Yesterday the Orange Clown himself gave what may be the most dishonest, demented Presidential speech in the history of the country. And that's saying a lot!
President Trump gives UPDATE on voter fraud claims The Hill 12/02/2020:
Heather Cox Richardson in a 12/02/2020 Facebook post wrote:
Let me take a step back here for a minute to emphasize that this is dangerous, unprecedented… and crazy. The president of the United States is trying to undermine an election for which there is no evidence there was any irregularity, in order to stay in power. He might be doing so for the money—he has raised $170 million so far on promises to challenge this election—or because he is worried about the lawsuits he can expect as soon as he is not protected by the presidential office.But she emphasizes how genuinely despicable and anti-democratic Trump's Wednesday speech actually was:
Or, perhaps, he is simply escalating his rhetoric to continue to grab headlines as he feels the focus of the world slipping away from him and he cannot stand it. For the focus of the world is indeed slipping away from him. [my emphasis]
Still, for all that Trump’s posturing seems like a sign that he sees power slipping away from him as the country confronts the pandemic and the recession without him, his words are a deadly assault on our democracy by the man who swore an oath to defend it. This attack cannot be dismissed as Trump being Trump. It strikes at the very heart of who we are.But as demented as Trump's own message is, he is expressing the general position of the Republican Party. This is an obviously prepared speech - it's a safe bet that a lot of it came from Stephen Miller - packed with a litany of the claims that Republicans nationally have been making in support of their dishonest "voter fraud" claims they use to justify greater and greater restrictions on voting by minorities and lower-income people. Although some Republicans like the Georgia secretary of state are unwilling to go along with the increasingly desperate and hysterical Trump's clown coup attempt, what Trump is defending in this speech is the position of the Republican Party nationally.
For all that attacking the election might be reality television for Trump, his supporters take it very seriously indeed. At a rally in Georgia, Trump’s ally, lawyer Lin Wood, insisted he had seen the “real” results of the election, and that Trump won “over 410” electoral votes. “He damn near won every state including California!” The crowd blamed Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, for the fact that the state’s recount did not go to Trump. “Lock him up!” they chanted. [my emphasis]
The speech contains a litany of claims that his own attorneys have been completely unable to demonstrate in court, repeatedly earning scornful rebukes from federal judges, including Trump appointees to the bench.
This speech of Trump's was so unhinged that even the Associated Press called it out bluntly for what it was:
This is good to see. And it only took for years to happen. 😑 https://t.co/xKYJYyvcjA
— Joan McCarter (@joanmccarter) December 3, 2020
The full article by Aamer Madhani and Kevin Freking is In video, Trump recycles unsubstantiated voter fraud claims 12/03/2020. They also report:
Julian Zelizer, a professor of political history at Princeton University, said the nation has seen close elections before — 1800, 1876 and, most recently, 2000. But this year’s election does not fit in that category.
“This is just a random baseless attack on the entire election,” Zelizer said. “Trump has no turning point. I often say there are parallels or precedents, but there aren’t in this case. He keeps bending norms.” [my emphasis]
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