We know that the allegation that the 2020 Presidential election was stolen somehow is a massive fraud and a lie. But many of those who say it, also know it is a lie. They do not mean to convince anyone, they are sending a message to those who believe as they do. They are sending a coded message: a racist, white supremacist message. That message is that the election was stolen from white Americans because minority American voters participated.
Joe Biden won the election fairly and by a wide margin. But Joe Biden lost the white vote. Therefore, to those who believe that non-white Americans are not fully Americans — who do not deserve the vote, do not deserve power, do not deserve to share in American Democracy — Joe Biden did not win fairly. They believe that Joe Biden is not their President.
This is what the election lie truly means: because minority voters gave Joe Biden the Presidency, Joe Biden did not fairly win the Presidency.
Because the lie of the stolen election is nonsensical, without factual foundation, and provably and demonstrably false, it makes the perfect signal to others that the teller believes that minority Americans are not legitimate participants in democracy. Thus this lie becomes a perfect dogwhistle of racist convictions.
The lie is not an assertion of an “alternative fact”, it is an assertion that the only legitimate power is white power.
Truth. Trump’s futile attack on the 2020 election was all about racism and what he believes is the rightful disenfranchisement of minority voters. It’s not even a dogwhistle because Trump’s racism has been front and center since he became the so-called president.And his very public and blatant racism preceded his presidential campaign with the Obama Birther lie and the Central Park Five as well as discriminatory practices associated with his real estate business.
Black people know this. Just because he didn’t actually say “Ni@@er votes shouldn’t count” doesn’t mean he is not just as explicit in his racism as Bull Connor or George Wallace.
I pray that there are enough Republican senators with a shred of decency to convict this miserable old con man and eliminate the possibility of his toxic and disruptive influence in this country’s future.
I happen to think his shelf life is close to the expiration date, but a conviction would be appropriate given the gravity of his crimes. It would assure young Americans that most of us stood up to the evil that is Trump, and that such evil will always be overcome.
Is it too much to ask for a Senate conviction followed by multiple Federal and State convictions?
That is certainly what he deserves.
Trump should feel the long arm of the law and be held accountable for the first time in his life.