#553 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Tuesday January 10)
Good morning,
“Have you no sense of decency, Sir?” –Senator Joseph Welch to Senator Joseph McCarthy, June 9, 1954
Common decency—including truth telling, equanimity in victory and humility in defeat—seems such a quaint concept these days, particularly in our political environment. While there certainly have been numerous lapses over the years, across the political spectrum, more often than not they were followed by apology, remorse, shame, and forgiveness. This time it’s different.
The past few weeks have brought reminders of two norms that have been breached in the Trump Era—taking us well past the more typical “lie until you’re caught” world and into the “it doesn’t even matter if you’re caught” universe. These two breached norms are: (1) the free-wheeling lying with impunity and (2) the poor sportsmanship and democracy-threatening unwillingness to accept the will of the people. These can be seen in all their glory through the behaviors of two people—George Santos and Kari Lake.
ESTABLISHING THE NEW NORM
Under Mr. Trump, lying became something that could be accepted in return for fealty to certain “principles.” That said, Mr. Trump did not invent lying as a means to achieve political success. It has a long, sad and destructive history. And, lest my Republican friends call me out on this, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden are among a long list of Democrats who manipulated their resumes or events in their lives. In most cases, those who lied ultimate fessed-up. But lying was raised to an art form and an acceptable way to behave under Mr. Trump. With some 40,000 documented lies—many repeated even in the face of proof—Trump took it to the next level, demanding that his supporters toe the line with what they—and he—knew to be false.
Second, Mr. Trump has normalized electoral denial and calling our electoral system and checks and balances into question. He denied legitimate election results and acted to undermine the will of the people and our democratic institutions—even after the Justice Department, most of his cabinet and supporters, and 60 courts of law, failed to find anything to back up his claims. But importantly, the majority of the Republican leadership failed to certify the election.
Some argue that there were the random members of Congress who in past elections voted not to certify. But these were generally few in number and generally were performative in nature. In this case, in the face of the January 6th insurrection no less, the vote opposing a fair election were significant. And while Mr. Trump has been rebuked at the polls, he remains a viable political force—not yet fully spent. But his legacy lives on…
CASE IN POINT #1—LIES TO GET ELECTED
It is hard not to admire George Santos, Republican victor in a Long Island House race, for his blatant lying in order to garner office. He lied about his grandparents and the Holocaust, his parents, his education, his jobs, his religion, his involvement in a non-existent charity, and the use of campaign funds—pretty much anything and everything. And while there are ongoing investigations, Republican leadership is by-and-large silent. Why? Because Kevin McCarthy, in a deeply divided Republican caucus, needed Mr. Santos’s vote to be Speaker in last week’s debacle.
It is unlikely a very meaningful price will be paid for Mr. Santos’s lies.
CASE IN POINT #2—ELECTION DENIAL NOT LIMITED TO 2020
As we all know, 2020 marked a first—that a defeated presidential candidate would refuse, after recounts, court decisions, and the will of the people, to step down. This lie was parroted by many people who were convinced by Trump and his enablers in the conservative media that our election system was flawed. Some parroted the lie to garner Mr. Trump’s endorsement or otherwise appeal to those of their supporters misled by Mr. Trump. One would think calling the entire electoral system into question was a “one-off” bad dream. But it’s not.
While many of those who cast doubt on our systems conceded appropriately and humbly, there are those who have continued to follow the Trump model. Kari Lake, the defeated candidate for Senate in Arizona, lost by a sizable number of votes (though far closer than someone who perpetrated lies and discredited the election even before it was held). She hasn’t given up. Here’s her latest pronouncement (word-for-word), sent in a blast email, without a single scintilla of evidence:
“The Fake News is lying.
The law is on our side.
I’ve filed one of the STRONGEST and LARGEST election lawsuits in history to get answers for the rigged and corrupt electoral disaster that has shocked this great nation.
If the process was illegitimate, Then so are the results.
Every day, more whistleblowers are coming forth, giving us their support. We must hold the line until our lawsuit shows the TRUTH to the American people.That’s why I’m asking for your support…”
And here is the big “reveal.” Not only does she use Trump’s rhetoric and Trump’s syntax—“the STRONGEST and LARGEST” election lawsuit in history—but she also asks for money. Where, exactly, is this money going? Her opportunities for judicial satisfaction are gone—a judge has decided against her frivolous claims. So she’s not funding lawsuits. The recount and certification were completed. No, in her own Trumpian fashion, she has continued the con and is simply padding her treasury. Some, no doubt, will be misled and send their checks—either paying down Ms. Lake’s campaign debts or enriching her, as Mr. Trump demonstrated as a winning strategy in his case.
Have these people no decency?
Have a great day,
Glenn
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