I just want to put it on the record that I think this is an exceptionally dangerous moment. We desperately need figures like President Biden not to say, as he did on broadcast television last night, that he expects a “mini-revolution” if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. Yes, it is an ambiguous statement, and the most charitable interpretation is that he is merely overhyping anticipated electoral consequences. But we need leaders to reassure people that the constitutional system of self-government will continue to work, as ever.
Progressives currently see what they take to be a lack of accountability for major political figures who were involved in Trump’s attempt to pressure Mike Pence on January 6. Conservatives likewise see progressive prosecutors going easy on 2020 rioters, and a distinct lack of interest by media and national law enforcement in the campaign of violent intimidation aimed recently at pro-life crisis-pregnancy centers, churches, and even at the Supreme Court justices themselves.
Democratic peoples live and die on the principle of reciprocity. And we can slide quickly into the widening gyre of history as our partisans become convinced the other side can deploy violence strategically and without serious consequence.