Now it’s gone mainstream
Those of you who read this blog know where you heard it first. But here’s the Daily Beast getting it too:
After almost two years of being called “election deniers” for aiding and abetting Donald Trump’s failed coup attempt, supporting his “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen, and chiseling away at the democratic process by insinuating that any election they lose is automatically suspect—Republicans have finally come up with a snappy comeback.
It’s essentially the juvenile clapback, “I know you are, but what am I”—best known as Pee Wee Herman’s 1980s-era go-to retort.
Yep:
Sen. Ted Cruz brought it to the mainstream this week during an appearance on The View, when he read some quotes from Hillary Clinton and other Democrats calling their past election defeats illegitimate. The hosts took the bait, replying that at least Dems didn’t set out to murder the Republican vice president and sack the Capitol at the behest of the President of the United States.
That, predictably, led to a prepared Cruz riposte about “antifa riots,” and the whole segment quickly devolved into a screaming shitshow.
A viral clip from the Republican National Committee showing “10 Minutes of Democrats Denying Election Results” also continues to be widely shared by the right-wing Pee Wee Hermans of Twitter.
The montage mostly consists of Clinton and others talking about Russian interference in the 2016 election, which they said makes Trump an “illegitimate president.” There’s also a smattering of Dems talking about possible vote-counting malfeasances in Ohio in 2004. Appearing near the end are some even dustier clips of liberals saying that George W. Bush in 2000 was “appointed” by the Supreme Court, rather than “elected.”
And of course, there’s Stacey Abrams’ repeated claims that her defeat to Brian Kemp in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election was illegitimate. She has long alleged that Kemp, in his then role as secretary of state, suppressed the vote by wrongly canceling over a million voter registrations and closing hundreds of polling sites during his tenure in office. But as USA Today’s fact checker noted, “those actions can be explained as routine under state and federal law, and an expert explained there’s not much empirical evidence supporting the assertion that Kemp either suppressed the vote or ‘stole’ the election from Abrams.”
Abrams never officially conceded her defeat, which Republicans have fairly used as evidence that she’s an “election denier.”
Ok, so what?
Is the point that Abrams and Clinton are sour grapes losers, therefore Trump’s coup attempt, ongoing Republican efforts across the country to seize control of election processes, and widespread intimidation efforts—all stemming from a demonstrably false theory that the 2020 election was stolen in a multi-state conspiracy (that supposedly included Republican elected officials)—are fair play?
Here’s the thing. Al Gore conceded the 2000 election after the Supreme Court halted the Florida recount. John Kerry conceded the 2004 election the very next day, and objections to the certification of Bush’s reelection were quickly batted down by Democratic leadership. And Clinton, for all her subsequent “illegitimate president” talk, also conceded the next day.
None of them pushed a lie—and this is not debatable, it is a lie—that makes every U.S. election for the foreseeable future a potential civil war flashpoint. Trump will never concede, and directed a violent mob toward the U.S. Capitol to take over Congress and overturn our election. Spot the difference?
Here’s a very small sample of things we know for a fact, in large part thanks to the Jan. 6 Committee hearings (which mostly featured testimony from Trump administration officials, MAGA diehards, and police officers).
“Is the point that Abrams and Clinton are sour grapes losers, therefore Trump’s coup attempt [and] ongoing Republican efforts across the country to seize control of election processes…are fair play?”
There was coordination in the high echelons of Trump’s inner circle with the neo-fascist groups who tried to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory. Trump nakedly abused his power by leaning on local officials after the election to “find votes” for him to win—a request that, under any other presidency, would have been, and should have been, treated as an impeachable offense. And numerous people in his administration—from his loyal attack dog attorney general, Bill Barr, to his own daughter, Ivanka—tried to make the president listen to reason, face the unimpeachable facts, and accept that he lost a thoroughly vetted, free, and fair election.
Trump, a loser of the sorest kind, would do no such thing. And now he has inspired a movement hellbent on salting the earth.
It’s perfectly in keeping with the essentially juvenile nature of Trumpism. They are suffering from a mass case of arrested development. Just watch a Trump rally if you don’t believe me.