What Democrats “Did” in 2016 is Not Even Close to What Republicans Are Doing Now
The moral equivalency arguments need to stop
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A common theme on Facebook these days is that what the Democrats ‘did’ in 2016 with the Russia ‘hoax’ or Hillary Clinton saying the election was illegitimate is about the same as what Republicans are doing now. Often I see things along these lines:
“It’s the difference between two people who drive drunk. One of whom hits a person, and the other one who got caught by the cops.”
Or they share videos of fringe Democratic groups that advocated for electors in 2016 not to respect the popular vote and vote for Clinton instead. Yes, both parties have a history of claiming the winning president is illegitimate in our country's recent past. It’s unfortunate and should be stopped.
What they ignore
The first thing they ignore is what actually happened. The media called the election, Clinton conceded that night (Nov. 9th), and Trump was meeting with Obama in the White House the next day (Nov. 10th). There was no gap. There was no hemming-and-hawing.
Yes, some questions would lead to the Mueller Investigation. But that did not stop the peaceful transfer of power nor the norms associated: a concession speech, a White House visit, GSA assertation, etc. Importantly, the Mueller Investigation was also rooted in evidence, as demonstrated by the long list of convictions.
The next thing they ignore is the rhetoric from the top. Top Trump officials are not only making completely baseless claims but, in some cases, also encouraging violence. For example, Trump campaign lawyer Joe DiGenova said this about the former head of CISA Chris Krebs:
“He should be drawn and quartered. Taken out at dawn and shot.”
Today, Gabriel Sterling, a Republican and top-ranking Georgia voting manager, pleaded with Trump to change his tone. The 5-minute video is worth a watch.
A 20-something tech in Gwinnett County today has death threats and a noose put out saying he should be hung for treason because he was transferring a report on batches. […] It has to stop. Mr. President you have not condemned these actions or this language. Senators you have not condemned this language or these actions. This has to stop.
He continued later to say:
Mr. President, it looks like you likely lost the state of Georgia. We’re investigating. There’s always a possibility. I get it. You have the right to go through the courts. What you don’t have the ability to do, and you need to step up and say this, is stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence. Someone’s going to get hurt. Someone’s going to get shot. Someone’s going to get killed and it’s not right…it’s not right.
Every political movement has its black sheep that take things too far. It’s the responsibility of the party leadership to condemn — and certainly not encourage — violence. Instead, the Trump campaign is openly advocating acts of violence while Republican leadership turns a blind eye. The few Republicans standing up to Trump should be commended. Although they are simply stating the obvious, that is exceedingly rare from the GOP these days.
