A Super Tuesday Vote that Speaks for Many

‘First they came’ is a reminder of the stakes in this year’s elections

Minnesota is among the states participating in the Super Tuesday presidential primaries this week. It is a sign of the times that the most interesting results won’t be who wins - Joe Biden and Donald Trump are certain to finish first in their respective primaries - but how significant the protest votes are in both parties.

Independents are particularly torn. Do their votes even make a difference in elections already decided? And if they do go to the polls, is it more effective to vote “uncommitted” in the Democratic contest and send a message to Biden about Gaza or support Nikki Haley on the GOP ticket, hoping a strong showing in Minnesota and a few other Super Tuesday states may keep her in the race as a voice calling out Trump?

For those struggling with their vote - or deciding whether a vote in a primary in which the outcome is all but decided even matters - meet Jack Posobiec. Posobiec isn’t a household name, but he is well-known to followers of far-right media outlets, including One America News Network and Turning Point USA. His reporting often is centered on promoting every conspiracy theory that comes along, from Pizzagate to the stolen election lie.

Recently Posobiec had a turn in the spotlight at the national Conservative Political Action Conference. His message was an explicit call to insurrection. “Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn’t get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this right here,” he told the audience. The “right here” was a cross he held out to the audience. “After we burn that swamp to the ground, we will establish the new American republic on its ashes, and our first order of business will be righteous retribution for those who betrayed America.”

This isn’t just Donald Trump’s GOP, it is Donald Trump’s America, an autocracy embraced by his most faithful followers. Posobiec isn’t alone. Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, tours the country with apocalyptic messages. He is recruiting an “army of God” to make the U.S. a theocracy. He recently told one of his audiences, “If we are going to have one nation under God which we must, we have to have one religion. One nation under God and one religion under God.”

Flynn quite likely will have a significant role in a new Trump Administration.

What makes these statements especially frightening is their juxtaposition with Trump’s public plans if he is elected. To cite but one example, Trump has promised to deploy the military in civil actions (blatantly illegal) to round up all undocumented immigrants and deport them, to quell civil protests and to manage the southern border.

Listen to Trump and the context his campaign pledges are given by Posobiec, Flynn and others. Then re-read the poem, “First they came”:

“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist.

“Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

“Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew.

“Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Yes, some policies and actions of the Biden Administration are deserving of protest. And, as protests go, voting “uncommitted” is one of the more effective and meaningful tools to send a message ahead of a general election that likely will be very tight.

It seems, though, Biden is hearing the message and working toward a cease fire in Gaza and a long-term solution to the region’s troubles.

On the other hand, Trump keeps doubling down on his promised assaults on democracy. Will a vote for Haley stop Trump’s inevitable march to the GOP endorsement? Probably not. But could a significant showing of opposition cause other independents and Republicans to think twice in November about the danger this man poses? Perhaps.

Donald Trump promises revenge against his opponents. He tells his audiences, “I am your retribution.”

On Tuesday, a vote speaks for many; it calls out to a better America. After November, those voices may be muted, leaving only the likes of Jack Posobiec and Michael Flynn to be heard. And then there will be no one left to speak for the many.