alternet--2020-11-11--'We're in for rough seas': Why this legal scholar really fears Trump's attempt to keep power no matt

'We're in for rough seas': Why this legal scholar really fears Trump's attempt to keep power no matter what

How concerned should we be about President Donald Trump 's efforts to contest the projected results of the 2020 election and refuse to concede to President-elect Joe Biden ?
Much of the commentariat is unwilling to take Trump 's attempts to remain in power very seriously at all .
They paint it largely as an emotional reaction by the president , and they depict the Republicans and aides who are supporting his push as people who are coddling an erratic man while actually knowing better .
While most observers acknowledge the danger of casting doubt of the electoral process and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans , they refuse to entertain the possibility that Trump 's efforts to stay in office could succeed .
But Eric Segall , a professor of law at Georgia State University , told me the media is dismissing the gambit far too quickly .
Trump remains a genuine threat to the constitutional order , and though Biden is expected to win around 306 Electoral College votes , the election results are n't finalized yet .
The president has shown great control over the Republican Party , and Segall argued that he still has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his office .
`` He has been underestimated from the beginning , '' Segall told me .
`` They 're underestimating him again . ''
The big problem with Trump , he argued , is he has no background in politics , no respect for the rule of law , and no adherence to constitutional norms .
`` Your first job in government should n't be the president of the United States , '' Segall said .
But now that he has the office , he 's inclined to do whatever he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think he learned from Roy Cohn that you never concede , anytime , anywhere , '' Segall continued .
`` Never concede , never give up , always declare victory , never accept loss .
So just as a psychological , personal matter , we know Donald Trump wo n't go away quietly . ''
So how could Trump actually win , despite the counts showing Biden ahead in several enough swing states by a healthy margin ?
While the election lawsuits brought by the Trump campaign and other Republicans have gotten a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been quickly dismissed by the judges who look at them — Segall said they do n't really have anything to do with the law .
The point is to create a cloud of illegitimacy around the election results .
Trump 's `` long game , '' Segall said , relies on Pennsylvania , Georgia , Wisconsin , Michigan , and Arizona .
`` Those states all have Republican legislatures , '' he explained `` And I think he wants them to say the vote was not fair , was chaotic , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not reflect the reality fo the state and the state 's preferences .
And therefore , the legislatures should choose the electors .
And then he hopes five Republican [ Supreme Court ] justices allow him to do it . ''
He added : `` I do n't think it will work , but stranger things have happened . ''
This is n't just idle theorizing , either .
Conservative Mark Levin has already pushed the idea on Twitter , and the president 's son retweeted it .
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the president , has also floated the idea .
In my discussion with Segall , I argued that the Supreme Court might not be involved at all in the final decision .
According to the Constitution , it 's Congress , not the court , that decides which electors to accept .
If , say , the Democratic governors of Pennsylvania , Wisconsin , and Michigan , try to send a slate of Biden electors while their Republican legislatures send Trump electors , it will be up to Congress to decide which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Democrats , it seems unlikely Trump could prevail .
But even getting to the point where Congress or the Supreme Court , or perhaps both , would be trying to decide which slate of electors to accept would take the country into an incredibly dark place .
And it 's not hard to imagine how it could turn violent .
And that points to another way Trump could try to stay in office , even without managing to secure an official victory through the Electoral College .
`` There 's also the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Defense resigning , given how Trump has basically avoided Senate confirmation of key people , how he has surrounded himself now with true believers .
He has barricaded the White House .
He might try to stay in through force , '' said Segall .
`` I think that 's unlikely — I do n't think that 's out of the question . ''
Many people have insisted that this kind of thing simply ca n't happen , because the rules surrounding the transition of power are clear .
But Segall does n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Constitution says he has to be out by Jan. 20 .
I get that .
But the Constitution is a piece of paper .
It just depends on what the people in power , '' he said .
`` I do n't think 'on paper ' matters to Trump .
I do n't think it matters to Bill Barr .
I do n't know about McConnell .
I mean , I do n't think it matters to McConnell , but I 'm not sure where his self-interest lies .
I think he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He added : `` Maybe when push comes to shove , McConnell will do the right thing .
If he tells his soldiers in the Republican Party to get in line , they 'll get in line .
All we need is McConnell , [ Ted ] Cruz , and Graham to say Biden won , and it 's all over . ''
It 's important to emphasize that these are worst-case scenarios that we 're discussing — none of this is to claim that the situations outlined above are the the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But even in the rosiest outcome , Segall is n't particularly hopeful .
`` I think the best case scenario is eventually the lawsuits go away , Trump never concedes , but Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20 , '' he said .
`` And then Trump spends the next few years trying to take down America through the media conglomerate he 's going to create .
That 's not a great scenario either .
So either way , we 're in for rough seas .
And we 're not even talking about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or racism ! ''

How concerned should we be about President Donald Trump's efforts to contest the projected results of the 2020 election and refuse to concede to President-elect Joe Biden?
Much of the commentariat is unwilling to take Trump's attempts to remain in power very seriously at all. They paint it largely as an emotional reaction by the president, and they depict the Republicans and aides who are supporting his push as people who are coddling an erratic man while actually knowing better. While most observers acknowledge the danger of casting doubt of the electoral process and inflaming resentment and distrust of government among Americans, they refuse to entertain the possibility that Trump's efforts to stay in office could succeed.
But Eric Segall, a professor of law at Georgia State University, told me the media is dismissing the gambit far too quickly. Trump remains a genuine threat to the constitutional order, and though Biden is expected to win around 306 Electoral College votes, the election results aren't finalized yet. The president has shown great control over the Republican Party, and Segall argued that he still has an outside shot of retaining the powers of his office.
"He has been underestimated from the beginning," Segall told me. "They're underestimating him again."
The big problem with Trump, he argued, is he has no background in politics, no respect for the rule of law, and no adherence to constitutional norms.
"Your first job in government shouldn't be the president of the United States," Segall said.
But now that he has the office, he's inclined to do whatever he can to keep it.
"I think he learned from Roy Cohn that you never concede, anytime, anywhere," Segall continued. "Never concede, never give up, always declare victory, never accept loss. So just as a psychological, personal matter, we know Donald Trump won't go away quietly."
So how could Trump actually win, despite the counts showing Biden ahead in several enough swing states by a healthy margin? While the election lawsuits brought by the Trump campaign and other Republicans have gotten a lot of attention — even as most have been quickly dismissed by the judges who look at them — Segall said they don't really have anything to do with the law. The point is to create a cloud of illegitimacy around the election results.
Trump's "long game," Segall said, relies on Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Arizona.
"Those states all have Republican legislatures," he explained "And I think he wants them to say the vote was not fair, was chaotic, the pandemic caused chaos, and the vote did not reflect the reality fo the state and the state's preferences. And therefore, the legislatures should choose the electors. And then he hopes five Republican [Supreme Court] justices allow him to do it."
He added: "I don't think it will work, but stranger things have happened."
This isn't just idle theorizing, either. Conservative Mark Levin has already pushed the idea on Twitter, and the president's son retweeted it.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a close ally of the president, has also floated the idea.
In my discussion with Segall, I argued that the Supreme Court might not be involved at all in the final decision. According to the Constitution, it's Congress, not the court, that decides which electors to accept. If, say, the Democratic governors of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, try to send a slate of Biden electors while their Republican legislatures send Trump electors, it will be up to Congress to decide which to accept. With the House controlled by Democrats, it seems unlikely Trump could prevail. But even getting to the point where Congress or the Supreme Court, or perhaps both, would be trying to decide which slate of electors to accept would take the country into an incredibly dark place. And it's not hard to imagine how it could turn violent.
And that points to another way Trump could try to stay in office, even without managing to secure an official victory through the Electoral College.
"There's also the possibility that, given the secretary of Defense resigning, given how Trump has basically avoided Senate confirmation of key people, how he has surrounded himself now with true believers. He has barricaded the White House. He might try to stay in through force," said Segall. "I think that's unlikely — I don't think that's out of the question."
Many people have insisted that this kind of thing simply can't happen, because the rules surrounding the transition of power are clear. But Segall doesn't buy it.
"I understand that the Constitution says he has to be out by Jan. 20. I get that. But the Constitution is a piece of paper. It just depends on what the people in power," he said. "I don't think 'on paper' matters to Trump. I don't think it matters to Bill Barr. I don't know about McConnell. I mean, I don't think it matters to McConnell, but I'm not sure where his self-interest lies. I think he might be sick of Trump."
He added: "Maybe when push comes to shove, McConnell will do the right thing. If he tells his soldiers in the Republican Party to get in line, they'll get in line. All we need is McConnell, [Ted] Cruz, and Graham to say Biden won, and it's all over."
It's important to emphasize that these are worst-case scenarios that we're discussing — none of this is to claim that the situations outlined above are the the most likely conclusion of the current mess. But even in the rosiest outcome, Segall isn't particularly hopeful.
"I think the best case scenario is eventually the lawsuits go away, Trump never concedes, but Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20," he said. "And then Trump spends the next few years trying to take down America through the media conglomerate he's going to create. That's not a great scenario either. So either way, we're in for rough seas. And we're not even talking about the pandemic, or climate change, or racism!"


alternet--2020-11-11--Brilliant supercut of Fox News hosts shows how they completely flipped on election challenges since

Brilliant supercut of Fox News hosts shows how they completely flipped on election challenges since 2016

After President Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election , opinion hosts at Fox News angrily demanded that Democratic nominee Hilary Clinton and Democrats concede at once .
But four years later , the same Fox hosts are making no such demands of President Donald Trump , who might end up losing to President-elect Joe Biden by more than 300 electoral votes after all the counting is finished .
And a supercut video by the Washington Post shows how badly Sean Hannity , Laura Ingraham and other Fox News hosts have flip-flopped from what they were saying about election results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Fox News ' Steve Doocy , who co-hosts the morning show `` Fox and Friends , '' saying , in 2016 , `` There is absolutely no way to rig a national election '' — compared to November 9 , when Doocy wondered if voter fraud was widespread enough to `` overturn an entire election . ''
Hannity , on November 28 , 2016 , is seeing slamming Democrats for trying to `` undermine a democratic election and , of course , Donald Trump 's decisive victory '' — only to slam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to avoid probes of `` ballot irregularities and outright illegality . ''
Fox News ' Tucker Carlson , in the video , is seen on November 28 , 2016 scoffing at the idea of Russian inference in that year 's presidential election .
But on November 9 , Carlson is seen saying , `` We do n't know how many votes were stolen on Tuesday night .
We do n't know anything about the software that many are saying was rigged . ''
Brian Kilmeade of `` Fox and Friends '' is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ November 2016 , `` If there 's ever an election that does n't need a recount , it 's this one . ''
But the video then cuts to Kilmeade , on November 10 , complaining that he fears Trump will be deprived of recounts that he is entitled to .
On November 29 , 2016 , Ingraham in seen in the video scoffing at the idea that `` Donald Trump is not the duly elected president of the United States . ''
But she has a totally different tone on November 6 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal challenges because we have to get to the bottom of all this . ''

After President Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election, opinion hosts at Fox News angrily demanded that Democratic nominee Hilary Clinton and Democrats concede at once. But four years later, the same Fox hosts are making no such demands of President Donald Trump, who might end up losing to President-elect Joe Biden by more than 300 electoral votes after all the counting is finished.
And a supercut video by the Washington Post shows how badly Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and other Fox News hosts have flip-flopped from what they were saying about election results four years ago.
The video opens with Fox News' Steve Doocy, who co-hosts the morning show "Fox and Friends," saying, in 2016, "There is absolutely no way to rig a national election" — compared to November 9, when Doocy wondered if voter fraud was widespread enough to "overturn an entire election."
Hannity, on November 28, 2016, is seeing slamming Democrats for trying to "undermine a democratic election and, of course, Donald Trump's decisive victory" — only to slam Democrats, on November 9, for trying to avoid probes of "ballot irregularities and outright illegality."
Fox News' Tucker Carlson, in the video, is seen on November 28, 2016 scoffing at the idea of Russian inference in that year's presidential election. But on November 9, Carlson is seen saying, "We don't know how many votes were stolen on Tuesday night. We don't know anything about the software that many are saying was rigged."
Brian Kilmeade of "Fox and Friends" is seen in the video saying, in November 2016, "If there's ever an election that doesn't need a recount, it's this one." But the video then cuts to Kilmeade, on November 10, complaining that he fears Trump will be deprived of recounts that he is entitled to.
On November 29, 2016, Ingraham in seen in the video scoffing at the idea that "Donald Trump is not the duly elected president of the United States." But she has a totally different tone on November 6, saying, "I love these legal challenges because we have to get to the bottom of all this."


alternet--2020-11-11--We're witnessing the birth of a dangerous new strain in the right-wing movement

Donald Trump has a lottery ticket 's chance of overturning Joe Biden 's decisive victory in the 2020 election .
There 's no evidence of fraud that would hold up in a court of law .
Biden 's margins are beyond what might be reversed in recounts .
And while the Constitution gives states the power to determine how their electors are selected , all states have laws on their books awarding them to the popular vote winner ( aside from a few congressional districts in Nebraska and Maine ) .
Given that Trump is using these bogus claims of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ followers in order to pay off campaign debt and fund his new PAC , some have questioned how dangerous his refusal to accept the results really is .
Perhaps he 's working toward acceptance , or keeping his base engaged for two upcoming Senate runoffs in Georgia that will determine control of the chamber next year .
According to reports , many elected Republicans who back his silly claims are only doing so to humor him , and to avoid the wrath of his cult-like supporters , and privately acknowledged that the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ downside for humoring him for this little bit of time ? ''
one senior Republican official told The Washington Post .
`` No one seriously thinks the results will change . ''
But this is ultimately a distinction without a difference .
The GOP is delegitimizing the Biden presidency so they can launch a new , meaner and more conspiratorial Tea Party movement .
Republican operatives , including some veterans of the first Tea Party groups , are behind the `` stop the steal '' protests now underway across the country .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Economist found that 86 percent of Trump voters believe that Biden did not win the election fairly , and a plurality of all voters said they thought there was enough voter fraud to swing the results of the race .
Meanwhile , Trump has decapitated the senior civilian leadership of the Pentagon and much of the intelligence community and replaced them with Trump loyalists , many of whom are conspiratorial nutjobs .
We do n't know towards what end , but it is a brazenly authoritarian move that 's inconsistent with the idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ donors ' dollars flowing .
By following Trump 's lead , Republicans are guaranteeing that Joe Biden will be dogged by a new sort of Birther movement .
Whether intentionally or not , they are encouraging more political violence from the far-right .
They 're making the country ungovernable , and that is effectively a soft coup .

Donald Trump has a lottery ticket's chance of overturning Joe Biden's decisive victory in the 2020 election. There's no evidence of fraud that would hold up in a court of law. Biden's margins are beyond what might be reversed in recounts. And while the Constitution gives states the power to determine how their electors are selected, all states have laws on their books awarding them to the popular vote winner (aside from a few congressional districts in Nebraska and Maine).
Given that Trump is using these bogus claims of a stolen election to shake down his followers in order to pay off campaign debt and fund his new PAC, some have questioned how dangerous his refusal to accept the results really is. Perhaps he's working toward acceptance, or keeping his base engaged for two upcoming Senate runoffs in Georgia that will determine control of the chamber next year. According to reports, many elected Republicans who back his silly claims are only doing so to humor him, and to avoid the wrath of his cult-like supporters, and privately acknowledged that the election is over. "What is the downside for humoring him for this little bit of time?" one senior Republican official toldThe Washington Post. "No one seriously thinks the results will change."
But this is ultimately a distinction without a difference. The GOP is delegitimizing the Biden presidency so they can launch a new, meaner and more conspiratorial Tea Party movement. Republican operatives, including some veterans of the first Tea Party groups, are behind the "stop the steal" protests now underway across the country. A new poll conducted by YouGov for The Economist found that 86 percent of Trump voters believe that Biden did not win the election fairly, and a plurality of all voters said they thought there was enough voter fraud to swing the results of the race.
Meanwhile, Trump has decapitated the senior civilian leadership of the Pentagon and much of the intelligence community and replaced them with Trump loyalists, many of whom are conspiratorial nutjobs. We don't know towards what end, but it is a brazenly authoritarian move that's inconsistent with the idea that he's just trying to keep donors' dollars flowing.
By following Trump's lead, Republicans are guaranteeing that Joe Biden will be dogged by a new sort of Birther movement. Whether intentionally or not, they are encouraging more political violence from the far-right. They're making the country ungovernable, and that is effectively a soft coup.


alternet--2020-11-11--Trump lost religious voters — and it cost him in multiple states: analysis

President Donald Trump 's overwhelming support from evangelical Christians slipped during the 2020 election as President-elect Joe Biden managed to sway a substantial margin of those voters .
Now , Trump 's campaign team is searching for someone to blame for its election defeat , according to Politico .
Initially , Trump 's campaign advisors and Christian allies dismissed the poll projections that suggested a decline in his support among religious voters , insisting the president delivered for his religious supporters throughout his term .
`` You can look at the polls but at the end of the day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Catholic voters because he has delivered for them in so many ways , '' Mercedes Schlapp , a Catholic and senior advisor for the Trump campaign , said .
But surveys focused on early voters and exit polls show that religious voters may have had a sizable impact on the outcome of the election .
Politico highlighted one glaring example that explains how the slippage impacted Trump 's election performance : '' There is perhaps no better illustration of how the Trump campaign failed to neutralize the threat of Biden 's outreach to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mich. An evangelical enclave in the Midwestern battleground state , the county gave Biden 50,000 more votes this cycle than Clinton drew four years earlier , ultimately flipping it from red to blue . ''
One of Trump 's campaign advisors has warned the next Republican presidential nominee not to assume Christian conservatives will automatically back the party in 2024 .
`` When we look back on this moment from the lens of , 'Here 's what the Republican nominee needs to do to win in 2024 , ' I hope there will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christian conservatives for granted , '' said one adviser to the Trump campaign , who added that future GOP presidential hopefuls `` should never again assume white evangelicals ca n't be persuaded by the right candidate with a D next to his or her name . ''

President Donald Trump's overwhelming support from evangelical Christians slipped during the 2020 election as President-elect Joe Biden managed to sway a substantial margin of those voters. Now, Trump's campaign team is searching for someone to blame for its election defeat, according to Politico.
Initially, Trump's campaign advisors and Christian allies dismissed the poll projections that suggested a decline in his support among religious voters, insisting the president delivered for his religious supporters throughout his term.
"You can look at the polls but at the end of the day, the president will perform very well with Catholic voters because he has delivered for them in so many ways," Mercedes Schlapp, a Catholic and senior advisor for the Trump campaign, said.
But surveys focused on early voters and exit polls show that religious voters may have had a sizable impact on the outcome of the election. Politico highlighted one glaring example that explains how the slippage impacted Trump's election performance:
"There is perhaps no better illustration of how the Trump campaign failed to neutralize the threat of Biden's outreach to Christian voters than in Kent County, Mich. An evangelical enclave in the Midwestern battleground state, the county gave Biden 50,000 more votes this cycle than Clinton drew four years earlier, ultimately flipping it from red to blue."
One of Trump's campaign advisors has warned the next Republican presidential nominee not to assume Christian conservatives will automatically back the party in 2024.
"When we look back on this moment from the lens of, 'Here's what the Republican nominee needs to do to win in 2024,' I hope there will be people saying we shouldn't take Christian conservatives for granted," said one adviser to the Trump campaign, who added that future GOP presidential hopefuls "should never again assume white evangelicals can't be persuaded by the right candidate with a D next to his or her name."


alternet--2020-11-11--Bill Barr is taking us down a dangerous road

On Monday , one of President Donald Trump 's top loyalists , Attorney General William Barr , announced that he had authorized a U.S. Department of Justice investigation for voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election .
Journalist David Rohde , in an article published in The New Yorker two days later , stresses that Barr still has a chance to do the right thing and resist Trump 's efforts to invalidate perfectly legitimate election results — but laments that Barr is indulging Trump 's whims with pointless investigations .
Trump and many of his Republican allies have been making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President-elect Joe Biden , is that the real winner of the election but has been robbed of his victory because of widespread voter fraud .
But the New York Times contacted election officials in all 50 states — Democrats and Republicans — and found no evidence of widespread voter fraud .
Rohde notes that the DOJ memo Barr issued on Monday `` boosted the Trump campaign 's fantastical claims that the election fraud had occurred under the watch of two Republicans : the secretary of state in Georgia and the city commissioner overseeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hedged in the memo , writing that 'while serious allegations should be handled with great care , specious , speculative , fanciful or far-fetched claims should not be a basis for initiating federal inquiries . '
'' Richard Pilger , the DOJ official who has been overseeing investigations of election crimes , quit in protest after Barr announced the voter fraud investigation .
And Rohde wishes that others would speak out as well and not encourage Barr to be launching a meritless investigation .
`` Trump and Barr 's actions are politically dangerous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new Politico/Morning Consult survey finds that 70 % of Republicans do not think the 2020 election was 'free and fair . '
False voter-fraud claims are gaining enormous audiences on Facebook , energizing and enraging the president 's supporters .
And Barr , along with other Republican officials , is enabling it .
By any measure , he is abdicating his responsibility , as the country 's chief law-enforcement officer , to uphold the rule of law , and violating his oath to protect and defend the Constitution . ''
Rohde concludes his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Barr to do would be to halt the DOJ voter fraud investigation .
`` There is no excuse for allowing a sitting president to flirt with authoritarianism , '' Rohde argues .
`` Since Barr took office , I 've hoped that he would prove his critics , including myself , wrong .
He can still do so .
No other administration official has the power to discredit the president 's false legal claims .
Barr will deserve praise if he proves to be the November surprise that Trump does not want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needs . ''

On Monday, one of President Donald Trump's top loyalists, Attorney General William Barr, announced that he had authorized a U.S. Department of Justice investigation for voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Journalist David Rohde, in an article published in The New Yorker two days later, stresses that Barr still has a chance to do the right thing and resist Trump's efforts to invalidate perfectly legitimate election results — but laments that Barr is indulging Trump's whims with pointless investigations.
Trump and many of his Republican allies have been making the baseless claim that Trump, not President-elect Joe Biden, is that the real winner of the election but has been robbed of his victory because of widespread voter fraud. But the New York Times contacted election officials in all 50 states — Democrats and Republicans — and found no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
Rohde notes that the DOJ memo Barr issued on Monday "boosted the Trump campaign's fantastical claims that the election fraud had occurred under the watch of two Republicans: the secretary of state in Georgia and the city commissioner overseeing the vote count in Philadelphia. Barr hedged in the memo, writing that 'while serious allegations should be handled with great care, specious, speculative, fanciful or far-fetched claims should not be a basis for initiating federal inquiries.'"
Richard Pilger, the DOJ official who has been overseeing investigations of election crimes, quit in protest after Barr announced the voter fraud investigation. And Rohde wishes that others would speak out as well and not encourage Barr to be launching a meritless investigation.
"Trump and Barr's actions are politically dangerous," Rohde argues. "A new Politico/Morning Consult survey finds that 70% of Republicans do not think the 2020 election was 'free and fair.' False voter-fraud claims are gaining enormous audiences on Facebook, energizing and enraging the president's supporters. And Barr, along with other Republican officials, is enabling it. By any measure, he is abdicating his responsibility, as the country's chief law-enforcement officer, to uphold the rule of law, and violating his oath to protect and defend the Constitution."
Rohde concludes his piece by emphasizing that the responsible thing for Barr to do would be to halt the DOJ voter fraud investigation.
"There is no excuse for allowing a sitting president to flirt with authoritarianism," Rohde argues. "Since Barr took office, I've hoped that he would prove his critics, including myself, wrong. He can still do so. No other administration official has the power to discredit the president's false legal claims. Barr will deserve praise if he proves to be the November surprise that Trump does not want — and the one that American democracy needs."


alternet--2020-11-11--'The lawsuits are trivial and ridiculous': Reporter dissects Trump's ridiculous push to contest the

'The lawsuits are trivial and ridiculous': Reporter dissects Trump's ridiculous push to contest the election

As President Trump continues to launch baseless accusations of widespread voter fraud in the presidential election , Democratic and Republican election officials across the United States have told The New York Times they uncovered no evidence to support Trump 's claims .
Despite his electoral defeat , Trump has not conceded , and his administration is proceeding as though it will continue into a second term , blocking President-elect Joe Biden from accessing government funding and other resources for a smooth transition .
`` The entire country is trying to figure out : Is this just going to go away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ editor at Slate magazine .
`` Or are we really in this slow-rolling denialist attempt to give this man a second term ? ''
This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : Well , finally , in these last few minutes , I wanted to go back to Dahlia Lithwick .
You talk about President Trump 's refusal to concede the election , which will bear on everything from Medicare for All to war and peace to climate change .
Your new piece @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Threat of Trump 's Ridiculous Coup Attempt . ''
Can you talk about what 's happening right now ?
You have Secretary of State Pompeo saying he 's all for a peaceful transition — to a second Trump administration .
You have world leaders calling to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden , but the Republican leadership refuses to concede .
Talk about what 's happening right now , Dahlia .
DAHLIA LITHWICK : It 's such — it 's just a paradox , Amy , because you have to live in this world where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Peter Sellers movie about the Republican Party getting together to mollify somebody who is either a narcissist or totally devoid of a sense of reality , and so they 're all trying to pander to him and make him feel good , right ?
Senator Chris Coons reported that , off the record , all sorts of Republicans are congratulating him and saying , you know , `` We just ca n't say it out loud , because the president has n't quite gotten there . ''
So , that 's the kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there 's the one that you 've just described , where there is a really quite alarming level of denialism and these claims that this handful of lawsuits in Michigan and Pennsylvania are going to change the results of the election .
That 's not possible , I think we can stipulate .
Each of those are talking about a handful of votes .
And then you see these really disturbing actions — cleaning house at the Pentagon ; threatening to fire Chris Wray and Gina Haspel ; as you said , Pompeo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there 's going to be a transition , refusing to turn over briefing books to the transition team , that Biden 's team needs in order to prepare for national security disasters .
So , we 're living with this split screen .
And I think the entire country is trying to figure out : Is this just going to go away ?
Are the credits going to roll , and we get at the end ?
Or are we really in this slow-rolling denialist attempt to give this man a second term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of toggle between those two realities every day .
But I think my point was , we just do need to take seriously the reality that , if anything , we 've seen the GOP harden behind these claims that the election was stolen and that maybe Donald Trump wins a second term .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And we just have about 30 seconds , but your sense of this Hail Mary pass of Donald Trump to somehow run out the clock on the count and get the intervention of the Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mid-December to actually vote in the Electoral College ?
DAHLIA LITHWICK : My sense is that the lawsuits are trivial and ridiculous .
There is , I think , no vehicle that would get to the Supreme Court that would overturn tens and thousands of votes in multiple states .
This is not a few hundred votes from Bush v. Gore .
I do think the effort to poison the waters , to muddy the question , to maybe signal to states , `` Hey , maybe your legislature could just send some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ popular election , '' that is still in question .
I think that 's the thing to look at .
The lawsuits are a joke .
But I think the real question is : Does this turn into something that is hardened into an attempt to end this thing ?
AMY GOODMAN : We have to leave it there , Dahlia Lithwick .
I 'm Amy Goodman , with Juan González .

As President Trump continues to launch baseless accusations of widespread voter fraud in the presidential election, Democratic and Republican election officials across the United States have told The New York Times they uncovered no evidence to support Trump's claims. Despite his electoral defeat, Trump has not conceded, and his administration is proceeding as though it will continue into a second term, blocking President-elect Joe Biden from accessing government funding and other resources for a smooth transition. "The entire country is trying to figure out: Is this just going to go away?" says Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor at Slate magazine. "Or are we really in this slow-rolling denialist attempt to give this man a second term?"
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, finally, in these last few minutes, I wanted to go back to Dahlia Lithwick. You talk about President Trump's refusal to concede the election, which will bear on everything from Medicare for All to war and peace to climate change. Your new piece for Slate is titled "The Real Threat of Trump's Ridiculous Coup Attempt." Can you talk about what's happening right now? You have Secretary of State Pompeo saying he's all for a peaceful transition — to a second Trump administration. You have world leaders calling to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden, but the Republican leadership refuses to concede. Talk about what's happening right now, Dahlia.
DAHLIA LITHWICK: It's such — it's just a paradox, Amy, because you have to live in this world where it's either a really truly terrible Peter Sellers movie about the Republican Party getting together to mollify somebody who is either a narcissist or totally devoid of a sense of reality, and so they're all trying to pander to him and make him feel good, right? Senator Chris Coons reported that, off the record, all sorts of Republicans are congratulating him and saying, you know, "We just can't say it out loud, because the president hasn't quite gotten there." So, that's the kind of Peter Sellers scenario.
And then there's the one that you've just described, where there is a really quite alarming level of denialism and these claims that this handful of lawsuits in Michigan and Pennsylvania are going to change the results of the election. That's not possible, I think we can stipulate. Each of those are talking about a handful of votes. And then you see these really disturbing actions — cleaning house at the Pentagon; threatening to fire Chris Wray and Gina Haspel; as you said, Pompeo either joking or not joking about whether there's going to be a transition, refusing to turn over briefing books to the transition team, that Biden's team needs in order to prepare for national security disasters.
So, we're living with this split screen. And I think the entire country is trying to figure out: Is this just going to go away? Are the credits going to roll, and we get at the end? Or are we really in this slow-rolling denialist attempt to give this man a second term? And I think that we kind of toggle between those two realities every day. But I think my point was, we just do need to take seriously the reality that, if anything, we've seen the GOP harden behind these claims that the election was stolen and that maybe Donald Trump wins a second term.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And we just have about 30 seconds, but your sense of this Hail Mary pass of Donald Trump to somehow run out the clock on the count and get the intervention of the Supreme Court before the electors have to meet in mid-December to actually vote in the Electoral College?
DAHLIA LITHWICK: My sense is that the lawsuits are trivial and ridiculous. There is, I think, no vehicle that would get to the Supreme Court that would overturn tens and thousands of votes in multiple states. This is not a few hundred votes from Bush v. Gore. I do think the effort to poison the waters, to muddy the question, to maybe signal to states, "Hey, maybe your legislature could just send some electors that are not won in the popular election," that is still in question. I think that's the thing to look at. The lawsuits are a joke. But I think the real question is: Does this turn into something that is hardened into an attempt to end this thing?
AMY GOODMAN: We have to leave it there, Dahlia Lithwick. I'm Amy Goodman, with Juan González.


alternet--2020-11-11--‘Math doesn’t care about his feelings’: Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. offers brutal assessment of Trump’s de

‘Math doesn’t care about his feelings’: Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. offers brutal assessment of Trump’s delusions

Democratic Pennsylvania Lt. Gov .
John Fetterman on Wednesday mocked President Donald Trump for still believing he has a shot at winning his state .
At the moment , President-elect Joe Biden has a lead of nearly 50,000 votes in Pennsylvania , which makes it almost impossible to imagine the result of the race being overturned after a recount .
Fetterman told CNN 's John King during an interview that the president seems to have a very hard time understanding how much basic arithmetic is stacked against him in the state .
`` Math does n't care about his feelings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's feelings ! ''
he said .
`` The math in Pennsylvania is damning for the president . ''
He then dared the president to take his challenges to the United States Supreme Court , as he predicted that they would fail in humiliating fashion .
He then took a more serious turn and noted the damage the president 's rants about the election are doing to Americans ' faith in democracy .
`` At some point , we all have to collectively accept yelling 'Voter fraud ! '
when there is no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' in a crowded theater , '' he said .
`` It is harming the democratic franchise of our country and the peaceful transition of power .
We can not accept that . ''

Democratic Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on Wednesday mocked President Donald Trump for still believing he has a shot at winning his state.
At the moment, President-elect Joe Biden has a lead of nearly 50,000 votes in Pennsylvania, which makes it almost impossible to imagine the result of the race being overturned after a recount.
Fetterman told CNN's John King during an interview that the president seems to have a very hard time understanding how much basic arithmetic is stacked against him in the state.
"Math doesn't care about his feelings, it doesn't care about anyone's feelings!" he said. "The math in Pennsylvania is damning for the president."
He then dared the president to take his challenges to the United States Supreme Court, as he predicted that they would fail in humiliating fashion.
He then took a more serious turn and noted the damage the president's rants about the election are doing to Americans' faith in democracy.
"At some point, we all have to collectively accept yelling 'Voter fraud!' when there is no evidence whatsoever of it is yelling 'fire' in a crowded theater," he said. "It is harming the democratic franchise of our country and the peaceful transition of power. We cannot accept that."
Watch the video below.


alternet--2020-11-11--Electoral College Republicans in Wisconsin and Nevada express confidence that Biden won: report

President-elect Joe Biden , when all of the vote-counting is completed , might end up with more than 300 electoral votes .
But President Donald Trump is still refusing to concede despite Biden 's decisive victory , making baseless claims of widespread voter fraud .
BuzzFeed News spoke to 11 members of the Electoral College in battleground states — and most of the interviewees , including some Republicans , expressed confidence that Biden won the 2020 presidential election fair and square .
BuzzFeed reporters Albert Samaha , Amber Jamieson and Rosalind Adams explain , `` Biden does n't officially secure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Electoral College votes on December 14 .
Normally , this step is mostly ceremonial , as electors vote for the same candidate as their constituents did .
But Trump and a growing list of Republican supporters are attempting to undermine and delegitimize Biden 's win after months of attempting to suppress the vote .
Trump and his campaign are amplifying baseless claims of widespread voter fraud . ''
The journalists continue , `` Amid this , some states allow electors to choose any candidate , regardless of vote counts , leaving open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election at the last minute .
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this summer , however , that states could punish electors who do not vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state . ''
Bill Feehan , chairman of the La Crosse County Republican Party in Wisconsin , gave no indication that he wo n't accept the election results in that midwestern state — which Biden won .
Feehan told BuzzFeed , `` I 'm a man of reason .
So , I look to see what evidence is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have n't seen any evidence that proves that there was massive voter fraud , enough to change 20,000 votes in the state of Wisconsin . ''
Biden also won Nevada , and Eileen Rice — a Republican member of the Electoral College in that state — told BuzzFeed that although she had strong reservations about mail-in voting , the `` margin is just too wide '' in Biden 's favor in Nevada .
Other battleground states in which BuzzFeed interviewed Electoral College members include Pennsylvania and Michigan , both of which Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jamieson and Adams , `` nearly all '' of the electors BuzzFeed interviewed `` expressed confidence that despite Trump 's lawsuits — and despite Republicans ' attempts to overturn the result — the age-old process of installing a new president would move forward as it always has : with the winner at the ballot box elected into office . ''
Ryan Boyer , a Democratic elector in Pennsylvania , told BuzzFeed that Trumpian claims of voter fraud in his state are ridiculous — arguing , essentially , that if Democrats were trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have had a lot more victories on Election Night .
Boyer explained , `` If the Democrats were going to steal the election , they did a terrible job… .
To say the election was stolen is to effectively say the Republicans did something wrong . ''
Nonetheless , the BuzzFeed reporters note , `` There have been discussions by Republicans to try to change the will of Pennsylvania voters .
Lawrence Tabas , chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party , told The Atlantic before the election that he had mentioned to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislature appointing Republican-aligned electors rather than a Biden slate if the election was 'flawed ' — Pennsylvania is the only state where the presidential campaigns nominate the electors — calling it 'one of the available legal options set forth in the Constitution . '
'' But Democrat Nina Ahmad , an Electoral College member in Pennsylvania , dismissed Republicans who are questioning Pennsylvania 's election results as the Trumpian lunatic fringe .
Ahmad told BuzzFeed , `` This is just the fringe element , making sure they are signaling to Mein Führer that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takes the poison pill . ''

President-elect Joe Biden, when all of the vote-counting is completed, might end up with more than 300 electoral votes. But President Donald Trump is still refusing to concede despite Biden's decisive victory, making baseless claims of widespread voter fraud. BuzzFeed News spoke to 11 members of the Electoral College in battleground states — and most of the interviewees, including some Republicans, expressed confidence that Biden won the 2020 presidential election fair and square.
BuzzFeed reporters Albert Samaha, Amber Jamieson and Rosalind Adams explain, "Biden doesn't officially secure his spot in the Oval Office until the Electoral College votes on December 14. Normally, this step is mostly ceremonial, as electors vote for the same candidate as their constituents did. But Trump and a growing list of Republican supporters are attempting to undermine and delegitimize Biden's win after months of attempting to suppress the vote. Trump and his campaign are amplifying baseless claims of widespread voter fraud."
The journalists continue, "Amid this, some states allow electors to choose any candidate, regardless of vote counts, leaving open the possibility of so-called faithless electors swinging the election at the last minute. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this summer, however, that states could punish electors who do not vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state."
Bill Feehan, chairman of the La Crosse County Republican Party in Wisconsin, gave no indication that he won't accept the election results in that midwestern state — which Biden won.
Feehan told BuzzFeed, "I'm a man of reason. So, I look to see what evidence is there right now, and essentially, I haven't seen any evidence that proves that there was massive voter fraud, enough to change 20,000 votes in the state of Wisconsin."
Biden also won Nevada, and Eileen Rice — a Republican member of the Electoral College in that state — told BuzzFeed that although she had strong reservations about mail-in voting, the "margin is just too wide" in Biden's favor in Nevada.
Other battleground states in which BuzzFeed interviewed Electoral College members include Pennsylvania and Michigan, both of which Biden won. And according to Samaha, Jamieson and Adams, "nearly all" of the electors BuzzFeed interviewed "expressed confidence that despite Trump's lawsuits — and despite Republicans' attempts to overturn the result — the age-old process of installing a new president would move forward as it always has: with the winner at the ballot box elected into office."
Ryan Boyer, a Democratic elector in Pennsylvania, told BuzzFeed that Trumpian claims of voter fraud in his state are ridiculous — arguing, essentially, that if Democrats were trying to "steal" anything, they would have had a lot more victories on Election Night.
Boyer explained, "If the Democrats were going to steal the election, they did a terrible job…. To say the election was stolen is to effectively say the Republicans did something wrong."
Nonetheless, the BuzzFeed reporters note, "There have been discussions by Republicans to try to change the will of Pennsylvania voters. Lawrence Tabas, chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, told The Atlantic before the election that he had mentioned to the Trump campaign the possibility of the state legislature appointing Republican-aligned electors rather than a Biden slate if the election was 'flawed' — Pennsylvania is the only state where the presidential campaigns nominate the electors — calling it 'one of the available legal options set forth in the Constitution.'"
But Democrat Nina Ahmad, an Electoral College member in Pennsylvania, dismissed Republicans who are questioning Pennsylvania's election results as the Trumpian lunatic fringe.
Ahmad told BuzzFeed, "This is just the fringe element, making sure they are signaling to Mein Führer that they are still with him until he takes the poison pill."


alternet--2020-11-11--'Hijacking the democracy': How Republicans could steal the election via the Electoral College

More than a week after the 2020 presidential election , President-elect Joe Biden 's lead in the vote count continues to grow in key battleground states — and when all is said and done , the former vice president might end up with more than 300 electoral votes .
Regardless , President Donald Trump is refusing to concede , making the bogus claim that he was robbed of a victory because of widespread voter fraud and vowing to keep fighting the election results in court .
And reporters Margaret Talev and Glen Johnson , in an article published in Axios @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scenario in which Republicans in individual states could try to steal the election by refusing to honor the vote count .
`` In this long-shot scenario , '' the Axios journalists explain , `` Trump and his team could try to block secretaries of state in contested states from certifying results .
That could allow legislatures in those states to try to appoint new electors who favor Trump over Biden . ''
An attorney described by Talev and Johnson as someone `` familiar with '' the Electoral College process , told Axios , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They 've got nothing else .
You 'd be trying to deny Joe Biden 270 ( electoral votes ) . ''
Talev and Johnson note that `` Biden 's status as president-elect is rooted in media projections based on raw vote totals reported by individual states .
Those totals do n't become official , though , until states certify them .
The Constitution prescribes that those official results will be used to apportion electors who officially pick the president . ''
Far-right AM talk radio host Mark Levin has drawn widespread condemnation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flat-out refuse to give Biden the states ' electoral votes even if Biden won the state .
On November 5 , Levin tweeted : Donald Trump , Jr. has been slammed by his critics for amplifying Levin 's tweet , which indicates that the president 's son is on board with Levin 's idea for an authoritarian power grab .
Meanwhile , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is drawing criticism for saying , during a November 10 news conference , that there will be a `` smooth transition to a second Trump Administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` When the process is complete , there 's going to be electors selected .
There 's a process ; the Constitution lays it out pretty clearly . ''
Election law expert Edward B. Foley discussed the possibility of a Republican Electoral College power grab in a November 6 op-ed for the Washington Post , writing , `` This is a horrible idea , one that should be morally repugnant to every American .
For a state legislature to reclaim this power after voters have already cast their own ballots would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democratic process . ''

More than a week after the 2020 presidential election, President-elect Joe Biden's lead in the vote count continues to grow in key battleground states — and when all is said and done, the former vice president might end up with more than 300 electoral votes. Regardless, President Donald Trump is refusing to concede, making the bogus claim that he was robbed of a victory because of widespread voter fraud and vowing to keep fighting the election results in court. And reporters Margaret Talev and Glen Johnson, in an article published in Axios on November 11, describe a frightening scenario in which Republicans in individual states could try to steal the election by refusing to honor the vote count.
"In this long-shot scenario," the Axios journalists explain, "Trump and his team could try to block secretaries of state in contested states from certifying results. That could allow legislatures in those states to try to appoint new electors who favor Trump over Biden."
An attorney described by Talev and Johnson as someone "familiar with" the Electoral College process, told Axios, "It's basically hijacking the democracy. They've got nothing else. You'd be trying to deny Joe Biden 270 (electoral votes)."
Talev and Johnson note that "Biden's status as president-elect is rooted in media projections based on raw vote totals reported by individual states. Those totals don't become official, though, until states certify them. The Constitution prescribes that those official results will be used to apportion electors who officially pick the president."
Far-right AM talk radio host Mark Levin has drawn widespread condemnation for recommending that Republicans in individual states flat-out refuse to give Biden the states' electoral votes even if Biden won the state. On November 5, Levin tweeted:
Donald Trump, Jr. has been slammed by his critics for amplifying Levin's tweet, which indicates that the president's son is on board with Levin's idea for an authoritarian power grab.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is drawing criticism for saying, during a November 10 news conference, that there will be a "smooth transition to a second Trump Administration." The Trump loyalist told reporters, "When the process is complete, there's going to be electors selected. There's a process; the Constitution lays it out pretty clearly."
Election law expert Edward B. Foley discussed the possibility of a Republican Electoral College power grab in a November 6 op-ed for the Washington Post, writing, "This is a horrible idea, one that should be morally repugnant to every American. For a state legislature to reclaim this power after voters have already cast their own ballots would be an even more egregious intrusion into the democratic process."


alternet--2020-11-11--GOP senator calls on colleagues to cooperate with Biden transition

Sen. Pat Toomey ( R-Penn . )
is calling on his Republican colleagues to cooperate with the administrative transition as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office .
During an interview with Pittsburgh 's Action News 4 , Toomey acknowledged that Biden has been declared the winner of the election as he stressed the importance of moving forward with the transition of power .
Although President Donald Trump has continued to push baseless claims of voter fraud , Toomey believes it is time to focus on beginning the `` transition process . ''
`` We 're on a path it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be the next president of the United States , '' Toomey said .
`` It 's not 100 % certain but it is quite likely .
So I think a transition process ought to begin . ''
Toomey 's latest remarks come as White House officials and Senate Republicans continue to back Trump 's baseless claims of voter fraud by refusing to acknowledge that he has lost the presidential election .
`` President Trump is 100 % within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Let 's not have any lectures about how the president should immediately , cheerfully accept preliminary election results from the same characters who just spent four years refusing to accept the validity of the last election . ''
On Saturday , Biden and Harris delivered their victory speeches as Trump and his campaign team vowed to wage war on states projecting election results that favor Biden .
Despite multiple attempts to discredit the outcome of the election , Trump has had several post-election lawsuits dismissed already .
Based on all that has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admitted the possibility of the election results being overturned is `` not the likely outcome . ''
He added , `` And you know , if it turns out that the unlikely scenario actually comes about and it turns out President Trump is determined to have won this election after all , then the transition , of course , becomes moot , and it expires and it evaporates , '' Toomey said .
`` But I think that 's not the likely outcome , so I think it should begin . ''

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) is calling on his Republican colleagues to cooperate with the administrative transition as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office.
During an interview with Pittsburgh's Action News 4, Toomey acknowledged that Biden has been declared the winner of the election as he stressed the importance of moving forward with the transition of power. Although President Donald Trump has continued to push baseless claims of voter fraud, Toomey believes it is time to focus on beginning the "transition process."
"We're on a path it looks likely Joe Biden is going to be the next president of the United States," Toomey said. "It's not 100% certain but it is quite likely. So I think a transition process ought to begin."
Toomey's latest remarks come as White House officials and Senate Republicans continue to back Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud by refusing to acknowledge that he has lost the presidential election.
"President Trump is 100% within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. "Let's not have any lectures about how the president should immediately, cheerfully accept preliminary election results from the same characters who just spent four years refusing to accept the validity of the last election."
Watch the latest video at foxnews.com
On Saturday, Biden and Harris delivered their victory speeches as Trump and his campaign team vowed to wage war on states projecting election results that favor Biden. Despite multiple attempts to discredit the outcome of the election, Trump has had several post-election lawsuits dismissed already. Based on all that has transpired in the last week, Toomey admitted the possibility of the election results being overturned is "not the likely outcome."
He added, "And you know, if it turns out that the unlikely scenario actually comes about and it turns out President Trump is determined to have won this election after all, then the transition, of course, becomes moot, and it expires and it evaporates," Toomey said. "But I think that's not the likely outcome, so I think it should begin."


alternet--2020-11-11--Why Trump's loss is inflaming his already delusional base

Shortly after the 2016 election , a funny thing happened .
Rather than celebrate the victory of their candidate , Trump supporters took on the position of aggrieved victims .
When they should have been happy , they were angry .
When they should have been confident , they were insecure .
When their votes showed that they had power , they felt marginalized .
And , even though they won , they felt that the process had been unfair .
Their mood was vengeful and their attitude was combative .
And that was when they won .
Now that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we need to brace ourselves for their predictably vicious response .
As Salon 's Amanda Marcotte has pointed out , even if Trump had won , we knew we would need to be prepared for the inevitable crybaby response of his supporters .
As she puts it , the key word to describe Trump 's base is `` bitter '' : If you feel like you are a perpetual loser , even when you are winning , then things will only get worse when you actually do lose .
And let 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lose ; he flamed out .
For a man who has consistently avoided being held accountable for his failures , this loss will sting hard .
Trump lost to epic proportions .
As Eve Fairbanks writes for the Washington Post , Trump did far worse than anyone expected , and that 's considering his poor poll numbers before Election Day .
Given his status as an incumbent , Trump 's `` reelection campaign was a historic failure . ''
The failure registers even more so for the fact that in Trump 's universe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once put it , `` I win , I win , I always win .
In the end I always win , whether it 's in golf , whether it 's in tennis , whether it 's in life , I just always win .
I tell people I always win , because I do . ''
But here 's the thing .
Even with all the winning , Trump has been obsessed with the notion that he has been treated unfairly .
`` No politician in history — and I say this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worse or more unfairly . ''
This was Trump in a 2018 commencement address to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy , yet again using a moment when he should have been paying attention to others to narcissistically talk about himself .
And that 's one of the uncanny hypocrisies of the sore winner .
Because actually the sore winner is always already a loser .
You ca n't be a victim and a winner .
You ca n't claim that you have been mistreated , discriminated against and maligned if you always get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
If you think back on the days immediately following the 2016 election , what stands out is the overwhelming sense of anger and the ongoing desire for retribution over a system in which Trump had always , only been — according to himself — successful .
And lest we think that this sort of contradiction was uniquely Trumpian , recall that his supporters have long followed suit .
The same people who whine that they are being forced to give up their guns only manage to stockpile more .
The same people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Matter movement is racist have only become more openly white supremacist .
The same people who moan about biased media have only picked up even more media power .
The same people who claim that the liberal left is a bunch of sniffling snowflakes never seem to be able to stop whining themselves .
Their identities are locked into an endless screeching over the various ways that they believe the system is rigged against them at the same time that they continue to reap successes from that very same system .
We 've @ @ @ @ @ @ @ logic , delusional rhetoric and twisted thinking of Trump and his supporters that it is now no longer news to claim that what he and his base think makes absolutely no sense .
So now that the sore winners are losers , you might wonder if that will somehow shift things — if the sore winners will change in the face of their losses .
The quick answer is no .
There is no reason whatsoever to think that anything about the right-wing identity of the privileged victim is going to change other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aggressive .
Going back as far as the presidency of Richard Nixon , the right has been casting itself as a victim of U.S. society .
What 's more , this idea that they are strong , powerful , morally superior , highly patriotic , successful victims is only likely to take on greater urgency during a Biden-Harris administration .
The problem that we have to confront is the fact that this `` successful loser '' mentality actually does win , and that despite Trump 's humiliating loss , the GOP overall did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At the core of this mindset is a sense of justified outrage .
It is centered on a deep conviction that the right is the aggrieved party and deserves to be angry about it .
It is equally centered around a sense of confidence that their views are right and their ideas are not just better , but the very best .
The fundamental hypocrisy of the winning victim might be mind-melting , but you have to admit it sells well .
It offers its proponents a chance to take absolutely no responsibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of self-righteous superiority .
You get to take no blame , bully and harass , spew hate-filled bile and still cry about how everything is unfair and everyone is out to get you .
Much will be said in the days to follow about how to reach across the aisle and build a unified nation .
We will watch the left twist itself up in its characteristic capitulating fashion , finding ways to actually blame a divided nation on the left 's own failings to engage in dialogue .
But that 's the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scenario where we envision two equal parties that need mediation to move forward .
This , instead , is a case of a nationwide right-wing temper tantrum .
And just in the same way we learn to treat a misbehaving child , the only way to handle these sore losers is to ignore them .
As the famous pediatrician Dr. Spock once taught us , just because children get angry does n't mean we should give them free rein to express themselves .
And angry children should not be allowed to bully or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be to back down or to give up .
`` Occasional fits of anger are normal , '' Spock explained , `` but if a child is frequently or easily enraged , she may be sending a signal for help . ''
Maybe it 's time for us to help Trump supporters grow up by giving them all a time-out .

Shortly after the 2016 election, a funny thing happened. Rather than celebrate the victory of their candidate, Trump supporters took on the position of aggrieved victims. When they should have been happy, they were angry. When they should have been confident, they were insecure. When their votes showed that they had power, they felt marginalized. And, even though they won, they felt that the process had been unfair.
Their mood was vengeful and their attitude was combative. And that was when they won.
Now that their candidate has lost fair and square, we need to brace ourselves for their predictably vicious response.
As Salon's Amanda Marcotte has pointed out, even if Trump had won, we knew we would need to be prepared for the inevitable crybaby response of his supporters. As she puts it, the key word to describe Trump's base is "bitter":
Turn on Fox News any random night, and it's a full blown whine-fest about how alleged "elites" are trying to control them and ruin their lives. The fact that their party controls most state governments, the White House, the Senate and the federal courts never factors in. The narrative is one of perpetual victimhood.
If you feel like you are a perpetual loser, even when you are winning, then things will only get worse when you actually do lose.
And let's face it. Trump didn't just lose; he flamed out. For a man who has consistently avoided being held accountable for his failures, this loss will sting hard. Trump lost to epic proportions. As Eve Fairbanks writes for the Washington Post, Trump did far worse than anyone expected, and that's considering his poor poll numbers before Election Day. Given his status as an incumbent, Trump's "reelection campaign was a historic failure."
The failure registers even more so for the fact that in Trump's universe he simply always wins. As he once put it, "I win, I win, I always win. In the end I always win, whether it's in golf, whether it's in tennis, whether it's in life, I just always win. I tell people I always win, because I do."
But here's the thing. Even with all the winning, Trump has been obsessed with the notion that he has been treated unfairly. "No politician in history — and I say this with great surety — has been treated worse or more unfairly." This was Trump in a 2018 commencement address to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, yet again using a moment when he should have been paying attention to others to narcissistically talk about himself.
And that's one of the uncanny hypocrisies of the sore winner. Because actually the sore winner is always already a loser. You can't be a victim and a winner. You can't claim that you have been mistreated, discriminated against and maligned if you always get everything your way.
Or can you?
If you think back on the days immediately following the 2016 election, what stands out is the overwhelming sense of anger and the ongoing desire for retribution over a system in which Trump had always, only been — according to himself — successful.
And lest we think that this sort of contradiction was uniquely Trumpian, recall that his supporters have long followed suit. The same people who whine that they are being forced to give up their guns only manage to stockpile more. The same people who hysterically claim that the Black Lives Matter movement is racist have only become more openly white supremacist. The same people who moan about biased media have only picked up even more media power.
The same people who claim that the liberal left is a bunch of sniffling snowflakes never seem to be able to stop whining themselves. Their identities are locked into an endless screeching over the various ways that they believe the system is rigged against them at the same time that they continue to reap successes from that very same system.
We've spent so much time parsing the faulty logic, delusional rhetoric and twisted thinking of Trump and his supporters that it is now no longer news to claim that what he and his base think makes absolutely no sense.
So now that the sore winners are losers, you might wonder if that will somehow shift things — if the sore winners will change in the face of their losses.
The quick answer is no. There is no reason whatsoever to think that anything about the right-wing identity of the privileged victim is going to change other than to become more agitated and more aggressive. Going back as far as the presidency of Richard Nixon, the right has been casting itself as a victim of U.S. society. What's more, this idea that they are strong, powerful, morally superior, highly patriotic, successful victims is only likely to take on greater urgency during a Biden-Harris administration.
The problem that we have to confront is the fact that this "successful loser" mentality actually does win, and that despite Trump's humiliating loss, the GOP overall did pretty well in the 2020 election. At the core of this mindset is a sense of justified outrage. It is centered on a deep conviction that the right is the aggrieved party and deserves to be angry about it. It is equally centered around a sense of confidence that their views are right and their ideas are not just better, but the very best.
The fundamental hypocrisy of the winning victim might be mind-melting, but you have to admit it sells well. It offers its proponents a chance to take absolutely no responsibility for themselves while also occupying a position of self-righteous superiority. You get to take no blame, bully and harass, spew hate-filled bile and still cry about how everything is unfair and everyone is out to get you.
Much will be said in the days to follow about how to reach across the aisle and build a unified nation. We will watch the left twist itself up in its characteristic capitulating fashion, finding ways to actually blame a divided nation on the left's own failings to engage in dialogue.
But that's the wrong model. This is not a scenario where we envision two equal parties that need mediation to move forward. This, instead, is a case of a nationwide right-wing temper tantrum. And just in the same way we learn to treat a misbehaving child, the only way to handle these sore losers is to ignore them.
As the famous pediatrician Dr. Spock once taught us, just because children get angry doesn't mean we should give them free rein to express themselves. And angry children should not be allowed to bully or intimidate. Our response to them should not be to back down or to give up. "Occasional fits of anger are normal," Spock explained, "but if a child is frequently or easily enraged, she may be sending a signal for help." Maybe it's time for us to help Trump supporters grow up by giving them all a time-out.


alternet--2020-11-11--Healthcare analysts warn US COVID surge is nearing the 'point where no one will be able to spare mor

Healthcare analysts warn US COVID surge is nearing the 'point where no one will be able to spare morgue' workers

As the coronavirus pandemic rages on , the United States is facing yet another uptick in cases across 43 states .
Now , more than 10 million Americans have been infected with the virus and healthcare analysts are warning that the winter months could inundate hospital systems across the country .
In addition to the United States facing overwhelmed healthcare systems , there is another place that could be swamped in the coming weeks : morgues .
Officials in El Paso , Texas are already at the point of inundation .
On Tuesday , County Judge Ricardo Samaniego requested four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city already has as he expressed concerns about the COVID-19 spikes the city could see over the next two weeks .
`` It may be as much as 20 per day the next two to three weeks .
There might be more and more an incline of deaths , '' Samaniego told CNN affiliate KFOX .
Samaniego also expressed concerns about the city 's healthcare systems and how the uptick in coronavirus cases has impacted its facilities .
He also admitted that the current circumstances are influencing his decision to implement another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still not manageable .
We 're having an inability to manage fatalities , '' he told the affiliate .
`` It leaves me no choice but to lean towards an extension of the order . ''
Healthcare workers have also weighed in with their take on the uptick in coronavirus cases .
We 're just exhausted , '' Nick Rose , a registered nurse in El Paso , told KFOX .
`` We have been working overtime .
We have been working longer hours than we should .
We have been doing way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ During the early days of the pandemic , Rose was one of the many nurses dispatched to battle the coronavirus outbreak in hard-hit New York State .
He offered a grim comparison of his time in New York to the current outbreak ravaging El Paso as he admitted the El Paso outbreak is far worse .
`` I 've seen more death in the last three weeks than I 've seen in a year , '' Rose said .
`` I 've done compressions on more people in the last three weeks than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Other states are also facing similar challenges combatting the virus .
In fact , healthcare analysts are concerned there may be a shortage of morgue personnel if cases and deaths continue to rise in the coming weeks .
As of Wednesday , November 11 , the United States has reported more than 10.3 million coronavirus cases , nationwide .
The death toll , which currently stands at more than 245,000 , is also continuing to rise .

As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, the United States is facing yet another uptick in cases across 43 states. Now, more than 10 million Americans have been infected with the virus and healthcare analysts are warning that the winter months could inundate hospital systems across the country. In addition to the United States facing overwhelmed healthcare systems, there is another place that could be swamped in the coming weeks: morgues.
Officials in El Paso, Texas are already at the point of inundation. On Tuesday, County Judge Ricardo Samaniego requested four mobile morgues in addition to the six the city already has as he expressed concerns about the COVID-19 spikes the city could see over the next two weeks.
"It may be as much as 20 per day the next two to three weeks. There might be more and more an incline of deaths," Samaniego told CNN affiliate KFOX.
Samaniego also expressed concerns about the city's healthcare systems and how the uptick in coronavirus cases has impacted its facilities. He also admitted that the current circumstances are influencing his decision to implement another executive order.
"The hospitals are still not manageable. We're having an inability to manage fatalities," he told the affiliate. "It leaves me no choice but to lean towards an extension of the order."
Healthcare workers have also weighed in with their take on the uptick in coronavirus cases.
We're just exhausted," Nick Rose, a registered nurse in El Paso, told KFOX. "We have been working overtime. We have been working longer hours than we should. We have been doing way more than we ever have."
During the early days of the pandemic, Rose was one of the many nurses dispatched to battle the coronavirus outbreak in hard-hit New York State. He offered a grim comparison of his time in New York to the current outbreak ravaging El Paso as he admitted the El Paso outbreak is far worse.
"I've seen more death in the last three weeks than I've seen in a year," Rose said. "I've done compressions on more people in the last three weeks than I have in a year."
Other states are also facing similar challenges combatting the virus. In fact, healthcare analysts are concerned there may be a shortage of morgue personnel if cases and deaths continue to rise in the coming weeks.
As of Wednesday, November 11, the United States has reported more than 10.3 million coronavirus cases, nationwide. The death toll, which currently stands at more than 245,000, is also continuing to rise.


alternet--2020-11-11--Ivanka Trump mocked for congratulating father's Alaska win based on AP results: 'They also called th

Ivanka Trump mocked for congratulating father's Alaska win based on AP results: 'They also called the election for Joe Biden'

With the Associated Press having called Pennsylvania , Michigan , Nevada and other battleground states for President-elect Joe Biden , a talking point one is hearing a lot from Republican supporters of President Donald Trump is that the media do n't get to decide elections .
White House Senior Adviser Ivanka Trump , on Wednesday , tweeted that AP had called Alaska for her father — and her critics are responding that if AP is n't a credible source , why is she quoting them ?
Of course , no one in AP ever claimed that it was deciding the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a state for Biden , it is merely reporting that he is ahead in the vote count — not pretending to actually be deciding the state .
But President Trump 's sycophants have persisted with their `` reporters do n't get to decide elections '' rhetoric .
And Twitter users , including MSNBC 's Ali Velshi , are noting how much of a contradiction it is for Ivanka Trump to be quoting AP figures when so many other Republicans are questioning AP 's credibility .
Here are some of the reactions to Ivanka @ @ @ @ @ @

With the Associated Press having called Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada and other battleground states for President-elect Joe Biden, a talking point one is hearing a lot from Republican supporters of President Donald Trump is that the media don't get to decide elections. White House Senior Adviser Ivanka Trump, on Wednesday, tweeted that AP had called Alaska for her father — and her critics are responding that if AP isn't a credible source, why is she quoting them?
Of course, no one in AP ever claimed that it was deciding the 2020 presidential election. When AP calls a state for Biden, it is merely reporting that he is ahead in the vote count — not pretending to actually be deciding the state. But President Trump's sycophants have persisted with their "reporters don't get to decide elections" rhetoric. And Twitter users, including MSNBC's Ali Velshi, are noting how much of a contradiction it is for Ivanka Trump to be quoting AP figures when so many other Republicans are questioning AP's credibility.
Here are some of the reactions to Ivanka Trump's tweet on Alaska:


alternet--2020-11-11--Veterans swung heavily toward Joe Biden this year. Democrats must keep that forward momentum

While the 2020 exit polls have not yet been finalized , we can already say with certainty that Americans who have served in the military shifted their political preferences dramatically over the last four years .
In 2016 , voters who served in the armed forces supported Donald Trump by a wide 60-34 margin , but preliminary data from this year shows that this same group gave Trump a much narrower 54-44 edge .
In all , that 's a 16-point swing—far wider than the national shift in the popular vote over the same timespan .
The reasons for this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found , for instance , that active-duty service members took dim views of Trump 's dismissive approach to reports that the Russian government placed bounties on the heads of American troops in Afghanistan .
These same respondents disagreed even more sharply with Trump 's desire to send the military into American cities during protests against police violence targeting Black people this summer .
Trump 's animosity toward those who 've served in uniform , of course , is longstanding .
From obtaining a bogus draft deferment for alleged `` bone spurs '' to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diseases `` my personal Vietnam '' to smearing the late Sen. John McCain by saying `` I like people who were n't captured , '' he has never tried to hide his disgust for those who would sacrifice for this country .
That he 's engendered a hostile response is no surprise .
But it 's not only about Trump .
Our military is more ethnically and racially diverse than ever before—more diverse , in fact , than the country as a whole—and the share of women serving has soared .
Service members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as uniformly hawkish and conservative , but this election should shatter those preconceptions .
What matters most now is that the Democratic Party capitalize on this success .
Organizations like VoteVets and National Security Leaders for Biden have played a crucial role in this transformation , but Democrats ca n't declare `` mission accomplished '' and move on .
Veterans , according to the exit polling , made up 15 % of the electorate this year .
They 're a group too large and too important to only court every four years .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and more members of the armed forces and their families trust the party .
But the country would benefit , too , if our military also reflected our nation 's political diversity , which is why this work must continue .

While the 2020 exit polls have not yet been finalized, we can already say with certainty that Americans who have served in the military shifted their political preferences dramatically over the last four years. In 2016, voters who served in the armed forces supported Donald Trump by a wide 60-34 margin, but preliminary data from this year shows that this same group gave Trump a much narrower 54-44 edge. In all, that's a 16-point swing—far wider than the national shift in the popular vote over the same timespan.
The reasons for this surge are many. One preelection poll found, for instance, that active-duty service members took dim views of Trump's dismissive approach to reports that the Russian government placed bounties on the heads of American troops in Afghanistan. These same respondents disagreed even more sharply with Trump's desire to send the military into American cities during protests against police violence targeting Black people this summer.
Trump's animosity toward those who've served in uniform, of course, is longstanding. From obtaining a bogus draft deferment for alleged "bone spurs" to calling his effort to avoid sexually transmitted diseases "my personal Vietnam" to smearing the late Sen. John McCain by saying "I like people who weren't captured," he has never tried to hide his disgust for those who would sacrifice for this country. That he's engendered a hostile response is no surprise.
But it's not only about Trump. Our military is more ethnically and racially diverse than ever before—more diverse, in fact, than the country as a whole—and the share of women serving has soared. Service members are all too often stereotyped and misunderstood as uniformly hawkish and conservative, but this election should shatter those preconceptions.
What matters most now is that the Democratic Party capitalize on this success. Organizations like VoteVets and National Security Leaders for Biden have played a crucial role in this transformation, but Democrats can't declare "mission accomplished" and move on. Veterans, according to the exit polling, made up 15% of the electorate this year. They're a group too large and too important to only court every four years.
Politically, Democrats will benefit if more and more members of the armed forces and their families trust the party. But the country would benefit, too, if our military also reflected our nation's political diversity, which is why this work must continue.


alternet--2020-11-11--Follow the money: Trump's refusal to concede is a scam in the true sense of the word

Donald Trump 's refusal to concede has absolutely nothing to do with winning the election .
No matter what Trump may be tweeting from the Fortress of Poutitude , he knows he 's lost .
There is no scenario in which recounts and court challenges are going to uncover anything close to enough votes to overcome the clear result of the election .
The refusal to place that grudging call to Joe Biden is also not being set by Trump 's ego .
Of course that ego is a factor .
Since it 's the size of a small moon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gravity to distort any situation , but no matter how many pundits pearl-clutch over giving Trump time to adjust to being a big loser , or how many Republicans show that they 're so there for Trump in his hour of despair , that 's just … not it .
The biggest reason that Donald Trump wo n't concede is the simplest .
It 's the same reason that has driven every decision of Trump 's life : money .
As The Washington Post reports , all but a handful of Republicans are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonexistent voter fraud , they 're doing so while fully aware that their actions are both damaging faith in the democratic process and preventing President-elect Biden from having access to national security information and other classified documents that could be vital to planning his transition .
Republicans obviously want to show that they 're still loyal to Trump—in the case of those like Sen. Lindsey Graham , disgustingly so .
But Trump has n't exactly made it a secret what this is about .
From the night of the election , Trump supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ donate to the `` Official Election Defense Fund '' or the new `` Save America PAC . ''
Some supporters report that they have received up to 18 solicitations in a single day asking for money for one or both of these projects .
Trump voters are being told that these funds are going to support an `` emergency recount '' of votes in Wisconsin .
Or that they are being used to present `` proof '' of voter fraud in court .
Only Trump 's campaign has not actually asked for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up the $ 3 million that 's required .
And it 's certainly not what Trump 's actual attorneys are saying in actual courts .
Right now , Trump 's team is 0-12 for the court cases they 've brought in half a dozen states .
Because not only do they have no evidence , they also have no particular intention of winning .
It 's all for show .
What it 's about is raking in millions for Trump .
Not only does the money being brought in pay Rudy Giuliani to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread lies , the money is also being used to pay down debts Trump ran up during the campaign .
In the case of solicitations from the `` Make America Great Again Committee , '' exactly none of the money goes to actual investigation of the fraud they know never happened .
Instead , 40 % of the money goes to the RNC while 60 % flows to Trump 's campaign .
Just as he did with his inaugural fund in 2016 , Trump has turned `` election defense '' into a way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but to take in cash in quantities not limited by laws about election contributions .
Donors to the MAGA committee or Save America PAC are n't going to hit the wall of campaign contributions … even though most of the money is going to end up in Trump 's campaign , where he can turn around and pay his family , friends , and self any amount he wants .
It is a cash grab , pure and simple .
But why would other Republicans be going along with this ?
Well , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kristi Noem provides a good clue .
In an online solicitation , Noem urges voters to `` help us bring it home for the president '' and warns that Trump `` needs our support while the far-left Dems declare a victory for Biden before all the votes are counted . ''
However , none of the money going into this fund is connected with funding investigations into campaign fraud .
It 's not even going to Trump 's campaign .
100 % of the donations instead flow into Noem 's own reelection fund @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or whether he prefers to pretend to be the prince in exile , forever fighting against an usurper who took his rightful place will be determined by the same thing that 's driving his strategy , and the strategy of other Republicans right now : the money .
There really is election fraud .
And Donald Trump , along with 99 % of the nation 's Republican leadership , are engaged in it at the moment .

Donald Trump's refusal to concede has absolutely nothing to do with winning the election. No matter what Trump may be tweeting from the Fortress of Poutitude, he knows he's lost. There is no scenario in which recounts and court challenges are going to uncover anything close to enough votes to overcome the clear result of the election.
The refusal to place that grudging call to Joe Biden is also not being set by Trump's ego. Of course that ego is a factor. Since it's the size of a small moon, Trump's ego always generates enough gravity to distort any situation, but no matter how many pundits pearl-clutch over giving Trump time to adjust to being a big loser, or how many Republicans show that they're so there for Trump in his hour of despair, that's just … not it. The biggest reason that Donald Trump won't concede is the simplest. It's the same reason that has driven every decision of Trump's life: money.
As The Washington Post reports, all but a handful of Republicans aren't just echoing Trump's claims about nonexistent voter fraud, they're doing so while fully aware that their actions are both damaging faith in the democratic process and preventing President-elect Biden from having access to national security information and other classified documents that could be vital to planning his transition.
Republicans obviously want to show that they're still loyal to Trump—in the case of those like Sen. Lindsey Graham, disgustingly so. But Trump hasn't exactly made it a secret what this is about. From the night of the election, Trump supporters have been receiving emails asking them to donate to the "Official Election Defense Fund" or the new "Save America PAC." Some supporters report that they have received up to 18 solicitations in a single day asking for money for one or both of these projects.
Trump voters are being told that these funds are going to support an "emergency recount" of votes in Wisconsin. Or that they are being used to present "proof" of voter fraud in court. Only Trump's campaign has not actually asked for a recount in Wisconsin, much less ponied up the $3 million that's required. And it's certainly not what Trump's actual attorneys are saying in actual courts.
Judge: Are you claiming that there is any fraud in connection with these 592 disputed ballots?
Trump attorney: To my knowledge at present, no.
Judge: Are you claiming there is any undue or improper influence upon the elector with respect to these 592 ballots?
Trump attorney: To my knowledge at present, no.
Right now, Trump's team is 0-12 for the court cases they've brought in half a dozen states. Because not only do they have no evidence, they also have no particular intention of winning. It's all for show.
What it's about is raking in millions for Trump. Not only does the money being brought in pay Rudy Giuliani to stand in front of landscaping stores and spread lies, the money is also being used to pay down debts Trump ran up during the campaign. In the case of solicitations from the "Make America Great Again Committee," exactly none of the money goes to actual investigation of the fraud they know never happened. Instead, 40% of the money goes to the RNC while 60% flows to Trump's campaign.
Just as he did with his inaugural fund in 2016, Trump has turned "election defense" into a way to not only take in cash, but to take in cash in quantities not limited by laws about election contributions. Donors to the MAGA committee or Save America PAC aren't going to hit the wall of campaign contributions … even though most of the money is going to end up in Trump's campaign, where he can turn around and pay his family, friends, and self any amount he wants. It is a cash grab, pure and simple.
But why would other Republicans be going along with this? Well, this maneuver from South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem provides a good clue. In an online solicitation, Noem urges voters to "help us bring it home for the president" and warns that Trump "needs our support while the far-left Dems declare a victory for Biden before all the votes are counted." However, none of the money going into this fund is connected with funding investigations into campaign fraud. It's not even going to Trump's campaign. 100% of the donations instead flow into Noem's own reelection fund.
Whether Trump ever calls Biden, or whether he prefers to pretend to be the prince in exile, forever fighting against an usurper who took his rightful place will be determined by the same thing that's driving his strategy, and the strategy of other Republicans right now: the money.
There really is election fraud. And Donald Trump, along with 99% of the nation's Republican leadership, are engaged in it at the moment.