Donald Trump lost: Have silent Republican leaders no sense of decency?
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Our View: On President-elect Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy and other top Republicans appear determined to remain spineless until the end.
The Editorial Board USA TODAY
It now seems tragically clear that Americans might never see a "have-you-no-sense-of-decency?" moment coming from national Republican leaders fed up with President Donald Trump's destructive assault on democracy borne of his pique for losing the election.
Those words — uttered by Army lawyer Joseph Welch to Sen. Joe McCarthy, R-Wis., during a 1954 congressional hearing — unmasked a bullying demagogue engaged in a crusade of smears and investigations that history now calls McCarthyism.
And what of Trumpism? For four weeks after Election Day, the defeated incumbent has spun fanciful conspiracy theories of a "rigged" and "fraudulent" election, all the while convincing tens of millions of followers that America's presidential vote was a scam. Amid this (mostly inept) assault on the democratic process, top GOP officials like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy have remained silent.
Runoff elections in Georgia
In fact, only about a fifth of Senate Republicans have publicly recognized Joe Biden as president-elect. A few others, including Senate Majority Whip John Thune and Senate President Pro Tempore Charles Grassley, have at least acknowledged that the former vice president should begin receiving intelligence briefings as preparation for taking the Oval Office.
Ironically, this willingness to abide Trump's recklessness might even threaten McConnell's preeminent goal of hanging on to his Senate majority. Trump's campaign of disparagement could suppress some Republican voter turnout in two runoff Georgia elections on Jan. 5 that will determine control of the Senate.
The president attacked the state's Republican governor and secretary of state — both supporters of his — for failing to intervene when Biden won Georgia. Trump has also promoted a debunked theory that voting machines there have been manipulated. The result: Some Trump supporters are urging a boycott of the runoff elections. ("IGNORE those people," a worried Donald Trump Jr. tweeted.)
Dozens of Trump lawsuits challenging election results and alleging widespread fraud have been thrown out of court for lack of evidence, one dismissed by a Pennsylvania judge who said it contained "strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations."
Battleground states are one by one certifying Biden as winner, most recently Arizona on Monday. Foreign leaders have called to congratulate the president-elect. And Biden is forming a Cabinet.
306 electoral votes
Biden's 306 electoral votes are the same number that Trump received in his "landslide" victory over Hillary Clinton four years ago.
In 2016, Clinton conceded her loss the day after the presidential election. White House officials say Trump might never concede, although last week he reluctantly allowed Biden access to federal transition monies and contact with federal agencies.
By Sunday, the president was back to claiming he had been cheated. "This is the greatest fraud in the history of our country," Trump told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo, who failed to challenge his fantasies. "This country cannot have fake elections, like we have fake news."
Such words do real damage to the orderly transfer of power that has been an American hallmark for 230 years. Surveys show Trump's followers are listening, that 70% to 80% Republicans refuse to believe that Biden won.
McConnell, McCarthy and other Republican leaders have to wrestle with the cold, political reality that Trump continues to have a fervent base. But will reasons for complicit silence ever end? And as the president continues attempting to take a sledgehammer to the American election process, what of the oath these GOP leaders took to protect and defend the Constitution — not Donald Trump?
Again and again since Trump was nominated, these leaders (except for a handful of profiles in courage, such as Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah) have failed to call out conduct that they would have excoriated in any Democrat.
As the Electoral College prepares to formally choose Biden on Dec. 14, Trump's Republican enablers appear determined to remain spineless until the end.
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Is it any wonder that the once Grand Old Party of Abraham Lincoln is now known merely as the gop?
...the party of white supremacists, white nationalists, neo-Nazi's and Trumpism? No, it really isn't any wonder, they've been heading that way for quite some time now.
The Grand Old Party has evolved into the Greedy Old Outrageous Party ... goop.
That's a rhetorical question, of course.
It is. As is sometimes said: "The answer is in the question."
For the record, when Joe Biden takes the oath of office on Jan 20, 2021 he will be my president. I don't play those bullshit games.
But I do find it rather funny that the same MSM sources and people who put up such a fuss after the election in 2016, who refused to accept the results of the election and who worked to hinder, block, remove and impeach President Trump and who refused to acknowledge that he was elected president, now are so demanding that everybody accept the results of this election.
Helsinki.
And what does Helsinki have to do with my post? Are you trying to launch another conspiracy that has nothing to do with the seed?
No. At Helsinki, Trump laid his cards on the table for the World to see.
So....what did Trump say or do in Helsinki?
[Deleted]
How can one 'taunt' a Trumper?
With facts and the truth. They hate it.
Nobody worked harder to impeach Donald Trump than Donald Trump. It happened because he made sure that it had to happen.
Decency? Not sure. Perhaps there is a fear of something we do not know and maybe never will know.
Helsinki?
This is really the fault of "conservative" media which has normalized this sort of anti-American behavior over the past 30 years.
It is entirely acceptable now for the political right to be conspiracy mongering reality denying nutjobs.
Conservatism is dead. WFBuckley would be ashamed. The 'new conservatism' has no memory, honor or soul. The wealth generated through Supply Side has corrupted it's ideals, forsaken principal for wealth and bowed before the power the wealth will provide.
Wow, I thought that level of nuttiness was limited to naive sycophants. Amazing.
No. Foreign propaganda is far more effective than any dare admit.
Why is this surprising? Republicans are trying to figure out where to go from here. Trump really has destroyed all of the old Republican talking points. Under Trump, Republicans raised taxes and did not pay a political price. If anyone thinks that Republicans did not raise taxes then review the shitstorm caused by limiting SALT deductions. Trump threw free trade politics under the bus with tariffs and renegotiated agreements. Trump threw NATO under the bus, fired generals, and pulled back from military adventures. Trump's Warp Speed program also showed that big government is needed; small government could not have achieved nearly as much.
Trump did not adhere to the Republican trademarked politics of low taxes, small government, reduced spending, free trade, and military expansion. Trump certainly wasn't a Reagan Republican. Trump wasn't even a TEA Party Republican. And Trump really did appeal to more voters and expanded the Republican base. Trump received more votes than any other Republican candidate in history. Trump lost the Presidential election but Republicans saw gains in Congress and state government. Trump really did that.
Donald Trump has changed the Republican Party. Joe Biden is offering Republicans an opportunity to backslide into TEA Party obstruction and small government politics of the Reagan era. It's patently obvious that Joe Biden is going to lead the United States in the wrong direction so a return to the Republican status quo would be quite easy. But Trump has clearly shown that Republicans will pay a political price for returning to the status quo. Trump used the Republican status quo as a political weapon against Republicans. And the Republican base cheered Trump and gave Trump even greater support.
Joe Biden is the epitome of a tax-and-spend Democrat. Biden has promised to tax everything and spend public money on anything. If Republicans follow Trump's lead then the Republican Party will become the party of tax prudently and spend wisely. Government plays an important role, taxes are necessary, and public money spent wisely benefits the country.
Yes, the GOP of Reagan is on death watch. Joe Biden won't be able to resuscitate the Reagan legacy, either. Although Biden is making a mighty effort to save Reagan and make the Democratic Party a safe haven for neo-liberals.
I wonder how Mitt Romney will look in blue?
The question is irrelevant.
Today's Republican Party wants the end of democracy in America. They want a one-party plutocracy. Their words and actions are instantly comprehensible when observed through this lens. "Decency" is irrelevant.
Trump got almost half the popular vote. Now we hear that 70% of those Trump voters believe the election was rigged, stolen, whatever...
That's 35% of the population that distrusts America's most essential institutions. Big win for the fascists. The longer they can spin it out, the bigger their victory.
"Biden is not legitimate" will allow Mitch to justify refusing the cooperation that is needed to rebuild the country.
Xi is laughing his head off.
So is Putin and Erdogan.
They're bit players. Xi is the important one.