Dana Bash Sounds Alarm on Democracy’s Fragility as 2024 Election Mirrors Past Chaos
CNN’s Dana Bash offered vital insights in her recent interview with legal analyst Michael Zeldin, where she discussed the cautionary tale her new book, *America's Deadliest Election: The Cautionary Tale of the Most Violent Election in American History*, holds for today. Focusing on the tumultuous 1872 Louisiana gubernatorial race, Bash sheds light on an era of intense voter suppression, fraud, and societal division, lessons that are increasingly relevant as Americans head into the 2024 election. Her book serves as a warning about how unchecked forces can exploit vulnerabilities in the electoral process, a critical issue today as debates around voting rights and electoral integrity continue.
Reflecting on the historical context, Bash details how Henry Clay Warmoth, a 26-year-old “carpetbagger” and Republican governor, manipulated the political system to maintain his power in post-Civil War Louisiana. Initially elected with support from newly enfranchised Black voters, Warmoth’s ambitions eventually led him to shift allegiances and play into the hands of white supremacists seeking to disenfranchise Black voters. Bash underscores the fragility of democratic institutions, explaining how “Warmoth understood... the way to control everything is through voting, is through the election boards, is through the judicial system.” This strategy of control over electoral mechanisms, she notes, was a key part of maintaining power—a reminder of how those in office may seek to manipulate the system to their advantage.
The extent of fraud and disenfranchisement in the 1872 election shocked Bash, who draws a direct line to today’s challenges around voting rights. “They would engage in violence before election day as a way of intimidation... black votes that were just taken and put in the woods,” Bash said, describing tactics designed to keep Black voters from the ballot box. This aggressive suppression fueled an era of political chaos in Louisiana that culminated in violent clashes and dual governments, with both Republican and Democratic candidates declaring victory.
In a particularly pointed reflection, Bash suggests that this period’s cautionary lessons are essential for a healthy democracy today. “If I’d known more about this period while covering the 2020 election, I would have approached it totally differently,” she told Zeldin, emphasizing the importance of vigilance over the systems and individuals who oversee elections. Drawing parallels to the ongoing debate over election integrity, Bash insists that “vigilance with the electoral system is... much more fortified than it was then, but it still relies on people doing the right thing in a lot of ways.” The book’s retelling of 1872’s violent election reminds us that historical disenfranchisement and manipulation can still haunt modern elections.
As Bash sees it, the story of *America’s Deadliest Election* reminds us that democracy can’t rest on tradition alone—it requires proactive engagement and protection. Echoing the stark consequences of history, she remarked, “The cautionary tale… is because so much of what happened was about election fraud and disenfranchisement... [which] we need to know about... in order to make sure, just like everything in history, that it doesn’t happen again.” Her insights are not just historical reflections but urgent reminders for the present, underscoring how understanding the past can prepare us to safeguard our future.
Through her conversation with Zeldin, Bash delivers a powerful narrative of how democratic institutions can be subverted—and what citizens today must do to prevent it. Understanding the fragile nature of electoral integrity, Bash’s reflections serve as a call to vigilance and proactive defense of democratic rights for all voters in the upcoming elections.
