The GOP Wants to “Get to the Bottom of the Election.” Biden Should Let Them — and Fight Their Lies with the Truth
“We have to get to the bottom of these elections,” Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) declared at a Jan. 3 rally. “The Democrats will never look into this.” Joe Biden should make her half right. The domestic terrorism attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6 based on fatuous conspiracies makes it clear that we do have to get to the bottom of the elections. But I hope she’s wrong that Democrats won’t look into this.
In his inaugural address, President-elect Biden should call for a bipartisan election commission to review the 2020 election. Give the Republicans and the loonies what they’re asking for. The commission should subpoena Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, and Cleta Mitchell: Fox hosts Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs, Jeanine Pirro, and Maria Bartiromo; and Trump administration and campaign officials and family members such as Peter Navarro, Kayleigh McEnany, Jason Miller, Donald Jr., and Eric. Put the whole bunch UNDER OATH and ask them to present their evidence of fraud, manipulation, and vote theft.
Then destroy and humiliate the bombastic bullies with facts. Use the 21-page memo from Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) to rebut their claims. Call Christopher Krebs, the former director of the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, who declared the election the most secure ever. Call Republican officials from battleground states such as Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling who upheld our democratic traditions and values and can present the facts.
Sure, the public may be tired of the brouhaha over the election. But it’s important to go through this process thoroughly — and not just because of the Jan. 6 insurrection. A comprehensive investigation would have several benefits. If the Trump supporters don’t show up, we would have a Justice Dept. that would enforce contempt citations and show you no longer can ignore a valid subpoena with impunity. The result would be jail time. If these folks lie under oath, they would face jail time for perjury. They can avoid orange jumpsuits by conceding that they have not even a scintilla of evidence for their claims. That would be a deserved humiliation and important information for their followers.
Trump supporters usually make their claims on Fox and other right-wing networks so the outrageous charges go uncontested. Not this time. They claim they never have had the chance to lay out the facts in court. While that’s untrue, it is true that judges often have tossed Trump’s cases challenging votes for lack of standing. That means his lawyers did not get to present evidence. This would give them a chance to lay out everything they have — and prove they’ve got nothing.
Another important benefit is that commission hearings would avoid the disastrous error John Kerry’s campaign made in ignoring Swift Boat Veterans allegations that he was not a war hero. The Kerry campaign assumed the allegations were so stupid they would not have legs. But they did because they were repeated. Trump’s allegations do, too, simply because they have been repeated so often. It’s basic behavioral economics. Repetition leads to familiarity, which leads to credibility. And the charges will undermine the credibility and legitimacy of the Biden administration unless rebutted. So Biden must use the same effective tactic Trump uses. The more he trumpets the election was legitimate, the more he rebuts Trump supporters, the better
In addition, the documentation that neither fraud nor theft nor manipulation occurred, despite early voting and millions of mail-in ballots, will be critical in the future. When legislatures try to curb early voting or mail-in ballots for fear of fraud, it will be clear they have no basis for such voter-suppression tactics. It will be obvious that voter suppression is the goal, and that’s not a legitimate one courts will countenance.
Will this convince all 74 million voters who sided with Trump? No. But there is psychological research showing that people can be convinced, that cognitive dissonance can be overcome. It won’t happen overnight. Nor should you expect it to. The repetition has to continue, perhaps for four years. So let’s get started. We need to get to the bottom of the election. But the outcome could be quite different from what Loeffler wished for.
