A Modest Proposal

One of the arguments Republicans make in opposition to the 1/6 commission is that we should move on, put it behind us, just let it go.

Sure we should. We should also put behind us the claims of fraud on election day, but they’re not doing that. As a result, I have the following modest proposal.

There should be an independent (if that exists in this country anymore), bi-partisan commission established with full subpoena power and full authority to look into all aspects of what happened in 2020, culminating in the events of 1/6. That authority would include the ability to fully investigate: (1) all claims of fraud in the election; (2) whether and how any governmental officials mischaracterized those claims for political purposes, creating an atmosphere for conpsiracy theories that fuel the divide; and (3) what happened on 1/6.

The shovels need to come out, the dirt moved away, so that we can see what exactly is the rot that exists in this country. And then do something about it. Republicans want to move on from the part that hurts them the most, Democrats want to ignore claims about our voting system. While I don’t think there was massive fraud on a scale sufficient to turn the election, I do believe there are problems with our elections. All of this should be on the table, and anybody who actually cares about our democracy would want all of this to be investigated, audited, and then reviewed, with recommendations for improving our systems and ensuring that this never happens again.