The groundwork to steal the election is already being laid
Zander's Weekend Facts #140 - Sunday, October 13, 2024
The 2020 United States presidential election was not stolen from former President Donald Trump. It’s a fact, not an opinion. Dozens of court cases across the country, numerous investigations, and the lack of any evidence ensure that this is the case.
Yet, Trump, and his running mate JD Vance, will either say that Trump won the previous election or will not answer when asked if Trump lost in 2020. This despite mounting evidence that has been revealed in the past 3+ years that Trump almost certainly knew that he did not win the election, and oversaw a coordinated effort to overturn the results of the election that ultimately resulted in the January 6, 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol.
There were many holes in the 2020 plot, having Rudy Giuliani oversee your efforts didn’t exactly help, that those in Trump’s camp are actively ensuring are patched in time for next month’s election, when Trump will be on the ballot for the third consecutive presidential election.
The two major points that went against Trump and his crew in 2020 were: Election officials refused to assist in his efforts to illegally tamper with the results of a free and fair election, and majority opinion was not in his favor. Be certain that the Trump team has a solution for both troubles.
Project 2025’s plan to gut the civil service of career employees and replace them with political appointees would make the process of following the president’s orders, however absurd they may be, much easier. The constant harassment of intimidation of election workers, who were simply doing their jobs, has also successfully removed many who were in charge of overseeing elections to certify no fraud was being committed.
As to the public opinion piece, Trump appears to be shifting the conversation toward one of his favorite talking points… immigration. The man who wants to deport upwards of 10 million immigrants, apparently whether they are legally here or not, has falsely claimed that illegal immigrants (who are actually in the U.S. legally) are eating cats and dogs, and has said that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” (drawing comparisons to a certain man you don’t really want to be associated with), is now claiming that illegal immigrants will be voting for his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
There are many facts that contradict Trump’s claim, including the federal law that prohibits non-citizens from voting with penalties of up to a year in jail and potential deportation. Data from a Brennan Center for Justice study found that out of 23.5 million votes cast in the 2016 election in areas with high immigrant populations, there were just 30 suspected cases of noncitizens voting. An audit by Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State found that, in a state Trump claimed had “massive fraud” in the 2020 election (because he lost), no non-citizens had cast a ballot in the last 25 years. To put it simply, immigrants are not voting in federal elections.
Yet, with all the falsities involved, many Republicans have been happy to oblige to Trump’s antics. Republican officials across the country have taken efforts that they argue strengthen the integrity of our elections, at the behest of their party’s despot. The latest case of this is in Virginia, where Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order in August that will “codify comprehensive election security measures to protect legal voters and accurate counts.”
It was later found that much of what the executive order accomplished was negligible, incorporating voting rules that had already been in place from prior administrations, including a requirement for paper ballots. Yet, it was the portion of the executive order that focused on keeping up-to-date voter rolls, already a common practice, that is now in focus.
On Friday, the Department of Justice sued election officials in Virginia after the state struck thousands of names from its voter rolls. DOJ alleges that names were removed within 90 days of this year’s election, which is against federal law. The lawsuit also alleges that some of the names who were identified as noncitizens actually have citizenship, saying “The Commonwealth’s unlawful actions here have likely confused, deterred, and removed U.S. citizens who are fully eligible to vote”. DOJ even cites a previous effort by Virginia to remove names from the voter roll in July that incorrectly labeled U.S. citizens as noncitizens as proof that the state’s system isn’t exactly foolproof. Youngkin called the suit “politically motivated” and “a desperate attempt to attack the legitimacy of the elections in the Commonwealth”. The Youngkin administration also got into trouble last year when it removed 3,400 qualified voters from the rolls after it incorrectly flagged them as having committed repeat felonies.
Two years earlier, Virginia’s Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares launched an “election integrity unit” that Miyares said would “help to restore confidence in our democratic process in the Commonwealth.” The system, which came despite The Washington Post noting at the time “a lack of widespread issues with voter fraud or other irregularities in the state”, has not prosecuted any cases of noncitizens voting in the two years since its launch, according to the Attorney General’s office. In the last two years, only three people have been prosecuted for illegally voting in Virginia, with none of the cases relating to citizenship.
Despite the lack of substance, Trump has been beaming about the efforts. Youngkin’s executive order got the endorsement of Trump when he wrote on his Truth Social platform, “The beautiful Commonwealth of Virginia, superbly led by Governor Glenn Youngkin, IS TAKING A STRONG LEAD IN SECURING THE ELECTION IN NOVEMBER — PROTECTING EVERY LEGAL VOTE AND KEEPING ILLEGAL ALIENS THAT HAVE BEEN LET INTO OUR COUNTRY FROM VOTING. … Thank you Glenn, GREAT JOB!!!”
Quite the change in tune from a 2022 post where Trump wrote, “Young Kin (now that’s an interesting take. Sounds Chinese, doesn’t it?) in Virginia couldn’t have won without me. I Endorsed him, did a very big Trump Rally for him telephonically, got MAGA to Vote for him - or he couldn’t have come close to winning. But he knows that, and admits it. Besides, having a hard time with the Dems in Virginia - But he’ll get it done!” (Youngkin and his party ended up losing the state’s General Assembly elections to the “Dems” in the next year’s election.)
Virginia is far from the only state with Republican elected officials pushing false claims and worries of illegal immigrants voting in federal elections. The Justice Department also had to sue the state of Alabama for purging its voter rolls too close to an election last month. Republicans in states such as Louisiana, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin have also been referring to the previously mentioned falsehoods.
And as Walter Olson of the Cato Institute wrote, “It tears the country apart to introduce the idea that our elections are not legitimate. It should never be done on such flimsy evidence as they have here.” Amplifying these false claims benefits no one, except those seeking to sow chaos in the process.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is the goal of Donald Trump.
If the Trump campaign can get as many people as possible to doubt the American election systems, it is much more likely to succeed in stealing the upcoming presidential election than it was in 2020.
The current data and polling shows that Trump has a very real chance of winning the election based on the real vote totals. But in the event he fails, he’s got a plan. It’ll just be up to the voters to ensure it fails and that American democracy withstands.
For more information on this week’s top story, here’s an article from The Guardian - Republicans’ non-citizen voting myth sets stage to claim stolen election
What Zander’s been reading
With President Joe Biden out of the race, former President Donald Trump’s 78 years of age now makes him the oldest presidential candidate in American history. As an analysis by The New York Times reveals, Trump is showing major signs of his age on the campaign trail, and compared to previous elections, “his speeches have grown darker, harsher, longer, angrier, less focused, more profane and increasingly fixated on the past.”
Check out this week’s featured article in The New York Times - Trump’s Speeches, Increasingly Angry and Rambling, Reignite the Question of Age
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the latest headlines from the sports world in the Sporting Club:
NFL Week 6: The sixth week of the NFL season began on Thursday night with the 49ers overcoming a road NFC West test against the Seahawks, winning 36-24. Switching to Sunday, today’s slate once again opens with an early kickoff from London, as the Jaguars face the Bears at 9:30 am ET. In the 1:00 pm ET window, the Cardinals take on the Packers, the Buccaneers face the Saints, and the Ravens host the Commanders. The 4:00 pm ET window is highlighted by Chargers-Broncos and Lions-Cowboys. Tonight at 8:20 pm ET, the Bengals travel to the Meadowlands to take on the Giants. Week 6 caps off on Monday night as the Jets host the Bills in an AFC East showdown at 8:15 pm ET.
College Football Week 7: An epic Saturday of college football was highlighted by a back-and-forth thriller between #2 Ohio State and #3 Oregon. The Ducks stood strong on defense in the final minute to top the Buckeyes 32-31. Four games with ranked teams went to overtime, as #13 LSU beat #9 Ole Miss 29-26, #4 Penn State came back to beat USC 33-30, #8 Tennessee survived Florida 23-17, and #23 Illinois took down Purdue 50-49. Plus, #7 Alabama survived a furious upset bid from South Carolina, winning 32-31, #5 Georgia beat Mississippi State 41-31, and #1 Texas had no trouble with #18 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, winning 34-3.
MLB Postseason: The League Championship Series round of the Major League Baseball postseason is set. In the American League, the Cleveland Guardians will take on the New York Yankees, with New York hosting Monday’s Game 1, which will begin at 7:38 pm ET. All games in the ALCS will air on TBS. The National League features the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers will host Game 1 tonight at 8:15 pm ET on Fox. All NLCS games will air on either Fox or FS1. The winners of the seven-game series will meet in the World Series, which is scheduled to begin next Friday, October 25.
WNBA Finals: The Minnesota Lynx took Game 1 of the WNBA Finals after a ferocious comeback that forced overtime against the New York Liberty. The Lynx were down by as many as 18 points before coming back to win in overtime, 95-93. Game 1’s Thursday night audience of 1.14 million viewers was also the most-watched opening game of any WNBA Finals ever. The championship series continues later today as the Liberty host the Lynx for Game 2 at 3:00 pm ET on ABC. Game 3 will take place on Wednesday in Minneapolis, MN at 8:00 pm ET on ESPN. If necessary, Minnesota will host Game 4 on Friday at 8:00 pm ET on ESPN, with a potential winner-take-all Game 5 taking place in Brooklyn, NY next Sunday at 8:00 pm ET on ESPN.
NHL Season Open: The National Hockey League began its 2024-2025 season on Tuesday, with the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers unveiling their championship banner. The Panthers also opened their season with a win, taking down the Boston Bruins 6-4. This season also marks the beginning of the Utah Hockey Club, which was previously known as the Arizona Coyotes until moving this offseason to Salt Lake City. The 82-game regular season will run until April 17, 2025.
Rapid-fire Facts
Here’s a recap of the top news headlines from the past week:
Putin Covid Tests: According to a new book by journalist Bob Woodward, former President Donald Trump sent Russian President Vladimir Putin COVID-19 testing machines at the beginning of the pandemic. While the Trump campaign denied the allegation, a spokesperson for the Kremlin confirmed that tests were given to Putin in the pandemic’s early days, when tests were scarcely available. Woodward’s book also claims that Trump and Putin have had “as many as seven” phone calls since Trump left office in January 2021.
Storm Misinformation: Misinformation regarding recent hurricanes that have hit the U.S. has run rampant online, with some elected officials amplifying conspiracy theories. Many Republican officials, including former President Donald Trump, have falsely claimed that federal aid for those harmed by the storms was capped at $750 per person and that FEMA was diverting funds to illegal migrants. Responding to the misinformation, President Joe Biden told Trump on Thursday to “get a life, man. Help these people.” Another conspiracy was pushed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) last week, posting on Twitter/X that “they can control the weather.”
Lead Pipes: A new Environmental Protection Agency rule will mandate the removal of all lead pipes across the U.S. in the next 10 years, President Joe Biden announced last week. The federal government is making $2.6 billion available to help localities fund the removal of pipes, with the funds originating from the 2021 infrastructure law. The EPA estimates that around nine million homes in the U.S. still have lead pipes.
Hurricane Milton: Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida’s west coast on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm bringing winds over 100 mph, along with torrential rain and storm surge. The storm, which had been a Category 5 earlier in the week in the Gulf of Mexico, also spawned 126 tornado warnings across the state and at least 19 confirmed tornadoes in a state that only averages around 50 tornadoes each year. The storm has been blamed for at least eight deaths and millions being left without power. Some of the most significant damage included portions of the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, being ripped off. The hurricane was the second in two weeks to make landfall in Florida following Hurricane Helene the week prior.
TikTok: 13 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit last week against TikTok, alleging the social media giant is deliberately designed to addict young users. The lawsuits argue that TikTok, which is owned by China-based ByteDance, has violated consumer protection laws and has contributed to a mental health crisis among teenagers. Additional information in the lawsuit was released on Friday, with internal TikTok communications showing that the app’s executives knew about the harmful effects that TikTok has on young users.
Wrapping up the Facts
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The Facts in print return next Sunday, October 20, 2024.