As Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts famous, the primary day of Lake’s newest trial was a “full and complete fizzle.” In keeping with Lake’s legal professional, Kurt Olsen, the very-much-not-governor of Arizona was sitting on a powder keg of proof proving that Arizona’s Maricopa County didn’t do any signature verification on early ballots throughout the midterm elections. And her aspect referred to as witnesses who proved precisely that.
Wait. Sorry. That was presupposed to say “who proved precisely the alternative.”
Jacqueline Onigkeit, who labored as a degree one reviewer throughout final 12 months’s election, spent greater than an hour explaining the lengths to which county went to confirm signatures — the weeklong coaching of employees, the 2 shifts of degree one reviewers, three ranges of signature overview, the admonition to get it proper.
“They (supervisors) instructed us, ‘It’s essential to be very cautious. It’s essential to take note of what you’re doing and keep in mind that no matter you reject or approve, you will be referred to as in to testify,’ ” Onigkeit testified.
As a witness for the protection, Onigkeit was dynamite.
The issue is, she was presupposed to be the star witness for Lake.
Wait, so why would Lake name a witness who ended up destroying her case? I’m no lawyer, however isn’t that the alternative of what you’re presupposed to do? Did she discover her legal professional on Craigslist? And did the advertiser throw in a free futon?
However that wasn’t all. Oh, no. The hits stored coming.
In keeping with Roberts, Maricopa County Superior Courtroom Choose Peter Thompson stated that with a view to show her case, Lake wanted to indicate that the county had carried out no signature verification in any respect. As an alternative, she and her lawyer helpfully proved that it had.
Olsen confirmed a video by which one election employee did seem like breezing by signature verifications too shortly, however he failed to notice that the employee was dismissed from these duties for not doing an intensive job—a proven fact that, as Roberts writes, “bolstered the county’s case that it was taking signature verification significantly.” In the meantime, Onigkeit testified that the employees had been regularly instructed that they need to watch out to not rush by the verification course of.
Whoops.
RELATED STORY: Kari Lake goes full bananapants, calls herself the ‘duly elected governor’ of Arizona
In fact, whereas the Massive Lie could triumph within the courtroom of public opinion (at the least in MAGA-land), it’s carried out diddly-squat in precise courts, presumably (gird your loins now) as a result of these Massive Liars haven’t any case. And on Wednesday that was made brutally clear. Once more.
That stated, Massive Liars are nonetheless poking on the foundations of our democracy, in search of flaws which may permit them to illegally set up their as soon as and future Burger King, who continues to serve up steamy whoppers on the each day whereas safely ensconced in Mar-a-Lago. Their final imaginative and prescient, after all, is a everlasting white minority rule by which Potemkin elections rubber-stamp their preordained picks. And whereas they’ve run into loads of roadblocks on their approach to this white man’s coup-topia, their plan stays primarily unchanged.
To be truthful, it’s abundantly clear by now that election denialism is a foul marketing campaign technique. Counting on voters who suppose voting is pointless is at all times a foul tactic, after all, however now now we have information to help the truth that Massive Liars are usually Massive Losers.
In keeping with a latest research from Stanford’s Graduate Faculty of Enterprise, election deniers did demonstrably worse within the midterms than candidates who refused to embrace Trump’s barmy nonsense.
Los Angeles Occasions:
Assaying the final election ends in 85 races throughout the nation, the research discovered that election-denying Republicans acquired 2.3% much less help in statewide contests than Republicans who stood quick and refused to indulge Trump’s insidious blather.
That will not sound like so much. But it surely was the distinction in a number of shut contests involving outstanding election deniers, together with races for U.S. Senate and secretary of state in Nevada, and governor and legal professional common in Arizona. In every of these elections, scoundrels and cheats — let’s name them what they’re — went right down to slim, deserved defeat.
Nice information, to make sure. However don’t get too cozy. Democracy continues to be in peril.
The nonpartisan watchdog group Informing Democracy not too long ago put collectively a report on among the perils nonetheless going through our democracy, together with the truth that election deniers are worming their method into authorities like weevils in Lake’s squishy simulacrum of a mind.
Nonetheless, following the outcomes of the 2022 elections, a constructive narrative that almost all election deniers had been defeated on the poll field shortly developed inside the nationwide media, however outdoors of some outstanding election contests, the truth is sadly extra pessimistic. In actual fact, extra anti democracy actors had been elected to statewide places of work final 12 months, not fewer. Throughout the nation, candidates supporting election denialism received a number of statewide elections, solidifying their affect in state and federal authorities. These election winners embody the Governors of Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, South Dakota, and Texas; Secretaries of State of Indiana and Wyoming; Attorneys Basic of Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas; and U.S. Senators in Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin.
A minimum of 180 of the 222 Republican members of the U.S. Home of Representatives elected in 2022, most of whom had been incumbents, both questioned or denied the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election. Of the 34 U.S. Senators elected or reelected in 2022, 17 expressed skepticism in regards to the end result of the 2020 presidential election. This provides as much as at the least 74% of Congressional Republicans who rejected the 2020 election outcomes. Barring their resignation or removing from workplace, these identical officers shall be charged with confirming the electoral school votes for the 2024 presidential election.
Then there’s that wacky SCOTUS, which loves nothing greater than to position flaming luggage of poo on the public’s doorstep and run away laughing. The courtroom is at present contemplating the validity of the so-called “unbiased state legislature idea,” which might give partisan legislatures broad authority to gerrymander districts, disenfranchise voters, and presumably even decide their very own winners. Luckily, the Supreme Courtroom appears poised to reject the speculation, nevertheless it stays an actual and horrifying risk.
RELATED STORY: 2024 will not be about candidates, it will be about ideology
In the meantime, state legislatures proceed to nibble across the edges of our tasty democracy whereas repeatedly plunging their grubby fingers into the frosting. Texas’ GOP-led state legislature is at present pushing a invoice that may give Texas’ secretary of state the facility to 86 election outcomes within the Lone Star State’s largest county presumably in all probability as a result of its residents hold voting for Democrats.
The Republican-controlled Senate handed the invoice Tuesday and despatched it to the state Home. Whether it is enacted, it could permit the secretary of state to toss out election ends in the state’s largest county and name a brand new vote if there’s “good trigger” to consider that at the least 2% of polling locations ran out of usable ballots throughout voting hours.
The invoice would apply solely to counties with populations higher than 2.7 million, successfully singling out Harris County, which is residence to Houston and has by far the most important inhabitants within the state, at almost 5 million. In latest a long time, Harris County has develop into extra Democratic.
And hoo-boy, get a load of this one. Georgia’s Fulton County Board of Commissioners almost appointed a Republican to supervise elections within the closely Democratic county, which incorporates virtually all of Atlanta. (The nominee, Lee Morris, ultimately withdrew his identify within the face of sturdy opposition, and a Democrat was given the reins. However significantly—what had been they pondering?)
So, sure, Lake’s faceplant is each hilarious and heartening. However that doesn’t imply we are able to chill out, fellow progressives! Democracy continues to be on the poll in 2024, and sure shall be for the foreseeable future. Or till MAGAs lastly understand that Trump virtually by no means tells the reality. Which just about means we’ll be white-knuckling our method by election nights till the warmth loss of life of the universe. And right here you thought you may get a full evening’s sleep someday earlier than the tip of the millennium. You naif!
RELATED STORY: Liz Cheney plans to hang-out Trump all through his 2024 run. She simply bought began
Take a look at Aldous J. Pennyfarthing’s four-volume Trump-trashing compendium, together with the finale, Goodbye, Asshat: 101 Farewell Letters to Donald Trump, at this hyperlink. Or, if you happen to want a check drive, you possibly can obtain the epilogue to Goodbye, Asshat for the low, low value of FREE.
Hell yeah! Democrats and progressives merely crushed it from coast to coast on Tuesday evening, so co-hosts David Nir and David Beard are devoting this week’s whole episode of “The Downballot” to reveling in all of the highlights. On the very high of the listing is Jacksonville, the place Democrats received the mayor’s race for simply the second time in three a long time—and gave the Florida Democratic Occasion a much-needed shot within the arm. Republicans additionally misplaced the mayor’s workplace within the longtime conservative bastion of Colorado Springs for the primary time because the metropolis started holding direct elections for the job 45 years in the past.