About some of the assertions in this Republican letter justifying opposition to a democratic election and in favor of the very undemocratic mass disenfranchisement of millions upon millions of voters...a thread:
"America is a Republic whose leaders are chosen in democratic elections. Those elections, in turn, must comply with the Constitution and with federal and state law."
It is a Republic or is supposed to be. And in 2020 they did, as affirmed repeatedly in state and federal court
It is a Republic or is supposed to be. And in 2020 they did, as affirmed repeatedly in state and federal court
"When the voters fairly decide an election, pursuant to the rule of law, the losing candidate should acknowledge and respect the legitimacy of that election. And, if the voters choose to elect a new office-holder, our Nation should have a peaceful transfer of power." TRUE
"The election of 2020 like the election of 2016 was hard fought and, in many swing states, narrowly decided. The 2020 election, however, featured unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations and lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities." see next
Several of the states Trump is talking about -- like Michigan and PA -- were closer in 2016. But then, the losing candidate conceded and didn't go on with false and flimsy fraud allegations. What is unprecedented is Trump's false allegations about voter fraud and the GOP buy-in
"Voter fraud has posed a persistent challenge in our elections although its breadth + scope are disputed. By any measure, the allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election exceed any in our lifetimes." They emanated from Trump+GOP, who haven't proven any in court
"Allegations aren't believed just by one candidate... Instead, they are widespread. Reuters/Ipsos polling, tragically, shows that 39% of Americans believe ‘the election was rigged.' That belief is held by Republicans (67%), Democrats (17%), and Independents (31%)." see next
As the saying goes, “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth” ...
"Some Members of Congress disagree with that assessment, as do many members of the media. Whether or not our elected officials or journalists believe it, that deep distrust of our democratic processes will not magically disappear. It should concern us all. And it poses an...
"...ongoing threat to the legitimacy of any subsequent administrations."
Basic logic would dictate that one way to stop that distrust would be to stop repeating false and disproven allegations about "voter fraud" that degrade trust in democracy
Basic logic would dictate that one way to stop that distrust would be to stop repeating false and disproven allegations about "voter fraud" that degrade trust in democracy
Also, as @DanBarryNYT put it: "Notice the careful, misleading language: 'Some members of Congress disagree...that the election was fraudulent as do many members of the media.' MOST members of Congress disagree; not some."
Letter continues: "Ideally, the courts would have heard evidence and resolved these claims of serious election fraud. Twice, the Supreme Court had the opportunity to do so; twice, the Court declined."
Several courts heard the "evidence,'' running the whole gamut of charges, and judges of all ideological leanings rejected that evidence as lacking credibility and substance. @nytnickc and @alanfeuer and I mentioned some of that in our story last weekend: nytimes.com/2020/12/26/us/…
For more on what's at play in all of this, please check out my @nytmag piece from late September: nytimes.com/2020/09/30/mag…
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