Could The Political Scene Get Any More Weird?

Summary

The U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of a lawsuit initiated by Texas and supported by 17 other state attorneys general to overturn election results in four battleground states has underscored the transformation of the Republican Party under President Trump, revealing a deep divide within the party and a widespread support for Trump's unfounded claims of voter fraud.

Abstract

The article discusses the U.S. Supreme Court's dismissal of a lawsuit brought by Texas' Attorney General, joined by nearly twenty other states' AGs, which sought to invalidate the presidential election results in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Georgia. This legal challenge, widely regarded as frivolous, is indicative of the profound impact President Trump has had on the Republican Party. The lawsuit's support from top congressional Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, as well as 106 Republican House members, reflects the party's acquiescence to Trump's baseless claims of widespread voter fraud. Notably, three California Republican representatives, Ken Calvert, Doug LaMalfa, and Tom McClintock, endorsed the lawsuit. The article also highlights the personal conflict experienced by the author due to the involvement of Utah's Attorney General, a friend and Trump supporter, whose actions were publicly criticized by Utah's Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The broader implications of this event signal a shift in the Republican Party, with "Trumpsters" gaining influence and many Republicans unconditionally supporting Trump, contributing to an increasingly peculiar political landscape.

Opinions

Michael McGough criticizes the lawsuit as "frivolous" and views the GOP's support for it as a sign of Trump's corrupting influence on the party.
The article suggests that Trump's refusal to accept defeat, despite legal setbacks, is a result of his narcissism and propensity for dishon

Trump has changed the Republican Party

The matter of the Texas attorney general and almost twenty other states’ AGs filing a lawsuit to change the votes in four battleground states where Donald Trump lost has been rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court. It was a strange matter.

Michael McGough wrote an article in The Los Angeles Times on December 11, 2020. It was entitled: GOP Support For A Frivolous Lawsuit Shows How Trump Has Corrupted The Party. In describing Trump and the situation with the Texas attorney general and others filing their lawsuit, McGough reported as follows:

Given his narcissism and predilection for lying, it was unseemly but not surprising when Trump, peddling fantastical theories about massive voter fraud, refused to accept defeat, despite a cascade of contrary court decisions. But he isn’t alone in ensuring that the presidency Biden will claim on Jan. 20 is a poisoned chalice.

Top congressional Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, have acquiesced in Trump’s disinformation campaign, hiding behind pious statements about counting every legal vote.

Even more offensive, 106 Republican members of the House moved to file a friend-of-the court brief supporting Texas’ attempt to have the Supreme Court thwart the will of voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia. They include three Californians: Reps. Ken Calvert of Corona, Doug LaMalfa of Richvale and Tom McClintock of Elk Grove.

These members of the “people’s House” argue that the authority of state legislatures to control the selection of presidential electors was “usurped at various times by governors, secretaries of state, election officials, state courts, federal courts and private parties.”

[Since this article was in a California newspaper, the three California Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed the brief are listed. Doug LaMalfa appeared with Chris Cuomo on CNN to discuss the matter. He was the only one who was willing to be on the show out of the 106 Republican lawmakers.]

I was interested in this matter because Utah’s attorney general was one who joined the suit. He is a person who has been a friend of mine for a number of years. He has been a strong supporter of Trump. That was well known because he has been a surrogate for Trump at Asian American events. Utah’s Governor and Lieutenant Governor (who is the Governor-elect) expressed their concern and disfavor with the Utah AG’s action, which apparently was a huge mistake. They said they would not want other states interfering in Utah’s elections. The constant support of Trump by the AG is surprising since he espouses the same values as Senator Mitt Romney, who has shown that he does not condone Trump’s morals and behavior.

Many Republicans have stated that the party has changed under Trump. The Trumpsters have taken over the party. Most of the Republicans in Congress support Trump no matter what he does. The political scene has gotten very weird.

[Source: Los Angles Times, CNN. Portions of this article are from a story which originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times. It was interesting enough to repeat and share in case people missed the story. Check out the full story for more information.]