The most singular difference between the two political parties in this country is that the Democratic party is not based upon lawmakers treating their constituents like they were idiot children and lying to them. This is a feature, not a bug, with the Republicans. They spend great amounts of time translating legislation into talking points that will fit with pre-determined prejudices. Don’t bother suggesting that they just tell the truth, that’s an act in futility.
The Electoral Count Act is included with the omnibus legislation and that’s an advantage to Republicans because they can support it, without seeming to do so specifically. And why would they not want to do so specifically? Simply because of the fear of alienating the MAGA portion of the base, they who believe the Big Lie and genuflect when the Great Orange One speaks the Big Lie from the podium.
Yea, it is the very dogma of the cult. If MAGA ever codifies its views into Commandments, then The 2020 Election Was Stolen will have to be right there at the top.
Yet the Republicans have found a way around this. As we speak, Rand Paul has come out with an editorial in a local Louisville, Kentucky newspaper, which allows him to argue that Trump-proofing future elections is a good idea, not for that reason, the real reason, but because to do so would own the libs.
Congress has the opportunity to preserve and strengthen the states’ role in conducting presidential elections.
The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act is a bipartisan bill designed to ensure that Congress obeys state law. Unless the laws or constitution of a state identify another official to do so, the reformed Electoral Count Act designates the governor to certify the state’s presidential electors to prevent different officials from sending competing slates of electors to Congress.
Additionally, the bill makes clear that the Vice President is to play a solely ministerial role in the counting of electoral votes.
That was clear before, to everybody but Donald Trump, but okay, let’s pretend that this is something new.
The legislation also increases the threshold that would trigger a congressional debate on objections to a state’s election results to one-fifth of each the House and Senate, meaning that the transfer of power would not provide an occasion for frivolous challenges.
In other words, this legislation preserves the Founders’ intent that the laws and election results of the several states are respected.
Conservatives should realize that reforming the Electoral Count Act is necessary to protect the Electoral College from left-wing attempts to abandon it completely.
The last comment is somewhat comical, but hey, this is Rand Paul we’re talking about here, right? What’s also comical is that Trump is over on Truth Social this morning ranting his usual rant about how, “John Eastman and others were correct in stating that the Vice President of the United States had the right to do what should have been done. The only reason this change is being promulgated is to reform The Electoral Count Act so that the VP cannot do what they powerfully said he couldn’t do, but if it couldn’t be done, why are they making this law change? The whole thing is one big Scam!”
No, Eastman wasn’t correct, Donald. Eastman is a charlatan and a fraud, just like you.
Yes, Donald is upset plenty because this could upend his plans for 2024, by spinning that in fact, it’s the Democrats’ plans for 2024 which are getting upended. (If you’re becoming confused and your head is beginning to hurt, don’t worry. That means you ARE following the argument. It’s the argument itself, coming from the likes of Trump and Rand Paul, as it does, which is crazy, not you.)
Back to the new and improved version of the Electoral Count Act. This is Greg Sargent in the Washington Post:
In short, Republicans can argue that ECA reform will Own The Libs. Similarly, in coming days you will hear Republicans insist that it will prevent Vice President Harris from subverting the next electoral count and helping steal the 2024 election from Republicans.
Republicans can also plausibly cite self-interest here. Reform will make it less likely that a rerun of Trump’s coup is attempted, which means Republicans (on the state or federal level) are unlikely to face pressure to help steal a future election. It helps in this regard that many Republicans who ran on an explicit willingness to nullify future losses have been defeated.
No one should confuse this with a full-scale outbreak of pro-democracy sentiment among Republicans. Most resolutely support making voting harder, and many are actively working to sabotage a full national reckoning with Trump’s insurrection and widespread GOP support for it.
Still, something of a split screen is now discernible. On one screen, House Republicans are widely dismissing the news that the House select committee examining Trump’s insurrection is recommending criminal charges. They are gearing up to smear the committee’s report, which will document his coup in damning detail.
On the other screen, many Senate Republicans are quietly preparing to support reforms that functionally acknowledge the grave nature of just about every key aspect of Trump’s coup plot. They are implicitly acknowledging that the MAGA movement would do this all over again, and that pathways to this outcome must be choked off.
In effect, Senate Republicans are poised to join Democrats in Trump-proofing our elections behind his back. It’s sobering that this is happening at the very last second, with insurrectionist Republicans set to seize control of the House, but at least it appears close to getting done.
Remember that old expression, “Sometimes you can do the right thing, but for the wrong reasons?” Think of that as you listen to the new, absurd arguments that the GOP is throwing at the wall, as they do, indeed, work behind Trump’s back and for the good of democracy. Not because they are pro-democracy, oh no, don’t think that: they are pro getting beyond Trump, because the man is turning into a kryptonite anvil around their necks. This is pure self interest. But, miraculously, it dovetails with what actually should be done for the good of America, to safeguard us against the next GOP authoritarian tyrant.
Unintended consequences. The gop is so focused on power at any cost, they are blind to this reality that is always present. Arrogance breeds ignorance & ignorance breeds arrogance. Maybe this time it will work to the common good.
The former guys is screaming about this, and it demonstrates that he doesn’t know what it says now. (He’s still claiming it allows Pence to not count all the electoral votes.)
Two year olds are not known for their grasp of the adult world.