After doing point by point refutations of a half dozen of Donald Trump’s claims about the 2020 election, the editors of the Wall Street Journal observe:
This is how it goes for election truthers. First the allegation was ballots marked with Sharpies, then voting machines tied to Venezuela, then more votes than voters. Now Mr. Trump apparently thinks his own Attorney General did an inside job. Electoral fraud does happen: A Pennsylvania man received five years of probation this spring after voting for Mr. Trump on behalf of his dead mother. The price of liberty, as they say, is vigilance. But the evidence doesn’t show anything real that could dent Pennsylvania’s 80,555-vote margin.
Even if it did, Mr. Trump would be two states short of victory. Georgia’s ballots were counted three times and a signature check done. The Arizona audit was a dud. A Michigan inquiry led by a GOP lawmaker ended up keelhauling “willful ignorance†and grifters who use misinformation “to raise money or publicity.†Mr. Trump’s lawyers who made baseless claims have been sued for defamation—twice. They’ve been sanctioned by a federal judge. Does Mr. Trump imagine a conspiracy so deep that practically everybody is in on it?
Mr. Trump is making these claims elsewhere, so we hardly did him a special favor by letting him respond to our editorial. We offer the same courtesy to others we criticize, even when they make allegations we think are false.
Some of this is propelled by characteristic Trump self-delusion. He can’t bring himself to believe that he lost. Some are delighted that Trump and his supporters are keeping this ball up in the air. It keeps them from having to run on their own records. They prefer to run against Trump.
Statistically, Trump should have won, but elections are won by voters. Statistics are an abstraction of reality, but voters cast real votes. So, many voted all Republican except for Biden, if they had picked Trump, he would have won. (This an example of how numbers lie.)
The media and Big Tech did rig the election but not at the ballot box.
I just feel that Trump lost it in the first debate coming off as maniacally combative.
I can’t understand the tactic, possibly he just lost his temper.
Big Tech:
Facebook will now be rebranded as Uber, whoops, taken.
Meta, I think.
Zuckerberg changing his name to Vader.
I think the common and all too convenient error people make is to attribute their dismissal to Trump’s arguments.
Better to look at the statistical oddities – impossibilities, really – or the photos and eye witness accounts, or near hysterical avoidance of inspection. Its almost comical. All of the sudden the man whose comments were once considered fatally hyperbolic are rock solid statements available to be knocked down. Its a nice and convenient, but disingenuous, dodge from the issues that really pertain.
“Statistically, Trump should have won…..â€
Quite a few people still think he did win. In one of the most recent politico/morning consult polls 35% thought the election should be overturned – this included Dems, republicans and indies. Supposedly, this is an historical figure regarding such negative post election sentiments. Then you have the momentum of the FJB and Let’s go Brandon chants, along with growing numbers of people supporting more forensic audits.
Yup, lets have more forensic audits. They have not found anything yet with the ones you have already done, but keep trying. 8 Benghazi investigations and you couldn’t find anything. We have to expect more of the same. Every election claims of millions of fraudulent votes followed by extensive investigations by Republicans in red states and nothing is ever found.
“Better to look at the statistical oddities – impossibilities, really”
Have yet to see one. Statistical stupidity? Yes.
“or the photos and eye witness accounts,”
Send them to Trump’s attorneys. Oh wait, you guys already did.
Steve
“Yup, lets have more forensic auditsâ€
Maybe there will be more audits, and maybe not. Nonetheless, there has been more expressed dissatisfaction with how the election was processed, as well as the results themselves. Various states seem to be in play questioning the authenticity of the vote tallies. So, I think it remains to be seen as to what eventually happens???