A Short Story - and Extended Thoughts on Democracy

I started writing this short story a couple weeks ago. It is not finished. But I wanted to get it out in this form. When you get to the end of the this part of the story, I will do some explaining....

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Bursting the Bubbles- 

A Short Story

Barry A. Lehman

October 2018

The bubble burst last week. Most of the bubbles I have ever believed in are now gone. The sight of the National Guard patrolling Lake Street was the final one. There were no riots  or disturbances of any kind in Minneapolis.  Sure, there were protests, but all had been peaceful. We lived up to Minnesota Nice.

But under martial law, all protests were banned. A national curfew was imposed for 7 pm to 7 am local times. All stores and malls were to close at 6 pm with everyone off the streets by 8 pm. I know it makes no sense, but I am only reporting. We were told it was an "essential national security measure." The subversive forces were everywhere and only this kind of strict control would save democracy in the United States. The last election proved we were in great danger.

That last election was only six-weeks ago. It was a record-setting turnout. All ages, all groups, all political views showed up at the polls as never before. The result was seen as almost revolutionary- a peaceful, election-based revolution as has never  been seen before. Even the most Republican states were swamped by a "blue" Democrat wave. On a national level it wasn't even close.

Progressives and liberals like myself were overwhelmed with joy. Our months of grass-roots work, door-to-door canvassing, local advertising and mouth-to-mouth persuasion had been victorious. Democracy proved itself. "We the people..." meant something. It was in good, American tradition. What a light to share with the world.

The first bubble to burst came a week after the election. A statement was released through the White House: The election was null and void. It had been compromised by foreign powers, subversives, who had hacked the election system and turned the election against the party in power in the government. There was no choice but to invalidate the election. There would be a new election, but only after the problem could be investigated and the security promised for a fair election.

Unfortunately that would take at least into the late spring of next year. Therefore, using extraordinary powers, the President declared a state of emergency and asked Congress to pass a War Powers Act freezing all Federal and State elected officials as they had been on election day. It was also requested that these officials terms would be extended until six-weeks after the successful conclusion of a free election.

 Debate was heavy and partisan. The declaration and emergency powers act were passed. Attempts to block it were taken to the Supreme Court but to no avail. The Court refused to be involved due to the "extreme nature" of the threat to the United States.

Protests started almost immediately after the original White House statement. Large cities and small towns were swamped by angry voters. Local election officials attempted recounts to show there was no interference. In some states they at least were heard, but the Federal actions overruled them all. Things stood. As things deteriorated the FBI and Justice Department issued the results of their investigations. A number of well-known national figures were implicated in the hacking. According to the information, they knew it was happening and in fact had helped the "subversives" gain access.

The riots began in some cities not long after the night that the news channels reported that some of these national leaders were being arrested under the War Powers Act and being held in secure locations. Citing Lincoln's actions in the early days of the Civil War, the President and Congress suspended the writ of habeas corpus. The leaders would stay in prison.

Thus came the inevitable increase of violence. Supporters of the executive and legislative actions began to disrupt protests. The protestors were often arrested; the disrupters managed to escape. Local police forces were being stretched thin. The Guard was nationalized and the Reserves mobilized. Finally, protests themselves were banned due to serious "public safety hazards."

The final bubble of the American experiment was gone.

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Well, after I had written this fictional account on Saturday (Oct. 20), I was surfing around Facebook and was struck by a post from a  group I follow known as The Christian Left. They had cross-posted an article from the Washington Examiner about a CNN interview with reporter and author Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame. The post said:

Carl Bernstein: Trump preparing to call midterm elections 'illegitimate' if Democrats take power

Bernstein said Sunday that Trump has discussed ways to challenge the results of the midterm elections if the GOP's grasp on power slips. Bernstein said his sources relayed this information to him on Friday, warning that Trump has talked about a disruption campaign if the results are close but have the Democrats taking control of the House or Senate.

 I am not a prophet or prognosticator. I don't know whether Bernstein's sources are real or not. I do know that my personal awareness of history and the direction of autocratic leadership toward a fascist-type of control is real.

I do not believe this can truly happen. Or at least I want to believe it can't happen. I still have trust in our American democratic institutions. But there is a very disturbing undercurrent to Mr. Trump that undermines some of my hope.

Democracy, history tells us, can be a very fragile process. It is easily challenged by difficulties in the world, a concerted effort of propaganda and half-truths twisted into anti-democratic principles disguised in other half-truths and populist language.

My conservative friends, the few who still follow me or talk to me, will say I am being crazy, over-reacting, making a mountain out of a molehill. I hope so. But when I hear Mr. Bernstein's reporting, I wonder if, even now, I am underestimating the power that seeks to manipulate our democracy into un-democratic ways.

It is two weeks until the election. I pray my fears are over-blown and will look silly in December.