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canyonwalkerToday is December 15. It is 42 days after the election for President in the US, among many other races. It is only today that some elected leaders from the Republican Party, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, acknowledged that former Vice President Joe Biden won the election. And the rest of the Republicans? Many of still aren't acknowledging it. News article: CNN, 15 Dec 2020.
Granted, the vote was close enough in enough states that it wasn't possible to determine the winner right away. It took a few days. But by November 7 the result was clear. Republicans hide their absurd claims behind a technicality that the result wasn't "official" until the Electoral College met and voted Monday. That's a silly technicality. And it's downright monstrous in the context of President Trump and his election campaign suing in dozens of jurisdictions to overturn the results of the election with outrageous conspiracy theories supported by zero plausible evidence. The most recent suit, swatted down by the Supreme Court last week, was joined by more than half the Republican members of Congress.
"But he's got a right to sue in court!" many say in Trump's defense. That's an evil canard. First, people don't have a limitless right to sue in court. There are laws and precedents again malicious use of the legal system. The Trump campaign's laughably absurd claims and transparently dishonest witnesses are malicious. Second, consider the scale. This isn't just one crackpot filing pointless lawsuits because he can. It is the President of the United States, joined by the governors of more than two dozen states and over 100 members of Congress. This is not just "Oh, they have a right to sue"; this is an attempted state coup happening in plain sight.
Oh, and even though state and federal courts in the US have acted as the last line of defense for democracy, Trump, through his use of Twitter and friendly media outlets, has convinced more than 80% of the people who voted for him in November that Biden's win was a sham result. That's tens of millions of voters conned into believing up is down. That is how there's an attempted state coup happening slowly in plain sight!
Granted, the vote was close enough in enough states that it wasn't possible to determine the winner right away. It took a few days. But by November 7 the result was clear. Republicans hide their absurd claims behind a technicality that the result wasn't "official" until the Electoral College met and voted Monday. That's a silly technicality. And it's downright monstrous in the context of President Trump and his election campaign suing in dozens of jurisdictions to overturn the results of the election with outrageous conspiracy theories supported by zero plausible evidence. The most recent suit, swatted down by the Supreme Court last week, was joined by more than half the Republican members of Congress.
"But he's got a right to sue in court!" many say in Trump's defense. That's an evil canard. First, people don't have a limitless right to sue in court. There are laws and precedents again malicious use of the legal system. The Trump campaign's laughably absurd claims and transparently dishonest witnesses are malicious. Second, consider the scale. This isn't just one crackpot filing pointless lawsuits because he can. It is the President of the United States, joined by the governors of more than two dozen states and over 100 members of Congress. This is not just "Oh, they have a right to sue"; this is an attempted state coup happening in plain sight.
Oh, and even though state and federal courts in the US have acted as the last line of defense for democracy, Trump, through his use of Twitter and friendly media outlets, has convinced more than 80% of the people who voted for him in November that Biden's win was a sham result. That's tens of millions of voters conned into believing up is down. That is how there's an attempted state coup happening slowly in plain sight!
