There are really no options I like at this point. Feels like America is in Russia mode, i.e. the story always goes, “things got worse”. I can imagine some possibilities that have some hope, but not a lot.

A popular revolt with a significant percentage of the population could do it, but it would have to be like twice as big as the October No Kings protest to hit that 3.5 percent rule. Does that seem possible?

Short of that, the military could always display some backbone and decide it doesn’t like being told to follow illegal orders. In order to appear impartial it might vacate each branch of government and refill the seats in turn, probably Congress and the house first, and hold snap elections, then have the new crowd put in new judges, then get new electors to hold a new presidential election. That would be a dangerous quagmire with permanent damage to our norms of self governance, but a hard reset done right could feasibly save some of the baby, as long as it gets rid of all the bathwater. I mix metaphors to cheer myself up sometimes. But you’d have to get rid of a lot of bathwater, and the geopolitical situation would go insane the whole time. I can’t even begin to game that part out.

Sadly I don’t see a normal “business as usual” way out. Voting harder in a broken system only gets you further into the casino, and the dealers are playing good cop-bad cop with us. Personally running for office is just an invitation to have your life ruined, either by financial ruin, death threats, stress, and/or losing to someone funded by oligarchs. I wouldn’t wish a life in politics on anyone these days.

So yeah. Backup plans?