Trump's team screamed about fraud without ever claiming fraud in court because the real play was ALWAYS to get state legislatures to simply disregard the election results and award their electoral votes to Trump. The frenzy that the base was whipped into by the fraud claims was intended to provide cover in the form of a political environment where state legislators might better justify what they had done. (If this sounds like just another conspiracy theory, I would love to hear another explanation for why fraud was never even presented in court.) Though cynical, unprincipled and indeed, un-American, had the election come down to just one or two states. it might well have worked. Mere state legislators may not have withstood the pressure that we saw brought to bear on the national legislature last week.
I am by no means a fan of Mitch McConnell, but he got it exactly right with that stuff about sending our democracy into a death spiral. He has seen this phenomenon himself in relation to the filibuster, where the Democrats' use of the "nuclear option" for certain nominations led Mitch to nuke it for Supreme Court nominations, which will almost certainly lead Democrats to eventually nuke it altogether. In the same fashion, if Republicans in either Congress or the state legislatures were to take this presidential election out of the hands of voters, Democrats would do the same thing the first chance they got and soon, we might as well not even bother with presidential elections.
And then there was Mike Pence, along with people like Brad Raffensperger and those two Republican legislative leaders from Michigan who Trump summoned to Washington. All chose country over party in refusing to dishonor the will of the American people, as expressed through our democratic process.
I have been sorely disappointed by my Republican brothers over the past four or five years. Now that the mask has been ripped from your eyes and you see just how dangerous Donald Trumpism is, keep on doing the right thing. Lindsay Graham may have said it best:
First, thank you for clearly saying that their were legal problems with judges overruling legislatures on voting rules. This is something that is serious. But, it will probably never be addressed because the focus has turned to Trump. Which is more of a dangerous insurrection the judicial usurpation of legislative powers or a group invading congressional chambers and cleared out in less than a day? (I think the demonstrators were rightly met with force. The judges never will be.)
Third, I find it difficult to follow your reasoning that people in a group can't mistake normal words used to rouse people to commitment to a political or religious cause and thus become violent when the speaker was not intending that. At the Last Supper Jesus told his disciples to get a sword if they didn't have one. Then Peter cut off the ear of one of those in the group who came to arrest Jesus. Was Jesus an inciter of violence/insurrection because one of his followers became violent?
Fourth, you are demonizing a whole class of people who have real concerns about widespread voting and other fraud in our governmental processes. History is full of instances where what couldn't be proved at the time was later proved to be true (or false).
I think we are stumbling over a common versus a legal definition of the word “fraud.” Ordinary people have a common sense approach to fairness and register funny business as fraudulent. We don’t understanding why unlawful procedures like denying poll watchers close access to counting doesn’t disqualify the votes or run afoul of equal protection. We are mystified why, e.g., boxes of ballots brought in a back door by night in the absence of poll watchers, stacks of unmailed, unfolded ballots machine-marked in only one oval, running tabulations showing votes disappearing, totals decreasing and votes switching, big batches of votes 99% for one candidate added all at once, Election Day registered voters finding their votes had already been cast on mail-in ballots, and comparison of public records revealing votes by the underage, out of area and deceased are not “genuine legal concerns.” We don’t understand why anyone would not want affidavits of aberrations checked into and machine workings made available for inquiry. We consider the popular vote in swing states to be the electoral vote. And, though we understand the reticence of judges to take up cases within such a short time frame, we don’t understand legal niceties like lack of standing, latches and improper filings causing the rejection of cases and sworn evidence not to be examined. I did not pay attention to the theater of some attorneys’ outlandish claims, but I also don’t know why having concerns that the voting process was in some cases fraudulently executed is labeled as believing in lies, or why every Constitutional avenue should not be exhausted. I think Ted Cruz and others like him recognize that the bewilderment of ordinary people, despite pronouncements of “no fraud, move along,” should be addressed so we may move forward trusting the process was free, fair and legitimate. His idea of calling for an investigation was a good one. I hope an extensive investigation can still go forward, so we may arrive at much more electoral transparency in at least mail-in tallying and machine counts in the future.
As someone said, it’s sad that America elected a president that needed adults in the room to restrain him. But, at the same time, this is also how it’s always been. The president is powerful but also constrained by traditions, personnel, and history. I think Trump could not accept this fact and soon shed as many constraints as possible. Because he was rarely challenged or checked, he began to think he could get away with anything. He finds it impossible to accept a reality not to his liking.
Anyway, from my analysis from the outside (I am one of your beloved democratic socialists), there’s a difference between Trumpism, traditional Republican ideology, and populist Republican ideology. Many expected the GOP to throw off Trumpism once he left. Because of his erstwhile popularity, politicians rode on his coattails but they were not sincere. Some still do, which will come back and haunt them. I don’t think the GOP expected it would have to renounce Trumpism and distance itself from it so quickly and so strongly. I look forward to the GOP rebuilding itself, reincorporating traditional Republican and conservative ideas and goals. Trumpism is an aberration.
The left and the right - let us work together to allow America to reach its full potential.
Your comments regarding the Vice President should be heard much more often. Far too often, we overlook what could have been, being too caught up in what has been. Thank you for this. Perhaps the wisest course for Conservative is to simply start doing what we actually believe. No histrionics, just action based on truth and conviction. As always, may God have mercy on America and continue to bless its leaders and give them wisdom.
Even our current Democrat leaders. God has used many pagans throughout history to do His will. While the Democrats as a whole certainly embrace a pagan mindset, not all are. Yet God can use every one.
BTW, He certainly used Trump, wherever Trump is on this continuum........
Yes, Yes, YES. I’ve been saying the same to my family that these actions have opened a new door that genuine conservative and real Christian people will suffer under. But alas, in the West, Christians do not really suffer-yet. As in the words of John The Beloved, “Even so Lord, come quickly.” We are seeing the beginning of the birth pains.
Fear is a great motivator. Or, as we say in the South "A scared dog will bite you faster than a mad dog will."
While I totally agree that the wild conspiracy theories pushed many otherwise sane and reasonable people, led by insane and unreasonable people, over the edge...we can't neglect to acknowledge why they were so very close to the edge in the first place.
Years, not just the past several months, but years of violent riots. Starting in 2012 in Ferguson...still ongoing in 2020. The "Portland...coming soon to a neighborhood near you!" threats from Antifa.
Constant "demands" from the Leftists for reparations. The "Equality Act" to criminalize Biblical viewpoints on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Identity politics that claim that no one male, white, Christian or heterosexual should be allowed to hold office...and then they elected Biden. Go figure.
"The Resistance" viragos marching in the streets wearing...those ridiculous pink hats, and screeching loudly that "white males" are the font of all evil.
Claims that if your 8 year old decides they want to change their gender...you will be forced to be compliant or your children can be taken from you. The sexual exploitation of young children, encouraged and supported by LGBT activists in schools.
"The dogma lives loudly within you." The Kavanaugh debacle.
The threatened nationwide shutdown of all small businesses. The Covid hysteria...people watching their loved ones die in nursing homes and hospitals, unable to even say goodbye or hold their hands to ease their passing. Funerals forbidden...unless it's George Floyd or John Lewis, or someone else the "Left" wants to honor with a funeral.
Places of worship closed, protests and riots allowed.
And every single bit of it encouraged and condoned by Democrats.
The fear that the people who want you dead...will now be in charge and able to fulfill their threats. The fear that Donald Trump, his family, and his supporters will be facing prosecution, vengeance and retribution from the Democrats.
As you said "What did they think was going to happen?"
Both parties have failed America. This has been a long time coming, and it ain't over yet. Much as I hope that cooler heads will prevail...the non-stop addiction to outrage and thirst for more and more drama is still ongoing in Washington...in both parties.
We must move on and the election was not stolen. I never believed it was. I was concerned but I never believed the election was stolen. We must move forward. There is much work to do. I am disappointed in Donald Trump. In 6 years we will be over this and it will be a memory. We must let the new Administration work and see what they pull out. My God is not politics and it never was. We are not going to Hell in a hand basket, well some of us aren't. I for one am going to Heaven and I am going to live my life as such. I just got back from 10 days in California and I am absolutely sickened by what I saw. Homeless camps and tent cities everywhere. People have made ply wood structures on the side walks. I saw people bathing in the street out of milk jugs. For a moment I had to slap myself to remind me that I was in the US. What about them? Do you think they care about a clown show?
Why are you complaining about Mike Flynn? He was set up by the FBI. They played the man and ruined him.
Trump's team screamed about fraud without ever claiming fraud in court because the real play was ALWAYS to get state legislatures to simply disregard the election results and award their electoral votes to Trump. The frenzy that the base was whipped into by the fraud claims was intended to provide cover in the form of a political environment where state legislators might better justify what they had done. (If this sounds like just another conspiracy theory, I would love to hear another explanation for why fraud was never even presented in court.) Though cynical, unprincipled and indeed, un-American, had the election come down to just one or two states. it might well have worked. Mere state legislators may not have withstood the pressure that we saw brought to bear on the national legislature last week.
I am by no means a fan of Mitch McConnell, but he got it exactly right with that stuff about sending our democracy into a death spiral. He has seen this phenomenon himself in relation to the filibuster, where the Democrats' use of the "nuclear option" for certain nominations led Mitch to nuke it for Supreme Court nominations, which will almost certainly lead Democrats to eventually nuke it altogether. In the same fashion, if Republicans in either Congress or the state legislatures were to take this presidential election out of the hands of voters, Democrats would do the same thing the first chance they got and soon, we might as well not even bother with presidential elections.
And then there was Mike Pence, along with people like Brad Raffensperger and those two Republican legislative leaders from Michigan who Trump summoned to Washington. All chose country over party in refusing to dishonor the will of the American people, as expressed through our democratic process.
I have been sorely disappointed by my Republican brothers over the past four or five years. Now that the mask has been ripped from your eyes and you see just how dangerous Donald Trumpism is, keep on doing the right thing. Lindsay Graham may have said it best:
"Enough is enough."
What happened to your “I Told You So” post from January 6, 2021? It does not appear in your post search engine results. Interesting?
First, thank you for clearly saying that their were legal problems with judges overruling legislatures on voting rules. This is something that is serious. But, it will probably never be addressed because the focus has turned to Trump. Which is more of a dangerous insurrection the judicial usurpation of legislative powers or a group invading congressional chambers and cleared out in less than a day? (I think the demonstrators were rightly met with force. The judges never will be.)
Second, interesting that even the ACLU is concerned about people's social media accounts being cancelled because they don't say approved things. https://sharylattkisson.com/2021/01/liberal-american-civil-liberties-union-aclu-opposes-trump-but-expresses-concern-over-big-tech-censorship-of-him/
Third, I find it difficult to follow your reasoning that people in a group can't mistake normal words used to rouse people to commitment to a political or religious cause and thus become violent when the speaker was not intending that. At the Last Supper Jesus told his disciples to get a sword if they didn't have one. Then Peter cut off the ear of one of those in the group who came to arrest Jesus. Was Jesus an inciter of violence/insurrection because one of his followers became violent?
Fourth, you are demonizing a whole class of people who have real concerns about widespread voting and other fraud in our governmental processes. History is full of instances where what couldn't be proved at the time was later proved to be true (or false).
Amen! Mike Pence is the true patriot here! I hope he runs in 2024!
I think we are stumbling over a common versus a legal definition of the word “fraud.” Ordinary people have a common sense approach to fairness and register funny business as fraudulent. We don’t understanding why unlawful procedures like denying poll watchers close access to counting doesn’t disqualify the votes or run afoul of equal protection. We are mystified why, e.g., boxes of ballots brought in a back door by night in the absence of poll watchers, stacks of unmailed, unfolded ballots machine-marked in only one oval, running tabulations showing votes disappearing, totals decreasing and votes switching, big batches of votes 99% for one candidate added all at once, Election Day registered voters finding their votes had already been cast on mail-in ballots, and comparison of public records revealing votes by the underage, out of area and deceased are not “genuine legal concerns.” We don’t understand why anyone would not want affidavits of aberrations checked into and machine workings made available for inquiry. We consider the popular vote in swing states to be the electoral vote. And, though we understand the reticence of judges to take up cases within such a short time frame, we don’t understand legal niceties like lack of standing, latches and improper filings causing the rejection of cases and sworn evidence not to be examined. I did not pay attention to the theater of some attorneys’ outlandish claims, but I also don’t know why having concerns that the voting process was in some cases fraudulently executed is labeled as believing in lies, or why every Constitutional avenue should not be exhausted. I think Ted Cruz and others like him recognize that the bewilderment of ordinary people, despite pronouncements of “no fraud, move along,” should be addressed so we may move forward trusting the process was free, fair and legitimate. His idea of calling for an investigation was a good one. I hope an extensive investigation can still go forward, so we may arrive at much more electoral transparency in at least mail-in tallying and machine counts in the future.
Your comments about Mike Pence are spot on. Thank you!
Thank you, Erick.
As someone said, it’s sad that America elected a president that needed adults in the room to restrain him. But, at the same time, this is also how it’s always been. The president is powerful but also constrained by traditions, personnel, and history. I think Trump could not accept this fact and soon shed as many constraints as possible. Because he was rarely challenged or checked, he began to think he could get away with anything. He finds it impossible to accept a reality not to his liking.
Anyway, from my analysis from the outside (I am one of your beloved democratic socialists), there’s a difference between Trumpism, traditional Republican ideology, and populist Republican ideology. Many expected the GOP to throw off Trumpism once he left. Because of his erstwhile popularity, politicians rode on his coattails but they were not sincere. Some still do, which will come back and haunt them. I don’t think the GOP expected it would have to renounce Trumpism and distance itself from it so quickly and so strongly. I look forward to the GOP rebuilding itself, reincorporating traditional Republican and conservative ideas and goals. Trumpism is an aberration.
The left and the right - let us work together to allow America to reach its full potential.
"Rudy in a speedo and filming him with an iPhone while he is flinging his TV remote control yelling “Are you not entertained?”"
Hilarious, though I could've done without the visual...
Keep up the great work Erick!
Your comments regarding the Vice President should be heard much more often. Far too often, we overlook what could have been, being too caught up in what has been. Thank you for this. Perhaps the wisest course for Conservative is to simply start doing what we actually believe. No histrionics, just action based on truth and conviction. As always, may God have mercy on America and continue to bless its leaders and give them wisdom.
Even our current Democrat leaders. God has used many pagans throughout history to do His will. While the Democrats as a whole certainly embrace a pagan mindset, not all are. Yet God can use every one.
BTW, He certainly used Trump, wherever Trump is on this continuum........
Thanks, Eric. In addition to all of the horrible acts I've seen over the last week, I now have to live with the vision of Rudy Giuliani in a speedo.
Hands down... one of your best letters! Balanced, thorough, thoughtful. Thank you!
Yes, Yes, YES. I’ve been saying the same to my family that these actions have opened a new door that genuine conservative and real Christian people will suffer under. But alas, in the West, Christians do not really suffer-yet. As in the words of John The Beloved, “Even so Lord, come quickly.” We are seeing the beginning of the birth pains.
Fear is a great motivator. Or, as we say in the South "A scared dog will bite you faster than a mad dog will."
While I totally agree that the wild conspiracy theories pushed many otherwise sane and reasonable people, led by insane and unreasonable people, over the edge...we can't neglect to acknowledge why they were so very close to the edge in the first place.
Years, not just the past several months, but years of violent riots. Starting in 2012 in Ferguson...still ongoing in 2020. The "Portland...coming soon to a neighborhood near you!" threats from Antifa.
Constant "demands" from the Leftists for reparations. The "Equality Act" to criminalize Biblical viewpoints on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Identity politics that claim that no one male, white, Christian or heterosexual should be allowed to hold office...and then they elected Biden. Go figure.
"The Resistance" viragos marching in the streets wearing...those ridiculous pink hats, and screeching loudly that "white males" are the font of all evil.
Claims that if your 8 year old decides they want to change their gender...you will be forced to be compliant or your children can be taken from you. The sexual exploitation of young children, encouraged and supported by LGBT activists in schools.
"The dogma lives loudly within you." The Kavanaugh debacle.
The threatened nationwide shutdown of all small businesses. The Covid hysteria...people watching their loved ones die in nursing homes and hospitals, unable to even say goodbye or hold their hands to ease their passing. Funerals forbidden...unless it's George Floyd or John Lewis, or someone else the "Left" wants to honor with a funeral.
Places of worship closed, protests and riots allowed.
And every single bit of it encouraged and condoned by Democrats.
The fear that the people who want you dead...will now be in charge and able to fulfill their threats. The fear that Donald Trump, his family, and his supporters will be facing prosecution, vengeance and retribution from the Democrats.
As you said "What did they think was going to happen?"
Both parties have failed America. This has been a long time coming, and it ain't over yet. Much as I hope that cooler heads will prevail...the non-stop addiction to outrage and thirst for more and more drama is still ongoing in Washington...in both parties.
But God is still in charge. His will be done.
Yes thank you Vice President Pence
We must move on and the election was not stolen. I never believed it was. I was concerned but I never believed the election was stolen. We must move forward. There is much work to do. I am disappointed in Donald Trump. In 6 years we will be over this and it will be a memory. We must let the new Administration work and see what they pull out. My God is not politics and it never was. We are not going to Hell in a hand basket, well some of us aren't. I for one am going to Heaven and I am going to live my life as such. I just got back from 10 days in California and I am absolutely sickened by what I saw. Homeless camps and tent cities everywhere. People have made ply wood structures on the side walks. I saw people bathing in the street out of milk jugs. For a moment I had to slap myself to remind me that I was in the US. What about them? Do you think they care about a clown show?