Many Americans may look back on the year 2020 as the moment they were cut loose by their own political party, government, and institutions. Rightly or wrongly, they approach the new year slightly jaded, with a belief that they have been abandoned by those who control the levers of power. By the courts, by the media, and even in the hallowed halls of state government buildings, a potential 74 million Americans feel they have been ignored and abused. With the Electoral College having voted to declare Joe Biden the winner of Election 2020, half of the nation is undoubtedly wondering if their votes really matter, why their questions have been dismissed, and what is the point of engaging in politics?
The travesty is not the election scorecard but rather the dismissive nature with which genuine concerns from real people have been cast aside with scant regard. When a huge portion of the country asks legitimate questions, and the state apparatus refuses to answer, the body politic becomes sick. Yet this was all avoidable.
A Coming Sickness
According to a recent Rasmussen poll, 43% of likely voters believe President Trump’s legal challenges are related to “widespread voter fraud,” and 7% are unsure. (Among Republicans, this figure is 73%; even 20% of Democrats agree.) How can a nation continue to function when just 50% of the likely voters believe the results are fair?
One solution to this vexing issue is to answer the people’s questions.
The numerous cases of voter fraud allegations brought before judges and dismissed out of hand have been a blow to many Americans. Perhaps the requested legal remedy would have turned out to be too onerous, but at least the evidence should have been heard. The affidavits, the analyses, the footage all needed to be aired in public and explained by those who claim these pieces of information are not proof of fraud.
All too often, politicians and public servants say that they are accountable, that they want unity, and, of course, that they are listening. But presented with an opportunity to prove that the aforementioned are true, and to give millions of voters faith in the electoral system, they instead gave no demonstration of why and how the evidence presented is wrong or has been misconstrued.
Instead, they chose to dismiss the claims and deny the American voters their day in court.
Fourth Estate Blocks
And what of the illustrious media? These purveyors of truth? Did they seek to unravel the mysteries concerning the 2020 election, or did they close ranks and deride any who dared suggest that something may be untoward? Social media was also quick to join in by flagging and deleting posts that questioned the integrity of the election. Voters who asked questions on a public forum have been labeled white supremacists, anti-Semites, and extremists for daring to waver from the approved narrative.
YouTube generously suggested that content creators could indicate there had been voter fraud but that it did not impact the election result, under penalty of content removal.
Dismissing Evidence
No matter how many times the media and politicos may insist there is no evidence of voter fraud, it doesn’t make it true. Affidavits are evidence; reports are evidence. They may not be proof – that is for the courts to decide – but to deny that they are pieces of evidence is more than dishonest; it is dismissive. When millions of Trump supporters read about the forensic audit of Michigan voting machines, only to have it cast aside as a right-wing conspiracy theory without ever being investigated, those voters lose faith in the election system and even the very point of voting.
If the worthies in high office truly believed it is wrong to discourage voting, they would address the numerous reports of irregularities with an open mind rather than immediate and formulaic skepticism. It makes one wonder if that is not the whole point of this exercise in derision and debasement.
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Read more from Mark Angelides.
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