Final night time Axios cheerfully reported that reforms to the Electoral Depend Act are choosing up “rising bipartisan reinforce,” because the GOP warms to the theory of clarifying ambiguities within the legislation that governs Electoral Faculty tabulation. As a result of it appears this is Axios’s first rodeo.
Only a 12 months in the past Republicans had been pretending Mike Pence had the unilateral authority to reject 18 million votes from 5 swing states. And now we are intended to just accept that they wish to lend a hand reform the method? You guess!
No doubt this has not anything to do with the truth that the Republican birthday celebration — which hasn’t received a majority of the preferred vote in a presidential election since 2004 — is making plans to permit Republican legislatures to grasp keep an eye on of the electoral procedure to make certain that their most well-liked candidate takes their states’ electoral votes? Heaven forfend!
It is not even like they are being delicate about it. Whilst Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell clutches his pearls over Democrats’ “ridiculous” insinuations that “we are not gonna honor the result of an election,” Georgia Republicans are shifting to take over elections in Fulton County, and Arizona Republicans floated a invoice that will permit the legislature to recast the state’s electoral votes at will.
And but the ones babes within the woods at Axios hail a observation from Rep. Jim Banks, head of the Republican Learn about Committee, as though it may well be a excellent religion effort at Electoral Faculty reform.
“It is a muddled, incorrect [act] and Congress will have to explain the crucial strategy of certifying elections,” mentioned the Indiana congressman who voted to reject electors from Pennsylvania and Arizona and joined in Texas Lawyer Basic Ken Paxton’s preposterous lawsuit tough to toss out the ballots in Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin as neatly.
Then Banks added that he is not at all signing on to a few “Malicious program” for balloting rights reform. LOL!
Pals, there’s a reason why Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected Banks’s nomination to the January 6 Make a choice Committee, and it’s that he’s a partisan hack. There is not any means on God’s inexperienced earth that Banks is enthusiastic about reforming the legislation that governs the legitimate tabulation of electoral votes as a result of he cares in regards to the environment friendly transition of energy. This sumbitch is concerned Vice President Kamala Harris may take it into her head on January 6, 2025 to reject electors from states the place Republicans rigged them — or stole them outright — in particular for the reason that GOP has now prompt that that is an actual factor.
In the meantime, Democrats have proposed a entire raft of reforms impressed by way of the the clusterfuckery Republicans unleashed closing 12 months as they filed insane court cases and drafted batshit memos of their effort to overturn the election. Lest we disregard, Rep. Louie Gohmert in reality sued Mike Pence to forestall him certifying the “faulty” swing state electoral votes.
A few of the proposed adjustments, Democrats recommend elevating the brink to object to any state’s electoral votes past the present one senator and one consultant, clarifying the secure harbor provision, and making it harder for legislators to grasp the electoral votes. Secure guess Banks is not going to head for that closing one.
And now not for not anything, however Democrats may wish to give a little bit extra idea to their plan to present the Senate president professional tempore accountability for presiding over the tabulation of electoral votes. In some sense it is smart to take accountability clear of the vp, who’s somewhat more likely to be at the poll him- or herself. But when Republicans take again the Senate, that will put Senator Chuck Grassley in command of rejecting ballots at will, an consequence this is … now not nice.
In abstract and in conclusion, don’t consider Jim Banks. Don’t consider the GOP. Ditch the filibuster and cross actual balloting rights law. The top.
[Axios]
Observe Liz Dye on Twitter!
Click on the widget to stay your Wonkette ad-free and feisty. And in case you are ordering from Amazon, use this hyperlink, as a result of causes.
