The BIG Lie

[PaulKay]

The effects of this are very real.  The root of the entire conflict we are seeing is a single lie: That Donald Trump won the election.
That’s it. That’s everything.
T**** will never disavow the lie.  His pathological narcissism prevents it.  He could stop the insanity in a heartbeat.

And if this lie remains in American politics, there will be no peace or comity.
Think about it from the perspective of the person who believes the lie: They have been told by the president of the United States that the election was fraudulent. The vast majority of the president’s party has testified to the truth of this story. The only reasonable conclusion of this tale is that America is currently undergoing a coup. That the incoming government is not only illegitimate, but is an occupying, authoritarian force.
If you believe that—if you really, truly believe it—then how could you acquiesce in anything that is happening? How could you pay taxes? Why would you obey laws? Why wouldn’t you storm the Capitol? Because if you believe this lie—really, truly believe it—then you are trying to save our democratic republic.
If you believe the lie that Democrats have ousted the duly-elected president of the United States in a bloodless junta, then what could President Joe Biden possibly do to bring about unity?
Nothing. Because he would be—literally—a tyrant.

The Biggest Lie, Johnathon Last

And here is the point which you must understand:

Nothing can get better in American politics until this lie is repudiated by the main body of the Republican party in the public square, with enough force and repetition that the majority of Republican voters cease to believe it.

Even if armed insurrection is not a weekly occurrence, a government cannot function when a third of the citizens believe it is literally, not rhetorically, illegitimate. It is not be possible to legislate or build consensus or even enforce the laws when you begin with a substantial minority who literally believe that the government is the product of a coup.

What the Republican party has done over the last two months is akin to having dropped polonium into America’s political groundwater.

And the radiation from their lie has poisoned everything.

[TKennedy]

I agree. If Trump and all of his henchmen publicly announced that after reviewing all the data they had become convinced the election was valid, at least to the point that any documented fraud would not have changed the outcome it would de-escalate things enormously.

A congressional bipartisan commission on elections like the 911 investigation forming to write a definitive report on the 2020 election with the goal of insuring the validity of future elections could be a big step forward. I am sure there was some fraud on both sides, there always is. A lot of good ideas could come out of such a commission.

[epaul]

But there is no investigation that can investigate what hasn't already been investigated. The Big Lie is mobile beyond the reach of any investigation. I just read that the current most popular QAnon election steal story (direct from the mouth of a crazy-assed preacher) is that the Italian military hacked our voting machines and was responsible for delivering the election to Biden.

HOW THE FUCK DO YOU INVESTIGATE THAT?

[epaul]

If there was any sense of sanity to the "election steal" delusion, the Georgia elections should have put at least some of the doubts to rest.

The "It was Stolen" folks claimed that there was no way in hell Biden could have ever won in Georgia unless it was a steal. Well, the Georgia Senate races were the most closely eagle-eyed observed and monitored elections in the history this country and the two Democrats beat the two Republicans. Confirmation. Georgia can vote Democratic if it choses to.

[Cornflake]

"HOW THE FUCK DO YOU INVESTIGATE THAT?"

Briefly, I'd say.

[epaul]

Incidentally, the preacher who was quoted in the Strib as claiming the Italian military hacked our voting machines is from Alec (a claim trending high on QAnon sites). Terry might know of him (you do keep up on local preachers, right, Terry?) This preacher released a Youtube video calling for all faithful who would listen to arm themselves for the coming war.

[dradtke]

Republican Representative Peter Meijer (Tamarack's rep) has said that he and some of his colleagues are buying body armor and altering their daily routines because of death threats they have received for not supporting Trump enough. He also said that some of his colleagues knew that they should have voted to certify the election, but didn't because they felt that they and their families were in danger.

Now, I'll admit that I was not present in the room with Meijer when he received those death threats, and I did not go along with him to buy body armor. So this is most likely my bias from reading shit in the leftist press, because I don't know this from first hand experience.

But it sure seems to me that that government officials are under the threat of death squads — and that deadly influence is already determining outcomes. That's frightening.

Minnesota public safety officials are recommending that people avoid the state Capitol until after the inauguration. We know that building well, my wife's office was there for fifteen years. Federal courts in Minnesota will be closed through Thursday.

[dradtke]

Jan 15, 2021 12:22:09 GMT -5 epaul said:

I just read that the current most popular QAnon election steal story (direct from the mouth of a crazy-assed preacher) is that the Italian military hacked our voting machines

Is that why 20 pizzas were delivered here last week? I wondered.

[Deleted]

One of the traits of modern conservatism (or at least since the days of Lee Atwater) is the inability to admit error. Similarly, they can't apologize. Acknowledging The Big Lie would require at least the first and probably some of the second. So they can't do that.

Trump spent years fanning the flames of birtherism. He was its biggest proponent. Even in September 2016 when he finally had to admit Obama was a natural-born U.S. citizen, he didn't admit error. He didn't apologize. Not only that, but he claimed Hillary Clinton started the birther movement.

Topping it off, Trump's 2016 campaign issued a statement saying Trump, "did a great service to the president and the country" by bringing up questions about Obama's birth. So not only did he not say he was wrong, not only did he not apologize, he claimed someone else started the movement then HE took credit for "solving" the issue and claimed he did "a great service" to the country and Obama. It doesn't get any nuttier than that.

And I'd bet dollars to donuts that if you asked Trump today, he'd tell you Obama was born in Kenya.

[Rob Hanesworth]

Jan 15, 2021 17:57:30 GMT -5 @dhanners55 said:

And I'd bet dollars to donuts that if you asked Trump today, he'd tell you Obama was born in Kenya.

FYI, David, donuts are now worth more than dollars. 😄

[dradtke]

www.fastfoodmenuprices.com/dunkin-donuts-prices/

Dunkin Donuts Combos
2 Donuts $3.69

[PaulKay]

Chicago Tribune editorial calling out the Big Lie.
Editorial on the Big Lie.

[epaul]

^{That lie — and we know it’s a lie thanks to more than 60 failed lawsuits and the words of the U.S. attorney general and election officials, Democratic and Republican, from every state —}

Yeah, sure. And I'm supposed to believe that over my Facebook feed? Ha!

[dradtke]

From the ChiTrib editorial:

Remember Georgia and all the noise Trump made claiming the state’s election was stolen? On Tuesday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported it had obtained a recording of a conference call federal lawyers had with Bobby Christine, the newly appointed U.S. attorney for Northern Georgia.

Trump put Christine in place recently after forcing out his predecessor, Byung Pak. Trump grew unhappy with Pak because he wasn’t finding election fraud.

In the conference call, Christine talked about — surprise! — the fact that there was no Georgia voter fraud to be found.

“Quite frankly, just watching television you would assume that you got election cases stacked from the floor to the ceiling,” said Christine, who has been described as “devoted” to Trump. “I am so happy to find out that’s not the case, but I didn’t know coming in.”

Of the two voter fraud cases that were ongoing when he arrived, cases he dismissed on his first day, Christine said “there’s just nothing to them.”

Trump’s rhetoric about Georgia was loud and widespread. News about how wildly he was lying is quieter. It’s unlikely to reach the minds already poisoned by his gaslighting.

Short form: Trump fires US attorney for not finding fraud. Appoints his his hand-picked devoted US attorney who - to his own surprise - also can't find any fraud.

[epaul]

Hmmph! Nothing about that has been forwarded to me on Facebook yet. FAKE NEWS!

[epaul]

But, I just heard that 93,342 Trump ballots from Pennsylvania were found in a dumpster behind the Minto Coop Elevator in Minto, ND! Stop the Steal!