Thread by @David_Shorr

Hi there GOP,
I feel you. Must suck having to follow this odious asshole. Those with a conscience must hate being yoked to that heap of incompetence and corruption in the WH. It can't be fun having nothing but denial & heartless talking points in response to a deadly pandemic 1/

Some of you have tried easing your guilt with off-the-record media interviews -- acknowledging the horror of Trump while doing absolutely nothing about it. But we need to talk about your party's resort to cheating in this year's elections rather than competing on the up and up 2/

I dunno, have GOPers forgotten how democracy is supposed to work--what it's about? (A rhetorical Q, but for a purpose in this how-far-they've-fallen thread.)

Elections are a competition for the support of the people based on a platform of what a party would do in government 3/

From all appearances and evidence, my dear Republicans, you have given up on fair competition and submitting to the verdict of the American people. Otherwise why would you be doing so much to keep Americans from voting? 4/

First you forced those w/o drivers licenses to go get ID at the local DMV. And then started closing DMV offices or cutting back their hours. Then you switched to shutting down polling places where black & brown people vote--making them travel farther and wait in longer lines. 5/

Now you're hyping the supposed illegitimacy of absentee ballots -- the same dishonest, evidence-free game that was thoroughly exposed and debunked re in-person voter fraud -- while attacking the postal service to disrupt the return of ballots. Bluntly, this is shady as fuck 6/

Oh, and as if screwing with the mail isn't enough. You also want to keep local election officials from setting up drop-off boxes for absentee ballots. There is no other explanation -- Republicans want to keep people from voting. What gives? 7/

And at the same time Republicans are working harder to thwart American voters than appeal for their support, your leader has sought and/or welcomed election help from foreign governments including (at least) Russia, Ukraine, and China. 8/

Honest senators in your party acknowledged the Ukraine shakedown, but argued that trying to cheat in a presidential election wasn't an impeachable offense. But let's conclude with a look at your defense / counterattack regarding the Russia hoax. 9/

The sleazy deceptive Bill Barr whitewash of the Mueller Report hangs on the lack of sufficient proof of a criminal conspiracy with Russian authorities. Yet the Report offered copious evidence that Team Trump invited and welcomed Russian help... 10/

Or as Trump put it repeatedly in the campaign's final weeks, "Wiikileaks Wikileaks Wikileaks Wikileaks" The Mueller Report has details (and names) of the Internet Research Agency, Roger Stone's contact with Wikileaks, Trump Tower meeting...

And what do the Republicans have? 11/

In the face of all the established facts of Trump encouraging Russian election help, the GOP defense is comprised of: a bad FISA warrant application; a "dossier" ultimately made irrelevant by more substantial evidence; a whistleblower's complaint (same story)... 12/

...a couple career FBI professionals with personal distaste for Trump (but no indication that affected investgations); and the weird notion that Michael Flynn was entrapped. Never mind the substance of his actually being compromised by the Russians--or his guilty plea. 13/

And here in WI we have our own special foreign election interference, as our senior senator serves as a funnel for Russian disinformation.

Adding up all the voting suppression & foreign interference leads to one conclusion: the GOP doesn't believe in democracy anymore. 14/14

9a "Russia hoax"

Oh also I meant to include Republican refusal to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act, which used to pass Congress with overwhelming bipartisan majorities