Donald Trump and the Republicans are continuing their attempts to overturn the November election, or at least make their followers doubt the legitimacy of the results. On Saturday, January 2, Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to beg and threaten him to overturn Biden’s victory by committing voter fraud – an attempt that some legal experts say violated Georgia’s election laws. (To his credit, Raffensperger pushed back on the attempt and emphasized repeatedly that Joe Biden won the election, even though Raffensperger himself is a lifelong Republican.)
The Washington Post obtained a recording of the call and published both the audio and a full transcript. If you don’t have the stomach to listen to or read it in full, let’s just say that Trump spewed conspiracy theories and lies that his own supporters have invented to try to justify reversing his loss. At times it seemed as though Trump himself truly believes that election fraud is the only thing standing between him and a second term in office.
But whether he believes it himself or not, he and his supporters are following a simple playbook: claim the election was fraudulent often enough that his voters believe it, and then use their belief in those lies as a reason to delay or deny Biden’s inauguration. Like an arsonist who sets a fire and then calls the fire department, Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz are laundering conspiracy theories as an excuse to throw out the will of the voters by objecting to the certification of electors who voted for Biden.
One of the standard tactics of authoritarians is to turn elections into shams in which people are allowed to vote, but their votes have no bearing on the outcome. If attempts to delegitimize the election and block the transfer of power become normalized, it will destroy our democracy. Anyone who behaves as though elections only count when they win must be held accountable – right up to and including the President of the United States.
That’s why we’re demanding that our Members of Congress do two things: first, that they impeach Trump again for his criminal, authoritarian conduct, and second, that they censure Republican elected officials who support it.
Call your Members of Congress and tell them: Impeach Trump for his attempts to overturn the election!
ISF Spotlight
A small step forward on House Rules. As the new House of Representatives session opens in Congress, our constituent pressure has already achieved a significant victory! PayGo and Motion To Recommit rules—which have often been used to strangle progressive reform—have been amended and their power lessened. This is a small, but significant step forward in making our House work for us, the people. Read more on our blog.
Less than a week left to register in the ADEMs election! The ADEMs election, which sets the direction of California’s Democratic Party, is coming up soon, and it’s all vote-by-mail—the safest and most convenient way to vote! Register for a vote-by-mail ballot by this coming Monday, January 11.
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ISF General Meeting: Sunday, January 17, 1–3 PM via Zoom. Register here to join our online meeting. The meeting is open to anyone interested in resisting Trump's radical agenda of hate, division, and greed.
Thursday, January 8, 7–9PM: Indivisible SF Federal Working Group meeting. Register here to discuss what’s next for our Members of Congress and the incoming administration, and learn how we can make our voices heard.
Friday, January 8, 7:30–8:30 PM: Indivisible SF State and Local Working Group meeting. Register here to learn how we can propose legislation to our State legislators and other initiatives on the state and local level!
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Keep Fighting,
The Indivisible SF Team
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