Election Focus 2020

Even though President Donald Trump had telegraphed his intent months in advance to steal the 2020 election, by planning to get judges, state legislators and/or the Electoral College to illegitimately declare him the winner—laying out a pretext by lying about widespread voter fraud—corporate media were slow to accurately convey the reality and significance of Trump’s election theft efforts. I’ve noted twice before (FAIR.org, 9/15/20, 11/5/20) that corporate media betrayed their journalistic responsibilities by refusing to report, outside the context of opinion columns, that Trump has been attempting a coup, despite all the plain evidence.

CNN: Trump's Attempt to Steal the Election Unravel as Coronavirus Cases Surge

CNN (11/22/20)

Yet in the past few days, it seems corporate media have decided to report on Trump’s attempts to subvert the election and overturn its results as a fact, not as a matter of opinion. Here are some recent headlines:

Wall Street Journal (11/19/20): “Trump Broadens His Efforts to Overturn Election Outcome”
New York Times (11/19/20): “Trump’s Attempts to Overturn the Election Are Unparalleled in US History”
NPR (11/20/20): “The Growing Backlash Against Trump’s Efforts to Subvert the Election”
Associated Press (11/20/20): “Trump Tries to Leverage Power of Office to Subvert Biden Win”
Politico (11/21/20): “Trump Calls on GOP Legislatures to Overturn Election Results”
CNN (11/22/20): “Trump’s Attempt to Steal the Election Unravels as Coronavirus Cases Surge”

To be clear, although coverage has improved to more accurately describe what’s going on in the US, the media failure to report the facts much earlier is inexcusable. Considering that corporate media ran op-eds (e.g., The Week, 8/11/20; USA Today, 8/16/20), letters to the editor (e.g., Washington Post, 8/21/20), stating the undeniable fact that Trump has been trying to steal the election months in advance, in addition to reporting on Trump’s subversion efforts in real time, they cannot credibly feign ignorance.

Wino wrote: Mon Nov 30, 2020 9:22 am Calling a spade a spade - nothing wrong with truth vs. dancing around the subject. Attempt is just as wrong as the action.

Wino wrote: Mon Nov 30, 2020 9:22 am Calling a spade a spade - nothing wrong with truth vs. dancing around the subject. Attempt is just as wrong as the action.

Wino wrote: Mon Nov 30, 2020 9:40 am I agree this can't all be over too soon. However, what is happening is an overt 'attempted' coup. Whether successful or not would be another matter. I'm not foaming, I'm fomenting ! LOL

wings wrote: Mon Nov 30, 2020 9:37 pm Wall Street wanted Hillary.

Pro-Trump attorney calls for martial law to prevent election loss to Joe Biden

Georgia attorney Lin Wood, who’s been involved in long-shot legal efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, urged President Donald Trump to declare martial law.

Wood, an attorney for Kenosha gunman Kyle Rittenhouse who signed on to the 104-page “Kraken” lawsuit filed by former Trump attorney Sidney Powell, called for draconian measures to prevent the election from being certified for Joe Biden.

“Good morning,” Wood tweeted. “Our country is headed to civil war. A war created by 3rd party bad actors for their benefit – not for We The People.”

“Communist China is leading the nefarious efforts to take away our freedom,” he added. “@realDonaldTrump should declare martial law.”

He then linked to the website for the “We The People Coalition,” an Ohio-based nonprofit that purportedly promotes constitutional governance, although that organization is also calling for Trump to invoke martial law and hold a new election, which is not prescribed in the U.S. Constitution.

TrueTexan wrote: Tue Dec 01, 2020 12:45 pm

Pro-Trump attorney calls for martial law to prevent election loss to Joe Biden

Georgia attorney Lin Wood, who’s been involved in long-shot legal efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, urged President Donald Trump to declare martial law.

Wood, an attorney for Kenosha gunman Kyle Rittenhouse who signed on to the 104-page “Kraken” lawsuit filed by former Trump attorney Sidney Powell, called for draconian measures to prevent the election from being certified for Joe Biden.

“Good morning,” Wood tweeted. “Our country is headed to civil war. A war created by 3rd party bad actors for their benefit – not for We The People.”

“Communist China is leading the nefarious efforts to take away our freedom,” he added. “@realDonaldTrump should declare martial law.”

He then linked to the website for the “We The People Coalition,” an Ohio-based nonprofit that purportedly promotes constitutional governance, although that organization is also calling for Trump to invoke martial law and hold a new election, which is not prescribed in the U.S. Constitution.

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/12/pro-t ... joe-biden/

That sure sounds like a call to overthrow our government and that is treason. Lock him up.

highdesert wrote: Tue Dec 01, 2020 3:09 pm Wood is as wacky as Sidney Powell. Wood is the one behind the fund raising for Rittenhouse and he's one of his lawyers.

Mike Flynn joins chorus of right-wingers demanding new election overseen by military

Recently pardoned Michael Flynn is urging President Donald Trump to “suspend the Constitution” and declare martial law in an effort to overturn his election loss to Joe Biden.

The retired U.S. Army general tweeted out a link to a post calling for the suspension of constitutional law and a new election overseen by the military to ensure Trump remains in office, despite losing the Electoral College 306-232 and the popular vote by more than 6 million.

“It is our exclusive right to elect our president and that sacred right has been infringed by the massive, planned, illegal election fraud conducted by corrupt Democrat/Socialist Party operatives across our nation to steal our vote,” wrote Tom Zawistowski, the head of the Portage County, Ohio, Tea Party and the right-wing We the People Convention.

Attorney General William Barr has joined with election officials all over the country to state that no evidence of widespread voter fraud has been found that would change the outcome of last month’s presidential election.

The non-profit We the People Convention took out a full-page ad in the Washington Times calling on Trump to declare martial law to prevent a “shooting civil war,” which Zawistowski blames on his political opponents, although he warned that Americans were buying firearms at record pace because gun owners are “looking to defend themselves, their property and their rights.”

Amanda Suffecool, chair of the Portage County Republican Party, told the Akron Beacon Journal she had not seen Zawistowski’s ad but agreed that Trump had a right to file challenges to ensure “legal” votes were counted.

“We need to use the process in place to ensure that every legal ballot will be counted and every illegal ballot will be challenged,” Suffecool said.

Flynn twice pleaded guilty to a charge of lying to the F.B.I. about his conversations with the Russian ambassador during the Trump presidential transition in 2016.

Pro-Trump attorney Lin Wood also tweeted out a link to the post from the We The People Convention.