Newsletter: How pre-election rhetoric could fuel post-presidential election pandemonium

Good morning. It is Wednesday, Oct. 16 — slightly less than three weeks until the polls close on the 2024 presidential election. Here’s what’s happening in Opinion.

I saw Alex Garland’s “Civil War” on Max this weekend. And though it’s a well-done film, I don’t recommend watching it right now. The story line of Americans slaughtering each other because of where they are from or their political affiliation strikes a little too close to home.

After Jan. 6, 2021, I no longer find it difficult to imagine a future in which the United States has disintegrated into warring tribes, and the president has refused to leave office after two terms and has ordered airstrikes on U.S. citizens. (Although I still don’t buy the California/Texas alliance.)

And things aren’t looking better for this next transition as the actual and rhetorical violence during this presidential election is unprecedented, at least in my lifetime. As much as I want this election to be over, I’m afraid of what comes next.

If Vice President Kamala Harris wins, will Trump voters riot again? If former President Trump wins, will the violent element among his base feel empowered to act out against their political enemies? Some of them already feel comfortable enough to fly their fascist (swastika) flags at his rallies.

You know who also seems to be expecting pandemonium? Trump, who told Fox News on Sunday that he’s worried about election day violence from “radical left lunatics” and that the National Guard or U.S. military should be deployed against the “enemy from within.” Who are these radicals, exactly? Trump only mentioned one person — mild-mannered Burbank Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff, who is running for U.S. Senate. Clearly Trump is already setting up the alternative narrative should his well-armed superfans act out violently again, if their candidate loses again.

Gen. Mark Milley is right: Trump proved himself unfit to be commander in chief. And if he gets a second term, the former president is bound to “deploy the military as a political prop in service of his own brand, as he already tried to do. And he would reshape the military and the national security apparatus so that Trumpists would rise and others would not, “ writes U.S. Army veteran ML Cavanaugh.

The GOP assault on election integrity has already begun. Republicans are filing lawsuits and challenges to local election rules, targeting mail-in ballots, drop boxes and most every measure to make it easier for people to vote. “Since 2020, red states have enacted voting restrictions under the guise of ‘election integrity,’ though fraud is all but nonexistent,” writes columnist Jackie Calmes.

If you’re rethinking going to college, think again. Education journalist Jay Mathews worries that the trend toward college alternatives “may push high school too far in a new direction — awarding diplomas for off-campus apprenticeships, for spending too little time on homework and too much on gaining work and resume experience, or for minimal vocational ed — risking students’ foundation in literature, history, writing, math and languages.”

The complete list of The Times’ electoral endorsements. The editorial board has finished making recommendations for the Nov. 5 election, including state, city and county propositions, the L.A. County judicial races and Los Angeles Community College District Board. The board also made endorsements in L.A. City Council, L.A. Unified school board and selected congressional and state legislative races.

More from opinion

From our columnists

• LZ Granderson: Trump ‘loves’ Black men? He has a history of calling for their executions
• Robin Abcarian: Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation looked bad at the time. It was even worse
• Jonah Goldberg: Here’s what Ta-Nehisi Coates got right about Israel and Palestinians

From guest contributors

• Don’t be stupid: Skipping your COVID booster could reduce your IQ
• For voters, what Harris or Trump says may matter less than how they say it
• Does California stand a chance of preserving our precious groundwater?

From the Editorial Board

• Yes on Measure E to update emergency services for some L.A. County areas
• Fair college admissions require more than banning legacy preferences
• Execution despite doubt over guilt is a perversion of justice

Letters to the Editor

• We know some Californians are leaving. What about the millions staying?
• America prospered when we had high taxes on high-income earners
• Israel’s existence is what makes sure ‘never again’ is reality