The Washington Post first reported yesterday that Trump called Georgia Secretary of state Brad Raffensperger and spent most of their hour-long call asking Raffensperger to commit crimes for him.
Joe Biden ultimately carried the state after an exceptionally-long count and two recounts including one hand recount and one machine recount that both confirmed his lead, but Trump called on Raffensperger to fraudulently change the vote count just two days ago.
At another point, Trump said: “So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state.”
He later added: “So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break.”
The rambling and at times incoherent conversation offered a remarkable glimpse of how consumed and desperate the president remains about his loss, unwilling or unable to let the matter go and still asserting he can reverse the results in enough battleground states to remain in office.
Trump is not a smart person, of course, but none of this makes sense.
Georgia already certified their results, members of the electoral college have already voted, and those votes will be tabulated by Congress in two days. Moreover, even if Raffensperger had agreed to commit fraud for Trump a month ago when it could have made a difference, Biden didn't need Georgia. A Trump victory in Georgia would not have changed the overall outcome of the election.
The typical Republican response to the Washington Post report (a report that includes the full conversation on audio tape) has been as deplorable as you would expect. A handful of Republicans have pushed back, but most have either supported Trump or passed on opportunities to condemn him.
Republican attempts to steal an election did not work this time, but we should all be concerned that their focus will turn to electing secretaries of state that are more willing to break the law. It may take only one to change the outcome of a future election and once that starts there's no going back.
Is it not a stretch to say we would not live in a Democracy anymore if most Republicans had their way. They love America so much, they would be willing to end it to stay in power. They love Trump so much, they would like to see him be the last president ever.
I hope I live in a Union state when the time comes.