGEB may be placed on hold since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week the President does not have unlimited authority to impose tariffs.

Next on the Court’s agenda is the legality of our administration’s plan to end birthright citizenship.

One Big Beautiful Bill Act

Approved last year, this legislation contains hundreds of provisions with many attached to taxes, e.g. personal, family, and high-income tax breaks.

Two winners for allocated funds are ICE at $100 billion over three years and $150 billion for the military. Medicaid is cut by 12% while the nation’s debt ceiling is raised to $5 trillion.

SAVE America Act

By one vote the U.S. House this month passed a new voters law but Senate approval is not likely with its 60-vote requirement. Federal law already requires voters in national elections to be U.S. citizens, but it does not mandate proof of citizenship at the time of registration where residency rules are established by states and most often handled by bipartisan election boards.

Our Elephant has suggested “nationalized” elections before the November mid-term “whether approved by Congress or not!”

In conclusion, none of the above may impact this year’s elections, but the possibility does exist that there could be other disruptive issues arising to muddy the waters.

ICE may be needed to control “riots” in certain blue states, especially after a recent new rule allows arrest “on suspicion without an administrative arrest warrant.”

Or we become entangled in an international event that captures all headlines and diverts attention from voting day.

Whatever the future holds, the bottom line remains our duty, as citizens of these United States, to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

A subscriber to Readers Digest understands our quandaries: “Voting this year feels like I’m at a grocery store and I have to pick between an orange and a vegetable.”