Please, please, don’t take this the wrong way. Marc Elias knows more about election law, politics, and justice when he’s sound asleep than I do when I’m wide eyed and completely caffeinated. But…
What was your first reaction on November 7, 2020, when you heard that the Associated Press had declared Joe Biden the election’s winner?
I thought the game was over.
Really?
I did. Now, did I think that Donald Trump was going to be a good loser? No. Did I think he would be gracious in defeat? No.
But did I think that he and his allies would persist in bringing frivolous postelection litigation? I didn’t anticipate that. Nor did I expect that he’d have the continued support for these efforts from the establishment of the Republican Party…
I didn’t expect this process would be opposed by Republicans. I thought they knew better…
The moment that really struck me came on December 7 when the state of Texas sued in the US Supreme Court to block four other states’ election results from being counted. My initial reaction was, “This is nonsense from the Republican attorney general of Texas who’s under indictment and who is seeking Trump’s favor. Maybe he wants a pardon?” I made the mistake of thinking, “Oh, this is crazy.”
Yes, it was a “mistake.” Long before Donald Trump praised neo-Nazis as “very fine people,” establishment Republicans — the Bushes, the Cheneys, and so many others — made it abundantly clear where their sentiments lay. I just don’t understand why this was so hard for so many intelligent people — and Elias is clearly brilliant — to perceive.
Like Digby, I hope it’s not too late but I fear it is.