Editor’s note: This commentary is by Walt Amses, a writer who lives in North Calais.
Watching the Republican congressional leadership on Wednesday evening, rising triumphantly from the ashes to complete “the people’s business” in “the people’s house” after the horrifying breach of the Capitol by MAGA supporters was a moving tribute to democracy’s strength — for the first few minutes. It didn’t take very long for reality to cloud the picture though, considering the people’s business was merely ceremonial and the terrorists outside were encouraged by both the president of the United States and dozens of the GOP representatives in the room.
By Thursday morning the smoke had cleared, and Congress had done its job, certifying Joe Biden’s win, which largely takes under an hour, while in an early morning message the president committed to an “orderly transfer of power” on Jan. 20, apparently unaware that such a thing was now gone with the tear-gassed wind, thanks to his months of lying about the “stolen” election and Republicans’ willingness to play along because they thought they would benefit politically.
Let’s be clear, ever since their man ricocheted into the Oval Office on a wing and a prayer by a margin of minus three million votes, the “fraud” non-issue has been front and center in Republican politics, boxing them into the bizarre, self-created situation earlier this week that found them lining up against the electoral process, the Constitution, and the reality of Biden’s eventual inauguration. Considering the circumstances, the general election went by without a hitch, even described as “The most secure election in American history” by a Trump cyber security official — who was immediately fired — and echoed by state election officials from both parties.
But a secure, honest election didn’t fit the narrative, especially since Trump lost by over eight million votes, so the fabrication machine went into high gear and a new narrative was born — the election was “rigged.” Republicans can’t seem to get their minds around the fact that elections are in the hands of citizens and, as such, can go either way, a proposition they wholeheartedly endorse but only if they win. The moment they finish on the short end they cry foul, take legal action, immediately depicting themselves as victims of nefarious activity such as nonexistent voter fraud, a whine they’ve increasingly had a nose for since 2016. This should be as embarrassing for them as it is for the rest of the country but apparently it isn’t, which set the stage for Wednesday’s violence.
Facing the prospect of a new sheriff on the horizon despite mustering their most demonstrably false arguments and off-the-wall legal maneuvers, Republicans completely lost their minds, mounting a last ditch effort to discount Electoral College votes with no chance of succeeding since the vote “counting” is only ceremonial. But the actual fact is that everyone already knew who won, including the GOP, though they were doing their best to pretend they didn’t. Simply telling the truth about the election results could have avoided the deadly confrontation at the Capitol. Summed up by Mitt Romney, who pointed out the difficulty convincing Trump supporters of the election’s fairness while he’s consistently spreading misinformation: “The best way to show these upset voters respect is to tell them the truth.”
Honesty is such an endangered commodity on the right that even a passing interest in the truth will get you ostracized. Faking it is their favorite methodology. Republicans challenging the electoral vote count argued that voters “don’t trust the system” or are “worried” and “confused” over election integrity.” Their concern would be noteworthy were it not wholly manufactured to justify the self-serving BS they’re spreading. Along with Trump, the GOP has been sowing the mistrust, doubt and confusion over the election to gullible, MAGA loyalists who did on Wednesday exactly what they were encouraged to do.
So as the morning after headlines blared out that “Congress Defies Deadly Attack” and “Congress Confirms Biden Win, Defying Mob Attack” we would do well to remember that Republican members of that same Congress bear responsibility for what happened on the streets of Washington. Even as they were acknowledging the vote count when Congress reconvened, GOP Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, both with 2024 presidential ambitions, continued trying to have it both ways, condemning the violence yet maintaining the necessity of the dead-end charade over election irregularities that do not exist.
In the end, 147 Republican House and Senate members voted to overturn the election results based on nothing more than political expediency and having painted themselves into a corner where they cower in fear of Trump, reality and their own carefully cultivated constituents. Any honesty now would clearly indicate they’d been lying all along.
For Trump’s own futile stab at redemption, his way-too-little, way-too-late assurance of an orderly transfer of power included this: “This represents the greatest first term in American history, and it’s only the beginning.” Like his statement the previous day, expressing “love” for his contingent of terrorists, his dubious concession received hardly a rejoinder from any Republican. They were too busy making believe their party leader(s) didn’t belong either in a cell or an institution.
