Tornado Alley (PROG)

[fuagf]

The fact that some 79% of Republican voters still say they believe Biden did not legitimately win the election is very worrying.

"Woodward and Bernstein thought Nixon defined corruption. Then came Trump."

It means some 79% of Republicans are either so ignorant of the politics of America they haven't seen enough of the overwhelming evidence which clearly makes a lie of Trump's position in his big lie. Evidence so clear even Lindsey Graham know it's a lie:

"Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor, Trump lawyer and confidant, made similar allegations of a rigged election and massive voter fraud. Giuliani wrote his claims in long memos that he sent to Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump insider. When Graham investigated the claims, he found nothing. “Count me out,” Graham said dramatically on the Senate floor."

Or they know of all the evidence to the lie, and they don't care. Both should be equally disturbing.

"More than a year after Joe Biden’s inauguration, polling shows that only 21 percent of Republicans say they believe Biden is the legitimate president of the United States.
P - Their reasoning shows how the Trump rhetoric and playbook have convinced them. Between 74 and 83 percent of the Republicans who denied Biden’s victory were swayed by Trump’s false claims of massive voter fraud.
P - Trump’s claims have always been presented with unwavering, emotional consistency, revealing little or no self-doubt. As the 2024 election approaches, Trump seems on the verge of once again seeking the presidency.
P - Both Nixon and Trump have been willing prisoners of their compulsions to dominate, and to gain and hold political power through virtually any means."

The Republicans who know and don't care also must be prisoners of their own compulsions "to dominate and to gain and hold political power through virtually any means." Or at least to have others do those things for them. It could be seen as further signalling of death of most all ethical and moral considerations within a large majority of Republican voters, when it comes to politics. So much for any caring for democracy.

Also, while it's good to know the answer Ford had,

“I’ve got it in my wallet here,” he would reply, pulling out a folded, dog-eared piece of paper summarizing the Supreme Court decision Burdick v. United States in 1915. The justices had ruled that a pardon “carries an imputation of guilt; acceptance a confession of it.”

it should be noted the admission doesn't appear to have hurt Bannon, or the others Trump pardoned,

Trump pardons ex-strategist Steve Bannon, dozens of others
By JONATHAN LEMIRE, ERIC TUCKER and JILL COLVINJanuary 21, 2021
https://apnews.com/article/steve-bannon-trump-pardons-broidy-66c82f25134735e742b2501c118723bb

though the reason does go a long way to understanding why Trump didn't pardon himself. After all, as
the article makes clear, Trump is a psychopath incapable of recognizing failure. Or of accepting guilt.

Finally here, at least some kudos must be given to Republicans like Tony Daunt

Lansing — Tony Daunt, a longtime Michigan Republican insider, resigned Tuesday night from the GOP's state committee,
saying party leaders had made the coming election a test of "who is most cravenly loyal" to former President Donald Trump.
[...]
Daunt described Trump as a "deranged narcissist."
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