In 2020, contrary to conventions in the nation’s election laws, states were able to change the election rules in the middle of the election and did so with the blessings of the judiciary, often including Trump-appointed judges.
Likewise, the Trump-appointed Secretary of Homeland Security offered elections procedures to use during COVID that deviated from prior elections, including the use of drop boxes for voting — a procedure novel to many states.
These changes, approved by judges, led a congressman friend of mine to declare the election was “stolen fair and square.” Democrats, often leading the rules changes, embraced them and played the system. To this day, former President Trump openly opposes early voting and ballot harvesting in states where it is legal. Democrats continue to advance their ballot-harvesting game.
Concurrent with those procedural changes, Trump supporters have often claimed other evidence of voter fraud. Unwilling to acknowledge that elections are run by people, people are stupid, and there is no perfect election, Trump supporters have taken legitimate irregularities, combined them with many things cast as irregularities that are not, and made unfounded claims about conspiracies and voter fraud that have not held up in court, often in front of Trump appointed judged. To this date, no court has found sufficient evidence to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election. But that won’t stop people from claiming as much.
Many reading this now will rush to the comments to insist that the election really was stolen. Many will cite the thoroughly debunked documentary about the mules and shenanigans in Fulton County, Georgia, etc. People want to believe the election was stolen, they don’t know anyone who voted for Biden, have you seen what Sidney Powell said, etc. 🤷♂️
I write this not to re-litigate 2020 or welcome the easily offended into the comments to tell me the election was really stolen and I refuse to believe it. It wasn’t and your whining about it won’t change that fact, but you are welcome to pay me money for the privilege of bitching and moaning in the comments.
I write all this to point out that the left, with the press on their side, is engaged in the exact same behavior.
2020 did not go the way Donald Trump wanted, so he has set about delegitimizing the lawful institutions of the election, from the senior citizen volunteers who run elections to the Electoral College and Congress.
The Supreme Court has stopped giving the left what they want, and they are now doing the same thing.
First, they cast aspersions on the conservative Justices. None of the allegations against the Justices hold up, but you’d be hard-pressed to know it from any news network. Clarence Thomas has a rich friend who is generous with his friends. Thomas, therefore, is on the take. Fifteen years ago, Alito took a trip on a plane, and even another judge was told there was no reason for disclosure, but Alito is corrupt.
The Pro Publica stories are Dinesh D’Souza-style efforts to discredit the Court. The fundamental difference is CNN and the New York Times take Pro Publica seriously and not Dinesh D’Souza. They will dismiss D’Souza’s mules and amplify Pro Publica’s manufactured appearances of impropriety.
For all the screaming and moaning of anchors, pundits, and reporters at the various news channels and newspapers of America about Trump trying to undermine the republic, they are engaged in the exact same behavior with the Supreme Court for the exact same reason — the Court deprived them of power they thought was theirs.
When the Court was 5-4, the left could still get much of what they wanted including Casey, Obergefell, and Bostock. But a 6-3 Court is less likely to give them what they wanted, so they might as well discredit it.
The latest is the allegation that Ms. Smith, the woman behind 303 Creative, made up a claim against herself. The press claims an online request to Ms. Smith’s company had been made up. The person allegedly responsible denies he submitted the request.
The Associated Press, the New York Times, the Washington Post, MSNBC, etc. have all run stories about the online request. They’ve tried to cast doubt on the 303 Creative decision because of the story. They wish to delegitimize a story they had already mischaracterized in their basic reporting. Originally and falsely, virtually every news outlet claimed the case held that a business could decline to offer services to someone who was gay. But the case showed clearly the plaintiff did work with gay customers.
In fact, with regard to the online request, the case had already been filed in Court prior to the request being made. The State of Colorado helpfully stipulated that Ms. Smith and her company would immediately run afoul of Colorado law if she refused to build a website for a gay wedding. Courts normally require an existing controversy, but this case falls in a rare exception where the Court will hear a legal challenge knowing a plaintiff would immediately be in violation of the law if she acted as she intended.
The request, whether legitimate or not, had no bearing on the federal courts taking the case. Colorado admitted as much. It hasn’t mattered to news networks. Not only have they reported the man who allegedly made the request denied doing so, but much of the press and all of the left have suggested the lawyers for 303 Creative made it all up.
Over the past few weeks, someone has been signing me up for appointments with Walgreens for shots, etc. I have no idea who did it. The first few were in my name. I then got one for “F**k you fatty” and another for “Suck Biden’s Dick.” The last was this one.
I don’t know who made the appointment. I assure you it was not me. I guess, given the names, it is an alt-right troll.
In the same way, who knows who did it to 303 Creative. Suggesting it was her lawyers or her when her case had already been filed is absurd. But, again, the left and press are out to delegitimize a decision they do not like. They want to cast doubts on the Court because the Court is depriving them of the powers they seek — in this case to shut down businesses of those who do not support gay marriage.
The left and their press allies are no different from the Trump supporters who have cast doubt on the elections. The latter stormed Congress on January 6th. The former attempted to assassinate a Supreme Court Justice and protested outside the homes of Justices with an Attorney General refusing to enforce the law against protests outside the homes of federal judges.
If anything, the left’s assault on our republic is worse than Trump and his supporters because the left is using the current Justice Department, the press, and cultural and academic institutions to both lie and undermine the institutions of the republic.
Yes, Trump supporters may have stormed the Capitol on January 6th. But it is members of the left who attempted both the mass assassination of members of Congress and the attempted assassination of a Supreme Court Justice. The press corps that lectures Trump supporters on their illegitimacy feed and fuel the antics of the deranged and angry left.
I have long been willing to call out the stolen election conspiracists. I will not hold my breath for the press corps’ analysts, editorialists, and anchors to do the same on the left with the Court.
The left and press coupled with the Trump supporters denying the 2020 election, have become the Spider-Man meme.
Erick, I listen to you every day and I agree with almost every opinion you give…almost. You seem to be very intelligent and well read. But, I think it is naive to think that the government of this country would not stoop so low as to try to steal an election. In my mind, I believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt they would indeed do anything and everything they could to retain their power and control. It’s a no brainer. I am NOT a Trump fanatic,. I am in fact an independent. I look around with my own eyes and see the lengths the government will go to keep this country divided in order to gain a sliver of an advantage. Donald Trump just happened to be the curve ball they watched go by as strike three was called. The Democrats got caught sleeping and they will not let that happen again. Or at least they don’t wish to strike out looking. They will cheat.
It is a well established principle that judges must not only refrain from improper conduct, they should also avoid the appearance of impropriety. I don't know very much about the allegations against Alito, but it seems clear that were Clarence Thomas not on the Court, neither he nor his family would be getting a darn thing from this "friend" of his . . . and that just doesn't look right.
If Thomas' conduct would have violated the ethical standards to which judges on the lower federal courts are held but those standards do not apply to the Supreme Court, the motives of those raising it notwithstanding, the absence of any ethical constraints applicable to Supreme Court justices is a legitimate issue for public debate.