The soft putsch has begun

What was once a QAnon fringe talking point has now come much closer to ensuring the end of democracy in the United States. Ted Cruz has joined other Senate Republicans in planning to contest the counting of Electoral College votes on the 6th.

It is absolutely time for Joe Biden to face this challenge at its source, which is Trump. Biden needs to make a public statement to Trump that American democracy requires the winner of each election to be installed as per the US Constitution. Biden has been pretending that all of this will go away and that it is just a distraction. These threats need to be addressed. Just as the threat against Mike Pence should be addressed without delay, the threats of a demise of democracy in America must be addressed.

Short of confronting Trump directly, Biden should start warning individuals of the dangers of seditious conduct. There’s no question that a legal case, along with an escape plan, can be made for the flummoxing of votes on the 6th, otherwise Cruz would not have joined. But it is imperative for Biden to address these challenges to his authority directly. Already there are plans to replace Trump-friendly Secret Service agents with apolitical agents. That this must be done speaks volumes about the threat that Trump poses. It is entirely possible that Trump will refuse to vacate the White House and call on his “patriots” to defend his staying there.

This is not a pretty picture, but allowing things to go on the way they are is a recipe for future disaster.