Ever since the 2022 midterm elections did not go as well as expected for Republicans, the party has been trying to pull a fast one on its voting base and convince them that the thing they just demonized — mail-in voting and ballot drop boxes — are actually a good thing; a thing that, specifically, Republican voters should take advantage of.
Donald Trump himself has handled the about-face in a particularly cartoonish way. In a hostage-style video trying to announce the Republican National Committee’s then-new pro-mail-in ballots initiative, back before former chair Ronna McDaniel was given the boot, Trump both demonized early voting practices as some sort of menacing threat to elections, while also encouraging Republicans to take advantage of it.
At the state level, Republicans have been trying to take cues from the top, no matter how confusing that message might be. Wisconsin Republicans in particular have beclowned themselves as they pull muscles trying to do a 180 on the issue. As my colleague Khaya Himmelman reported recently, once it became clear that the majority liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court would reinstate the use of ballot drop boxes in the state ahead of the 2024 election, Republicans sharply changed their tune. The Wisconsin Republican Party chair began encouraging Republican voters to use drop boxes before the court even ruled on reinstating them.
But it appears that not every right-winger is falling in line. Fox News host Sean Hannity, one of the most followed voices in the right-wing media sphere, either forgot the memo this week or ditched the talking points entirely. Previously he has tried to embrace mail-in voting. But that logic apparently hasn’t stuck. During his show on Tuesday evening he reminded viewers of a long held Republican truth, despite the recent reversal: they don’t think mail-in voting is “secure.”
But a lot can happen between now and November. Democrats just imported millions of illegal immigrants. Right now — this is going on in Washington — they’re now planning to block the SAVE Act. That would require voters to prove American citizenship before voting and before registering to vote.
So, why are Democrats so fiercely against proof of citizenship? Voter ID? Signature verification? Why are they against any and all election integrity efforts so we can have integrity in our elections, confidence in our results? In multiple states, mail-in ballots, drop boxes will once again take center stage. Early voting starts in 68 days. This is not a secure process.
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There is no position taken by republicans that they wouldn’t ditch at the drop of a hat. And their base does not care. They make no attempt to expand their appeal with rational persuasion, only coercion.
I came for Hannity is a dumbass, but I stayed for “beclowned.” <3 Lafond.
The mixed messaging on mail-in is useful to the GOP: we all play by the rules that prevail, so if mail-in is legal, they should use it. But they also need to build in excuses to declare the election illegitimate when they lose. (And they will lose – “political tornado” or not, Americans will vote blue like their lives depend on it.)
Redworld is acclimated to cognitive dissonance by now. They’ve spent the last 25 years on the Conceptual Whiplasher ride at FoxWorld, and they’ve got no more soft tissue left to put up a fight. My slinky has a stiffer spine.
Ode to Sean Hannity
"Aping urbanity
Oozing with vanity
Plump as a manatee
Faking humanity
Journalistic calamity
Intellectual inanity
Fox Noise insanity
You’re a profanity
Hannity"
On last Monday I handed my ballot to an election worker who stuck it in the ballot box at our county recorder’s office here in Tucson. It was our primary election here in AZ. In two hours I got s text saying all was secure and correct (signature approved, ballot folded correctly and filled out correctly) so. No problems Mr Hannity. I saw no hoards of scary “illegals” either.
You have been looking at the wrong ones. You should be looking for the recently imported ones!