From usatodayopinion: 'I don’t think Americans are prepared for the destructive tornadoes of lunacy that will touch down in the wake of the November midterm elections.'
States like Arizona, Pennsylvania and Nevada have candidates in the November midterms who have denied the 2020 presidential elections results.Republican candidate for Arizona governor Kari Lake will only accept election results if she wins.
What will happen if they win ... or lose?, I suppose, is never having to say you’re sorry for not making sense. Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, an Arizona election fabulist of the highest order, made that, refusing, well in advance, to accept the result of November’s election – unless she wins. “I’m going to win the election, and I will accept that result,” said Lake, presumably enjoying a life unbound by rules or common sense.asked Lake what would happenLake repeated: “I’m going to win the election, and I will accept that result. Because the people of Arizona will never support and vote for a coward like Katie Hobbs.” Let’s call that line of thinking all the things that it is: Crazy. Selfish. Undemocratic. Dishonest. Dangerous.– of Kari Lakes running for office. And I don’t think Americans are prepared for the destructive tornadoes of lunacy that will touch down in the wake of the November midterm elections.put the number of Republican candidates who have “questioned and, at times, outright denied the results of the 2020 election” at more than 370. : “The Times investigation found that about 70 percent of Republicans running for Congress had questioned the election of President Biden, who won seven million more votes and 74 more electors than Mr. Trump. Of those, nearly two-thirds are favored to win their races, according to theWe are right to be worried about the election-denying candidates who might win their races, as they can never be trusted to choose country over party. But what about the ones who lose, whether it’s the aforementioned Republicans seeking congressional seats or other I-win-or-they-cheated right-wingers vying to become secretaries of state or state attorneys general?Do you think they’re going to quietly accept the results? Of course not. Donald Trump lit a fire after losing the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden and has stoked the flames of election denialism since. Those flames are about to hit dry tinder that threatens to set the whole country on fire.You can be critical of America and still love it. Sen. Ron Johnson doesn't understand that. Imagine dozens upon dozens upon dozens of mini-Trumps scattered across the country, all screeching, without one scintilla of evidence, that an election was stolen from them. Our republic has held despite Trump’s best efforts to destroy it to salve his fragile ego, but can we really expect our judicial and legislative guardrails will hold up to a small army of Trumpian clones with egos of their own to protect?, Lake gave away the whole game, acknowledging the only election that could be legitimate is one she wins. Con artists are nothing if not committed to the con, and they aren’t going to let things like logic or common sense get in the way.GOP is no longer the party of old, white men. Meet the conservative women on the rise. So what will we see once the votes are counted in November? Every election denier declared the winner will celebrate a free and fair election. Every election denier who loses will scream “FRAUD!” and refuse to accept the results. In some states you’ll have two candidates saying opposite things about the same election, depending on whether they won or lost. It won’t make sense to those who believe in democracy, but those who’ve embraced the cult-like mindset of election denialism will buy into it, and they’ll cheer the chaos that ensues.Polling by Monmouth University last month showed that about 30% of Americans “hold the erroneous belief that Biden only won due to voter fraud.” Among Republicans, 61% believe voter fraud cost Trump the election, a preposterously large number, but one that shows not all conservatives have guzzled the Kool-Aid. So what can Democrats, Republicans who haven’t let Trump’s lies melt their brains, and reasonable people in between do when the post-election tornadoes of lies and garbage start spinning and threatening the already weakened structure of our democracy? I don’t know the precise answer to that. This territory isn’t well-charted. But I can recommend a couple of things: For starters, vote. Whatever your political leaning, a candidate who refuses to believe fact from fiction or accept the results of our electoral process has no business getting elected, and it will take a multitude of right-thinking voters to deny them. Vote them into dust. Next, loudly defend reality. Most of the election deniers running for office are opportunistic grifters selling out both country and soul for a chance at power. Some actually believe their own nonsense and are hermetically sealed in a conspiratorial echo chamber.Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app?The only way to stop any of them is to shout them down, to shun believers of this dangerous fiction, to make clear there’s no room in civil society for people who have the audacity to say the kind of things Kari Lake said Sunday on national television: “I’m going to win the election, and I will accept that result.” What? Are you serious? That isn’t how we do things in this country. Not even close. Pack that gibberish in your suitcase and don’t let the door hit you on the way out, weirdo. We need to stand firm against what’s coming. We need to anchor ourselves to the truth and face these post-midterm tornadoes head-on.Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Twitter
Please follow us on Google to support us United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Kari Lake refuses to say whether she will accept election results if she losesLake also doubled down on her claims that the 2020 election was rigged.
Read more »
Kari Lake Squirms Her Way Out of CNN’s Election QuestionDana Bash's initial questioning centered on immigration, asking Lake if she felt the U.S. had a responsibility to accept those who reach the border seeking asylum. Lake demurred, describing those at the border as largely criminals who brought in drugs.
Read more »