The 'Big Lie' weakens democracy

Russia interfered with our 2016 Presidential election. There is evidence to support that statement. Did Donald Trump win because Russia interfered? No. Facts show he simply received more electoral votes than his opponent and Hilary Clinton conceded as such.

Yet, 147 of our lawmakers including Republicans representing our state have signed onto the lie that the 2020 election was tainted because the result didn’t turn out like they wanted.

Their support for Trump’s outlandish lie has led Republican legislators to propose voter restriction bills with the argument that legislation is needed to address concerns about voter fraud. Without evidence, they have convinced their voters that the 2020 election was stolen and the law needs to change to prevent that from happening again. Not coincidentally, the new laws are expected to strengthen Republican power. The new Georgia law has provisions allowing elections to be taken out of local hands, overrule voters and hand the election to candidate(s) of the ruling party’s choosing.

The more they harden Trump’s base by pretending that the former president won the 2020 election, the harder it is for them to move away from Trump. It is a vicious downward spiral, based on a lie. As it was said after the January 6th insurrection, “The best way we could show respect for the voters who are upset is by telling them the truth.” But, Republican lawmakers continue to feed the narrative that Trump won in 2020. Where do these lawmakers think this is going to end?

Angela Greene

Winterville