this article is part of the opinion today newsletter. you can sign up here to receive more briefings and a guide to the section daily in your inbox. he has done it in scattered bursts rather than all at once, but donald trump has now laid out a comprehensive attack on this country<u+2019>s democratic traditions. the first piece of the attack is to argue that his opponent should not even be able to run against him. <u+201c>she shouldn<u+2019>t be allowed to run. it<u+2019>s crooked <u+2014> she<u+2019>s <u+2014> she<u+2019>s guilty of a very, very serious crime,<u+201d> he said at this week<u+2019>s debate . he was referring, he explained somewhat vaguely, to <u+201c>what she did with emails and so many other things.<u+201d> the second line of attack revolves around the idea that this election <u+2014> the one between him and his illegitimate opponent <u+2014> is <u+201c>rigged<u+201d> and rife with cheating. by now, you<u+2019>ve probably seen one of the many sober debunkings of these fictitious claims of widespread voter fraud. but trump has dominated the news over the past day-and-a-half by saying he may not accept the election<u+2019>s result as legitimate, unless he wins. the third and final piece of attack is a threat to investigate and potentially jail his opponent if he wins. <u+201c>if i win,<u+201d> he said at the second debate , <u+201c>i am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation, because there has never been so many lies, so much deception.<u+201d> trump also told hillary clinton <u+201c>you<u+2019>d be in jail<u+201d> if someone with his temperament were in charge of the justice system. together, these charges are unprecedented in american politics. (and there is a special warning at the new york times against using the word <u+201c>unprecedented<u+201d> lightly.) trump has adopted the language of despots <u+2014> lie-filled accusations meant to delegitimize both his opponent and the country<u+2019>s entire democratic system of governance. what<u+2019>s the best response from all of us? to fight his attempted despotism with more democracy. make a specific plan <u+2014> now <u+2014> for voting, including where and when you will do so. research has shown that such plans increase voter turnout. and encourage your friends and family to make a plan, too. you can join me on twitter (@dleonhardt) and facebook . i am also writing a daily email newsletter until the election and invite you to subscribe . follow the new york times opinion section on facebook and twitter (@nytopinion), and sign up for the opinion today newsletter .
donald trump, enemy of democracy
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