If American democracy dies, Democrats will have helped kill it

Our 'Planet of the Apes' moment.

If you’re a fan of science fiction movies, you probably know this scene:

I've been thinking about it a lot as the midterm elections approach.

Why? Here’s Axios:

Democratic Party strategists are watching Arizona's Kari Lake with growing alarm.

Why it matters: As some see it, Lake — a 2020 election denier — could easily win the state's gubernatorial race and threaten its 2024 election processes. And with the talent she's already displayed even as a political novice, they see her potential to soar to a vice presidential spot or a post-Trump presidential candidacy.

Zoom in: Of this year's midterm elections slate of "ultra MAGA" candidates, Lake has perhaps the best chance of winning.

And here’s NBC in July:

Kari Lake watched her lead narrow in the polls and big players in Arizona’s Republican establishment coalesce around her top rival weeks before the state’s Aug. 2 primary for governor.

So Democrats stepped in.

The state party, in an email blast this week, thanked her opponent, Karrin Taylor Robson, for past donations she made to Democratic candidates. The move was quickly interpreted as another example of Democrats’ meddling in midterm election primaries to help draw the general election opponent believed to offer the easier matchup in November — in this case Lake, an election denier endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

So, yeah, Michael Brendan Dougherty is right:

Michael Brendan Dougherty @michaelbd

Democrats wanted Kari Lake, and now they are going to get her. Pretty funny.

In July, I wrote for McClatchy begging Dems not to do this kind of thing. Some of the reasons were idealistic, but one was pragmatic:

It can backfire. Bad candidates can win a general election. That’s certainly the case in Pennsylvania, where Mastriano trails the Democratic nominee, Josh Shapiro, by only a few percentage points. A Republican victory in that race could have devastating ripple effects, both for Democrats and for democracy.¹

The consequences aren’t always so dire. In 2020, Democratic-aligned groups merely threw away a lot of money on Kobach’s Senate campaign. But danger looms. Sooner or later, a party that keeps backing the worst possible Republican candidate will get exactly what it paid for.

But I was also concerned that the messaging was all wrong. If Democrats are serious about MAGA Republicans being a danger to democracy, why on earth would they lend those exact same folks a hand? Why would voters believe them?

Well….

Voters overwhelmingly believe American democracy is under threat, but seem remarkably apathetic about that danger, with few calling it the nation’s most pressing problem, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll.

In fact, more than a third of independent voters and a smaller but noteworthy contingent of Democrats said they were open to supporting candidates who reject the legitimacy of the 2020 election, as they assigned greater urgency to their concerns about the economy than to fears about the fate of the country’s political system.

Now:

• Yes, I do think a lot of voters probably are more worried about their pocketbooks than democracy.

• It’s also true that if Dems lent Kari Lake a hand, it’s Republican voters who actually made her their nominee.

But it’s also the case that Dems lent her a hand. It was dumb. And American democracy might be about to pay the price as a result.

Question for you

Would you, the reader, prefer this Substack remain newslettery — that is, a longish post when I’m up to it, but no more than one a day? Or would you be interested in something bloggier? That is: Possibly multiple shorter posts daily?

Let me know in the comments!

1. You may have noticed that Arizona is a swing state.