Oh give it a rest

Republicans refuse to let go of the 2020 election myths. The Arizona audit showed that nothing nefarious occurred in elections there, yet Republicans continue to push the audit nonsense. Even though that audit failed to produce the results Republicans wanted, they are forging ahead with audits in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. These audits are not only a waste of time, but they are also a waste of taxpayer dollars. What is wrong with people? Donald Trump lost. It is time to get over that and move on. It is utterly ridiculous that this farce continues 11 months after the election and after multiple recounts in multiple jurisdictions.

The problem is not that Donald Trump is a sore loser — he is, but that is not the point. The point is that other Republicans are continuing this charade at the expense of taxpayers. There has been absolutely no evidence of fraud in any states in the 2020 election, yet Republicans cannot let it go. David Becker, executive director of the Center of Election Innovation & Research, said it best: “I don’t know that there’s a word to describe how concerning it is.” This is very concerning, and it continues to chip away at our democracy. It must stop.

The Guardian reported that in Wisconsin, which Joe Biden won, three election reviews are underway. Just like Arizona, Republicans hired someone with no election experience to oversee their audits, Michael Gabelman. Gableman is a retired state supreme court justice who has been tapped to serve as special counsel. This investigation is costing the citizens of Wisconsin $680,000. Where is the outrage? As usual, Republicans are trying to spin their behavior into something it is not. Gableman claims that he is does not question the election results but that he is “holding government officials accountable to the public for their actions surrounding the elections.” So, if the results are not being questioned, what exactly were the “actions” of elections officials that created the need for audits? Gableman admitted that he knows nothing about elections, yet he is spewing this nonsense. This is both puzzling and disturbing.

One recurring theme in these so-called audits is that they are looking at Democratic strongholds, not entire states. If they really believed “irregularities” occurred in the election, why would they not look at the entire state rather than two or three counties? It makes no sense, but then, none of this makes any sense. At some point, the taxpayers of these counties and states need to take a stand and make these politicians stop wasting money that could be used to benefit people. They are breaking out every myth in the book, including fake or dead people voting, to continue this charade. What they are really doing is continuing to tear down our democracy by making people believe they cannot trust the system and that their votes do not count. This type of behavior must stop. It will not end well, and it will merely continue to hurt our country.