I’ve been admittedly blissed out for much of the past month. As soon as I realized that Joe Biden had the election locked up, I’ve just been experiencing real joy for the first time in four years. This joy has led me to underestimate the lengths the suckbaby losers will go through to ratf–k the election, even though the election has been over for more than a month. I mean, I just can’t waste my time getting worked up over it, but even I’m starting to understand that in so many states, the situation was more tenuous than I admitted to myself. Yesterday was Safe Harbor Day, which “serves as something of a guarantee that Congress must count the slate of electors certified by the deadline, and acts as an accelerant to resolve any outstanding election disputes.” Basically, that means that Trump has no legal way to ratf–k anymore, yes? But Trump still thinks he has a path to steal the election before everything is certified on January 6th, and too many Republicans are placating him. Which is basically where we are now: Trump actively committing crimes out in the open, and he’s inciting his supporters to threaten, harass and commit violent acts against his political enemies.
With a key deadline passing Tuesday that all but ends his legal challenges to the election, President Trump’s frenzied campaign to overturn the results has reached an inflection point: Certified slates of electors to the Electoral College are now protected by law, and any chance that a state might appoint a different slate that is favorable to Mr. Trump is essentially gone.
Despite his clear loss, Mr. Trump has shown no intention of stopping his sustained assault on the American electoral process. But his baseless conspiracy theories about voting fraud have devolved into an exercise in delegitimizing the election results, and the rhetoric is accelerating among his most fervent allies. This has prompted outrage among Trump loyalists and led to behavior that Democrats and even some Republicans say has become dangerous.
Supporters of the president, some of them armed, gathered outside the home of the Michigan secretary of state Saturday night. Racist death threats filled the voice mail of Cynthia A. Johnson, a Michigan state representative. Georgia election officials, mostly Republicans, say they have received threats of violence. The Republican Party of Arizona, on Twitter, twice called for supporters to be willing to “die for something” or “give my life for this fight.”
“People on Twitter have posted photographs of my house,” said Ann Jacobs, the chair of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, who alerted her neighbors and the police about the constant threats. She said another message mentioned her children and said, “I’ve heard you’ll have quite a crowd of patriots showing up at your door.”
Mr. Trump himself has contacted numerous Republican state officials, pressing them to help him overturn the election he clearly lost. He has subjected others to repeated public shamings, lambasting governors to take action they are not legally allowed to take to keep Mr. Trump in power. But absent a single significant victory in his dozens of lawsuits — and with a key defeat delivered by the Supreme Court on Tuesday — the president’s crusade is now as much a battle against the electoral process itself, as he seeks to cast doubt on free and fair elections and undermine Joseph R. Biden Jr. before he takes the oath of office.
“There is long-term damage when this kind of behavior is normalized,” Jeff Flake, a former Republican senator from Arizona, said on Twitter. “It is not normal, and elected Republicans need to speak out against it.”
I’m thinking again about how Joe Biden and Kamala Harris both said they’re not going to direct the Department of Justice to investigate Trump and the people around Trump. The point of Joe and Kamala saying that is to point out how the DOJ is supposed to function, with independence, not as a tool of one political party or the other. But honestly, how will the Biden-era DOJ even avoid investigating Trump and his minions for JUST what they’re doing during the transition? The crimes are in plain sight. Anyway, yeah… it’s absolutely nutburger crazy to say it out loud: Donald Trump and his Republican allies are doing their best to overturn the election results and just declare Trump the winner, and the Republican Party is going along with it.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
The calls for folks to be willing to die for Trump and his cause are frightening.
The GOP needs to stop. Now. Before we have a Jonestown type of mass cult suicide. Will the GOP encourage Trumpsters to die rather than live with a Biden administration? Where will it end?
These folks are going to have a psychological breakdown when Biden is sworn in.
GOP are in too deep to back off now, their base is energise for good or bad and they are going to keep that going until 2024 where they will try and steal another election.
GOP are now a party that wants the destruction of American democracy and to install a dictatorship where they have complete power.
Homegrown version of ISIS is being born.
It was born decades ago when Goldwater ran, it was purified when Nixon’s support was immovable and it was codified into a cult when the right wing media became full propaganda.
I am going to say something very callous: I don’t care if they do all suffer a psychological breakdown, nor do I particularly care if they were to commit mass suicide. My concern is that they will turn their inner turmoil outward and commit mass violence as a way of addressing their pathological feelings.
These people have largely wandered into propaganda willingly. I think they enjoyed how it made them feel powerful, how it allowed them to amplify the latent racism and bigotry and misogyny they felt into something that felt like power and safety, and I think each of them (apart from people who were already in the throes of diagnosable mental illness) had a moment of truth in which they realized what media they were consuming was bad and that their thoughts were bad and they turned toward the darkness. They did this to themselves.
Betsy- not disagreeing. I only mentioned suicide because the cult mindset reminds me of Jonestown.
But you’re absolutely right that violence towards their enemies is more likely. And that these people have willfully chosen to consume harmful sources because they support their worldview.
Honestly?…I’m with you. these people care for no one but themselves and Dear Leader. the world would not miss them as they likely don’t contribute to the well being of society or any other person besides themselves. in fact, they actively disrupt society and other people’s well being.
however, I also agree that these folks are much too egocentric to actually kill themselves. violence toward those they perceive as causing their problems is much more likely.
WhatWhat?- suicide bombers. I can see that. These people are radicalized to a scary degree.
@Rapunzel, no, you and I are on the same page.
I am planning on writing to President Biden when he’s officially inaugurated – a real snail mail letter – asking him to please, please, please address this. “This” being the crimes of Trump and his kids, the crimes of the GOP, this unamerican sedition of trying to destabilize democracy. We CANNOT let this pass unremarked. I know he wants to do the right thing of keeping space between the office of the presidency and the DOJ, but the last four years’ crimes can’t go unpunished. It doesn’t unify a family to pretend that a 34 year old nephew is a pedophile who traffics children and sells drugs, that his mother is an arsonist who targets nursing homes and hospitals, that a cousin runs car accident scams. Sweeping this under the rug won’t heal sht.
GOP congressional leaders on the Inauguration Committee refused to acknowledge Biden is President-Elect yesterday. And it’s not suicide they’re pushing for, it’s “extermination” of political opponents. That’s the word Q-anon uses in its Great Plan video. They are inciting their followers to assassinate Democratic leaders and kill anyone who gets in the way.
LP- not disagreeing at all. As I said above in reply to Betsy, this violence against “enemies” is far more worrisome, and I didn’t mention it only because I was thinking about Jonestown as I wrote.
The language that Trump and his supporters have used has been intentionally dehumanizing to inure the base to the idea that Dems are “evil” “traitors” “monsters” “opposition” “thieves” etc. This is to prepare them to think it’s no biggie to kill them. It’s so Nazi Germany. It’s scary.
Republican leadership on the inauguration committee refused to acknowledge yesterday that Biden is president elect. This needs to stop.
You gotta be fcking kidding me. I cannot with these traitors.
Could you imagine being such a loser on every single point? I’m talking literally but also figuratively – every little thing: loser.
I’m so here for it.
I keep saying this: what he is doing is going to piss off a lot of people in Georgia and turn the state blue. And I pray that it happens. I’m sure there are others like myself who swing both ways in regards to voting for a party, but this has soured me with the GOP and lack of action. The Georgia AG spoke last night on CNN and thank goodness there are some with sense left in politics. The Lincoln Project too has called out Trump. And kudos to the SC Justices – well done.
+1
My MIL is a republican and said she will never vote for anyone in the republican party again because of the way not a single republican placed democracy over party. I don’t know what that means in the long run for the democratic party, I’m personally much more progressive, but I’ll take just about anything over Trump…at this point.
That’s because these people who won’t stand up to Trump are politicians and not statesmen. I hope this is a wake up call for many and people see how asinine political parties are; it’s the candidate’s political ideologies that we should examine – not which party they label themselves as.
I think they will investigate, because there is so much crime. I actually think that’s why Sally Yates isn’t the AG nominee. If he had chosen her the story would be about a “disgruntled” fired employee. It’s not true, but the story writes itself. I’m sorry for Yates because I think she’s a pro and a patriot, but Doug Jones is the better choice IMO.
Good point about Yates. Jones is a good man. And holy hell do the Democrats have a mess to clean up. It will be an uphill battle every step of the way but it’s a relief to know that qualified, experienced adults will be in charge again.
Too bad this seditious chaos is casting such a dark cloud on what should be a more joyous time.
Biden should have gallows erected where DT & MMcC can see them, bc that’s what really needs to happen.
When he asked for a “hero” my first thought was that he was asking for someone to kill for him. The further he goes, the more his cult seems to like it. They want to be incited to violence, and he’s happy to do it, knowing that he will be perfectly fine and they will be the ones paying the price. It’s just like with Covid, he’s constantly telling people to gather knowing that some of them will die while knowing that he will get all the medical attention he needs to stay alive. I always thought that people were being too loose with their language when they called him a sociopath. But man, I’m fully on board now.
Much like someone commented above, ‘I’m going to be callous’.
“They want to be incited to violence, and he’s happy to do it, knowing that he will be perfectly fine and they will be the ones paying the price. It’s just like with Covid, he’s constantly telling people to gather knowing that some of them will die while knowing that he will get all the medical attention he needs to stay alive.”
These are consenting adults we are talking about. Not helpless innocents having their hands forced. They can fucking get criminal repercussions or covid or whatever the hell their stupid actions brings upon them. And they deserve it 100 fucking percent!
Georgia officials & politicians are receiving death threats. It’s a dangerous game Trump is playing. We’ve already seen there are those out there willing to go the extra mile to implement their plan. He needs to be held accountable for the violence he inspires. Fleckless, craven and cowardly Republicans won’t do a thing, except sit back and wait for time to run out on this administration.
Please Twitter shut this sicko down. Not in January, now. Stop giving him a platform. He may come back elsewhere, but not as big.
Trump doesn’t give a crap….he doesn’t want the job, never really did, but he loves having people in power kowtow to him and, mainly, he will fight tooth and nail to avoid having “loser” attached to his name. And since he craves attention about as much as he craves money, in his mind this is all a win win because he’s still the top headline every day and his coffers are growing because, well, fools and their money.
You have summed it up perfectly. He is not strategic—he’s purely primal—grab, shove, threaten. His goal is simply that he must win. Whatever “winning”means in his mind is the only acceptable outcome and there is NOTHING too horrific in that quest—everyone and everything else is disposable. The fact that having his “patriots” go to war on his behalf will bring about his end is beyond his scope. His thinking is less sharp tool and more blunt instrument—strategy and game theory are definitely not in his toolbox.
This man is a blustering fist shaker who has the “weak,” the “suckers,” or the “losers” who want to please him, do the work—some very dirty work indeed. We have seen him publicly ask for illegal favors, with unspoken assurance that the “tough guys” who act on his behalf will face no consequences other than being held high as a patriotic national hero. Before being elected he asked for international election meddling and now he is asking for help removing those who won’t fall in line.
Again, there is no line he won’t cross, even though most people seem to still be waiting for it with the assumption that there *must* be one. There isn’t. He will say, and do, anything, to “win.” As Little Finger said in Game of Thrones, chaos is a ladder. Trump’s behavior creates an unrelenting and numbing level of chaos, and he has climbed that ladder to the top.
I’m genuinely afraid of the precedent this may be setting for future elections…do we have this to look forward to in four years if Nagini isn’t locked up and decides to run? Is this psychotic new segment of the GOP going to storm state capitols with guns (again) surround elected officials’ homes blatantly intimidating and threatening them and their families (again) and be allowed time in legislatures to yowl about conspiracy theories with absolutely zero evidence supporting them even being given time on the agenda (again)?
Election reform needs to be addressed well before the next one comes around because…although we all knew Trump would be a pouty brat when he lost, did we REALLY think it would get THIS bad?
And as disgusted as I am with Trump, the GOP leadership that has mealy-mouthed their way through the whole thing, excusing him at every turn, makes me sick with rage. Exactly what is their long-game once their shenanigans are shown in an even brighter spotlight of a Biden/Harris/Democratic majority? Either they really are that short-sighted, or there is so much dirt on each and every one of them that they’re terrified to do anything except fall in (the losing) line and then try to lay low afterward.
The best way to stop a bully is to stand up to him. When they go low, you go high doesn’t mean turning a blind eye to criminal behaviour, and I am sure that threatened public officials would appreciate the support. Obviously the path of least resistance is to just let the fool spin his wheels until he is out of office and hope he fades to black, but if Biden takes the path of greatest resistance he has 4 years to rewrite the witch hunt narrative that the loser will weave. Short term pain for long term gain.
I don’t believe that it is just Republicans placating Trump. I think they are actively in on it. They are that corrupt and traitorous.
The Arizona GOP retweeting and encouraging violence is shockingly horrible. Our own criminal AG suing to overturn. When do these actions turn into real crimes?
It is horrifying and keeps me pretty anxious and upset.
As a longtime immigration lawyer who has represented many refugees and asylum applicants, I am well aware of the fragility of governments and democratic institutions. I never thought I would see the day when vast swathes of the Republican Party would actively foment unrest, attempt to delegitimize a free and fair election, destroy public trust, and seek to dismantle longstanding protections and laws that made the USA a beacon of hope to much of the world. Yet here we are. Public enemy #1 was not in fact Al Qaeda or ISIS; our biggest threat were our own homegrown traitors hiding in plain sight.
Thank you for putting into words what I have been thinking this whole time. The fact that past Republican and Democratic presidents and (some) governors are aligned together AGAINST this insanity speaks volumes.
Trump is all about money. How he could leverage and exploit his gig as president. Now that the writing is on the wall, he’s on a deadline. And once the money started rolling in since the election, there is no reason for him to stop now. In fact he’s seen that the more outrageous he gets, the more outraged he gets his supporters the more money he collects. He probably thinks it’s hilarious how the sycophants slobber at his feet as they take up his lost cause, when he is all about collecting money and then running away with the bags of cash like a cartoon bank robber.
He’s not going to share it with anyone, he’s not going to use it to bolster the Republican Party. He might reward his most fervent minions with a shout out tweet every once in a while.
But in the end he’s going to use that money for his own means and ends. To either pay off debts or fight his legal battles, or to prop his failing businesses, because his brand is toast.
He’s a petty con man to the end. And he has no loyalty. I can’t wait for the shocked and hurt faces of all those clingy republicans toads when they can no longer deny or delude themselves that they got played.
I expect this kind of treachery from Herr Twitler. The GOP should know better and it is my sincere wish that they get what’s coming to them.
Did anyone see the video of the city council member on a Zoom meeting debating updating a mask mandate and she got a phone call from her CHILDREN that protesters were banging on her door at her house? Who does that? ARREST and jail them all.
SCOTUS really slammed that case about PA yesterday and I am hoping they do the same with that ridiculous case from Texas. Texas doesn’t have the right to meddle in the elections of four other states (GA, MI, PA, WI), besides its AG (who filed the lawsuit, big shocker) is currently being investigated by the FBI. He wants a pardon, that’s what this lawsuit is all about.
Besides does he really want to mess with the Lt governor of Pennsylvania? He’s one fella that I wouldn’t want to get on the bad side of and I’m glad that he’s a “take no crap from anyone” democrat.
God I am hoping the SCOTUS does the same with the Texas lawsuit as well. I read other states are joining Texas. This is getting so out of hand. I truly despise the Republicans going along with this very dangerous situation.
Dumb can’t do anything but destroy. Ignorance only follows. These idiots wallow in hate without an ounce of concern or desire to educate THEMSELVES. They are our modern Dickensian rivers of shit polluting democracy, cities and towns from sea to shining sea every second of every day.
Trump wants nothing less than a civil war. He wants the equivalent of a confederate statue of himself in every town square. I’ve always said that the biggest terrorism threat comes not from outside the US but from within – homegrown terrorists will be around for a long, long time despite the Dems and rational Repubs doing their best to quell the unruly mobs.
Oh you’re right, that’s exactly what he wants. I never equated it that way “He wants the equivalent of a confederate statue of himself in every town square.”
You nailed it.
“Die for something”? Yeah, no. Even if one of these paint chip-munching racists actually managed to harm anyone (God forbid), they wouldn’t die for it. The cops would calmly approach them, call them “sir”, and stop at Burger King on the way to the station for questioning. And then their bail would be paid for by. like, the son from ALF or something.
Miranda, you’re 100% correct about this.
Apart from the important issues that I have already posted about – what is wrong with his face? Why do his eyes pop out of his head as if he has untreated Graves’ disease? Why is his skin so weird looking? Is it all just the aftermath of covid?
It is clear Drumpf gets off on the reverence. I think even he can’t believe how far he has been able to usurp the GOP and command fealty from evil cultists. Now he will exploit that feeling of all powerfulness to no end if not stopped and gleefully watch as people are killed to protect his pitiful ego. I am not well versed in the law but I will forever be stunned that a man holding the highest office in the land is legally allowed to openly and publicly incite violence without repercussions.
We must never forget what the current crop of republicans have been willing to destroy to hold onto authoritarian power.
I have a friend in Western NY who posts voter fraud posts and spent hours piecing together a video and sending it to Guliani’s team. I am concerned for her mental well being. She is a 30 something married woman on disability. I unfollowed her, but wondering if I should write her off the Christmas card list and simply unfriend. Appalled this is someone I let into my life who is clearly unhinged.
Anyone else have a friend who they just found out is like this??
He is attempting a coup, clear and simple. He is inciting a civil war to wrest power from the rightful victor of the presidential election. Almost all the Republican Congress are enabling, supporting and even egging him on. This will not end well. He is whipping into a frenzy his seventy million cult followers. Trump is the biggest terrorist threat to this country right now. When he said he likes chaos, who knew he meant tearing down and destroying the country he swore to uphold and protect? If I didn’t believe in this kind of stuff, I’d say he’s doing the devil’s work.
I actually do believe in that stuff. I’ve probably said it 100 times over the last 5 years- he is absolutely doing the work of the devil. His supporters who believe he’s “anointed by God” are worshiping him as a false idol.
I also believe that so-called Christians who work so hard to destroy the lives of people who are LGBTQ are doing the work of the devil by turning thousands of people away from God. How do they not see how evil they are?
The Trump Kushner stain is real. MY GOD, make this stop. They lost, but they will never go away. This is frightening, not American, not fair and horrific. Help us all. At least Biden/Harris did win, thankfully! Yet any thinking that this wretched family (sorry but they are 🙂 will go quietly into the good night, or behave with even a shred of dignity is mistaken. I hope they get caught for the many true crimes they have committed, prior to and while in office. Nope though, not today – they are going after Hunter Biden again! Sickening, come back and talk to me when he is a Senior Advisor to the President like Jared and Ivanka. Won’t happen. Again, we won, please make it stop.
The fools who say they would die for him? He wouldn’t give them so much as his fingernail clippings.