Dear MPC Family,
Events of recent years have laid bare serious threats to our democracy. It is now clear that some conservatives, including Christian Nationalists, are working to seize control of our political system–even if it means the end of our democracy.
For many years progressives and others failed to see the forest for the trees: we fretted over each anti-democratic step that the far-right took, without understanding it as part of a long-term pattern of strategic actions.These actions are now well documented and are bearing fruit: please click here for a one-page summary of the most compelling examples.
In five major swing states—Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin—election deniers will be on this November’s ballot seeking office as Secretary of State or Governor. These positions exert significant power over election certification and could play a key role in overturning valid results, particularly of the 2024 presidential election.
If successful, this multi-faceted strategy could set the stage for a clean sweep in 2024 in which its architects control the Presidency, House and Senate, enabling rapid adoption of broadly unpopular policies such as a national abortion ban and the repeal of a range of established civil, privacy and voting rights.
As people of faith, how do we meet this challenge?
First, we must educate ourselves and come to grips with the seriousness of this crisis. The three articles cited in the footnotes below provide a compelling overview of the threats we face. And next Wednesday, September 7 at 7:00 pm MPC will offer a round-table discussion in the Sky Room (click here for the Zoom link) for all who would like to explore this situation further.
Next, we must take action. MPC’s Democracy and Politics Team has grown to over 85 MPCers writing postcards, making calls and canvassing precincts to encourage high voter turnout in critical midterm races, which is essential to defeating the conservative strategy outlined above. We invite everyone to begin, continue, and/or ramp up this good work in the 10 weeks remaining before the election. Please stop by the Cookies for Calls table–which is usually offered every other Sunday after Celebration–to get involved, or click here to email us.
We also encourage anyone interested in providing financial support to pro-democracy organizations and/or Secretary of State candidates to click here for a list of recommendations to consider. In accordance with the Johnson Amendment, MPC as an institution cannot endorse candidates or raise money directly for them. But as participants in the church we can encourage one another to become involved and to support candidates and organizations of one’s choice.
Thank you for reflecting on this difficult but important information.
With hope for a successful election and a healthy democracy for generations to come,
-Members of the Earth Care Committee’s Democracy & Politics Core Planning Team & Rev. Ben Daniel (ex-officio)
1 Kagan, R., “Our Constitutional Crisis is Already Here”, Washington Post, Sept. 23, 2021: www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/23/robert-kagan-constitutional-crisis/
2 Stewart, K., “Christian Nationalists Are Excited About What Comes Next”, New York Times, July 5, 2022: www.nytimes.com/2022/07/05/opinion/dobbs-christian-nationalism.html3 Medina, J. et. al. “In Four Swing States, GOP Election Deniers Could Oversee Voting”, New York Times, Aug. 3, 2022: www.nytimes.com/2022/08/03/us/politics/gop-election-deniers-trump-arizona-michigan.html