In Iowa, they’re stripping power from the (Democratic) state auditor.
In Ohio, it’s from the people themselves, by making it more difficult to amend the Constitution.
In Georgia, they passed a law allowing them to remove local prosecutors.
And in North Carolina, they’re trying to decimate the power of state supreme courts via the rogue “independent state legislature” theory.
These are largely treated as different stories. As if each activity is limited to each state. But when you take a step back, it’s all the same story.
Under the “Laboratories of Autocracy” strategy I’ve described for two years, statehouses and their members thrive in a world of zero accountability. It’s their oxygen.
Gerrymandering destroys much of the accountability they would otherwise face. Then the uncontested races that follow make it even worse, with those in power not even challenged or questioned back home.
But that’s still not good enough for them. Potential accountability arises from other sources as well (because, of course, a healthy system of checks and balances is designed to bring that accountability constantly).
So whenever a risk of accountability arises—be it from a statewide official, a local official, a court, or the people themselves—they act to neutralize that threat. And that’s what those four states are all doing at the moment. And, if you look closely, it’s what countless other states are also doing…and have been doing in an accelerated fashion for a number of years.
Why accelerating?
Because every time they succeed, they’re another step removed from desperately needed accountability, fueling them to do more. And every place where they succeed becomes a model that other states follow. (The attack in Ohio is a national model at this point, being tried in many places).
What’s the lesson? When we see one of these attacks taking place anywhere, stand up and fight it as hard as you can. The motivation: beat it so badly in one place that they (and national donors and leaders who back these things) won’t try it elsewhere.
*Permission to publish generously granted by David Pepper. To see more of his videos or read more of his writing, go to Pepperspectives.
