By Arlen Grossman

Did you ever wonder how free and democratic our elections really are? I suspect most Americans are inundated right now with endless requests for money from candidates running for office. Sometimes the request might be for $5, $10, $25 or more if we are able. Even $1 to get started.

And while you decide what you can reasonably afford to give, the world’s richest person, Elon Musk casually throws in several hundred million dollars to help Trump-aligned candidates. That’s what we know about (there are ways to hide the identity of election donors, and how much is given.)

***Thanks to Supreme Court decisions, corporations are considered people, and people no longer have to restrict the size of their donations. In other words, the Court has in effect enabled wealthy people to buy elections. Our candidates likely need our small donations, but it seems very unfair how our contributions seem so trivial compared to what Elan Musk can do if he thinks certain candidates can help his bottom line.

***I see a blue wave coming November 3. It very well could propel the Democratic Party to control both the House of Representatives and the Senate. If that happens, it is almost certain President Trump will look for a way to nullify the results and not certify the seating of elected Democratics. (Remember January 6, 2021?)

We know Trump could trigger a major constitutional crisis by denying and nullifying the elections. Democracy is hanging by a thread, but it doesn’t bother our president a bit. I think most Americans won’t tolerate any more election denials or sabotage from the president. America without democracy is terrible. We’ve seen what that is like. I believe Americans are not going to tolerate King Donald’s demented autocracy any more. We can’t afford to.