Last night, the Supreme Court rejected a bid from Texas’ Attorney General Ken Paxton to sue Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Wisconsin and invalidate their election results in a brazen attempt to steal the election for President Donald Trump. The case, which had already been dismissed by courts across the country, was dealt a death blow by the Supreme Court, effectively ending Trump’s fight to disenfranchise millions of votes.
It’s hardly a surprise, given that there was zero evidence of any sort of voter fraud or election interference. Also, Trump’s case was pleaded by a clown car of lawyers and witnesses with laughable credibility and a penchant for spreading COVID-19.
How can you serve our nation after trying to overturn our democracy?
Asking for 126 of my @GOP colleagues.
— Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) December 12, 2020
Still, despite the lack of any real evidence, despite the conspiracy theories, and despite the indisputable math that Biden bested Trump but 7 million votes, 126 House Republicans joined an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit. That’s more than half of the republicans currently holding office in the House of Representatives who willfully tried to overthrow a democratic election.
And for what? To suck up to a hateful president who will be out of office in 39 days? To please Trump’s diehard base of supporters in the hopes of winning their future votes? Or is it just to stick it to democrats and Biden, to fuel the toxic narrative that his win was anything but legitimate?
Just when I think that the GOP couldn’t possibly sink any lower, become any more craven in their relentless pursuit of power, they plumb new depths. It doesn’t matter that the case had an infinitesimal chance of moving forward. These elected officials wanted to undermine the very election that carried them to office. It’s a shocking abdication of responsibility, a cynical play for the very worst, most misguided people in the country. In other words, it’s treason.
And, as with all things Republican, there will be zero consequences for this treasonous behavior. New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell has called on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to refuse to seat the 126 Republicans, tweeting “I’m demanding that the 126 Republicans who have endorsed a malignant lawsuit to overturn the will of the people and undermine our democracy not be seated in Congress,” adding that the 126 had violated “Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was written after the Civil War to bar from government any traitors who would seek to destroy the Union. My letter to House leadership today demands that 126 Republicans (and counting) are violating the Constitution.”
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was written after the Civil War to bar from government any traitors who would seek to destroy the Union.
My letter to House leadership today demands that 126 Republicans (and counting) are violating the Constitution. pic.twitter.com/4ti0OU1kpP
— Bill Pascrell, Jr. (@BillPascrell) December 11, 2020
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi released a statement saying, “The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions.”
Once again, Republicans get off with a scolding and a strongly worded letter. All of these representatives should be held accountable for their behavior, which has only grown more offensive and more dangerous since Trump’s election in 2016. They’re emboldened because democrats and mainstream media are not holding them accountable.
It used to be that politicians could have ideological differences but still find a way to compromise and make the government function. But how can we compromise with a death cult addicted to fake news and bigotry? How can we steer democracy when half of one of the two main parties attempts to establish an autocracy? These Republicans should be forced to own the consequences of their actions, and wear this scandal like the traitorous stain it is. Sadly, I doubt they ever will. God only know what this will inspire them to do in 2024.
(via Newsweek, featured image: Erin Schaff – Pool/Getty Images)
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