In an attempt to back up his claim that 3 million people voted illegally, thus explaining Hillary’s popular vote win, Trump attempted to define “voter fraud” expansively:
I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017
This, of course, is not accurate; double registration is not “voter fraud.” It’s a bookkeeping error. Double voting is fraud, submitting a false address so you can vote in a district where you do not live is voter fraud—but not double registration. Double registration usually happens when someone moves and registers in a new state, but neglects to cancel their registration in their former state.
However, you can see why Trump wants to claim it is: roughly 2.7 million people in the U.S. are registered to vote in two states. That brings you really close to that magic 3 million number.
Just one problem: Trump’s top advisor, Steve Bannon (the white supremacist), is registered to vote in two states. And it turns out that Steve Mnuchin, Trump’s Treasury Secretary nominee, is double-registered as well. And now it turns out that Tiffany Trump, Trump’s daughter, is double-listed too.
Hopefully, Trump will move quickly to prosecute and jail these unpatriotic lawbreakers.
kensensei
Yeah, the discovery that some of Trump’s cabinet and immediate family are “double voters” is a clue to how widespread (and ridiculous) Trump’s position is.
More importantly, I wonder if anyone has pointed out the unlikelihood that someone who is registered in two adjacent states would actually vote in one state, and then drive across the state line to vote again in another state. All on the same day! That would be a heck of a lot of work for very little result.
The presumption that nearly 3 million voters actually DID that in 2016 is truly a scene from Trump’s demented fantasy world.
Luis
Not even adjacent states—many are registered in, say, Florida and New York. But there’s also a record of this, and people who violate it can be found out pretty easily—like the Trump voter in Iowa who voted for him twice in the general election (http://wapo.st/2efPSTE). Like many Republicans, she heard the false claims about Democrats and voter fraud, and felt she needed to compensate by doing it for real. Engineers call it GIGO: Garbage In, Garbage Out. That’s part of the harm of the whole serial lying thing: it makes real people believe fake stuff which results in actual harm.
Troy
The point with this is two-fold, one to present the alternate fact to the truth that Trump lost the nationwide popular vote by a lot.
Secondly, it is intended to justify further GOP vote suppression efforts.
Godwin coming in 3) 2) 1)
There was a greater twitter comment on how the Nazis blamed their 1918 collapse on the Jews (the dolchstosslegende) — this Big Lie was created to justify their liquidation, for great crimes require commensurate punishment.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CykynrCXEAAJOSE.jpg
Troy
You’re going to drive yourself nuts cataloging the coming shitshow.
It’s not going to do any good, either.
People are only going to get educated by reality, not trying to talk sense to them.
Most of the GOP want the current status quo to end, much like the conservative bloc — 40% — of the Germans in the 30s wanted the Weimar system to end.
“The 1%” would be perfectly happy living in Brazil-like conditions, the next 9% are set enough to profit as the nomenklatura and apparatchiks in the GOP’s crony capitalism / “lemon socialism” order, and the 25%+ of the rest who are fundamentalist nutjobs would have the Weimar-like decadence and ungodliness of the liberal left destroyed once and for all.
Hope to make the move to Japan in 2020; that’s the earliest I can bail out of this place.
Troy
wrt “alternate facts”, it only takes 1 well-crafted alternate fact to neutralize the truth.
and 2 or more can marginalize it completely in the small minds of the mushy middle who are generally perpetually befuddled by the bullshit.
Luis
Have you noticed that Republicans are already using “alternate facts” against others? On Maher the other night, Grover Norquist kept saying anything he didn’t agree with was an “alternate fact.”
If you’re in bed with people who shame themselves and you, you don’t get to beat others over the head with that shame.
Luis
“Secondly, it is intended to justify further GOP vote suppression efforts.”
With almost any other conservative, I would agree; but with Trump, I actually don’t think he has any thoughts of voter suppression on his mind. With him, it is totally about ego.