POSTED ON JANUARY 21, 2021 BY JOHN HINDERAKER IN LEFTISM, LIBERALS

“MULTIRACIAL WHITENESS”

“Whiteness” is an elastic concept. It turns out that you no longer have to be white to be white. “White” basically means that you don’t swallow the nonsense being ladled out by the far Left. So, happily, people of all colors are now “white,” according to liberals. Is that unity and inclusion, or what?

At the American Spectator, “Cockburn” writes about “The terrifying scourge of ‘multiracial whiteness.’”

[T]here’s a small problem. Somehow, on their way to launching a neo-fascist takeover of the United States, the white supremacists ran out of whites. Simply looking at video of the Capitol riot, or looking at the FBI’s wanted images afterwards, makes it obvious that the mob of Trump die-hards were multiracial. The two most famous members of the Proud Boys, America’s premier ‘white nationalist’ group, are an Afro-Cuban and a Samoan. ‘Stop the Steal’ organizer Ali Alexander identifies as black and Arab. And of course, there are November’s famous exit polls, which showed that Joe Biden was carried to the White House by improving on Hillary Clinton’s support with white voters, while faltering with Hispanics and blacks.

Yikes! When you read those facts a few too many times, you start to wonder: what if the white supremacists aren’t white supremacists?
***
Fear not, though! The Washington Post is here to explain all the bad think away. Over the weekend, the paper ran a piece by NYU history professor Cristina Beltrán: ‘To understand Trump’s support, we must think in terms of multiracial Whiteness.’

Multiracial…whiteness? Aren’t those antonyms? Not at all, you fool.

Beltran’s WaPo piece is a marvel of intellectual confusion. It probably exemplifies all too well the low level of instruction in today’s universities.

Yes, Trump’s voters — and his mob — are disproportionately White, but one of the more unsettling exit-poll data points of the 2020 election was that a quarter to a third of Latino voters voted to reelect Trump.

How dare they? I don’t know, maybe they liked their rising incomes. Of course, mundane details like rising wages and near-zero unemployment are of no interest to liberals.

And while the vast majority of Latinos and an overwhelming majority of African American voters supported the Biden-Harris ticket and were crucial to its success, many Black and brown voters have family and friends who fervently backed the MAGA policy agenda, including its delusions and conspiracy theories.

Weird how when liberals talk about delusions and conspiracy theories, they never mean the Russia collusion hoax. Or the plot to pilfer the mailboxes, and so on.

I call this phenomenon multiracial whiteness — the promise that they, too, can lay claim to the politics of aggression, exclusion and domination.

Whoa! So “whiteness” refers to a “politics of aggression, exclusion and domination”? Who knew? Silly non-critical race theorists thought it just referred to an ethnic group. But, given that definition, are Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft now “white”? Is there anyone else in our society so dedicated to aggression, exclusion and domination?

Rooted in America’s ugly history of white supremacy, indigenous dispossession and anti-blackness, multiracial whiteness is an ideology invested in the unequal distribution of land, wealth, power and privilege — a form of hierarchy in which the standing of one section of the population is premised on the debasement of others. Multiracial whiteness reflects an understanding of whiteness as a political color and not simply a racial identity — a discriminatory worldview in which feelings of freedom and belonging are produced through the persecution and dehumanization of others.

Multiracial whiteness promises Latino Trump supporters freedom from the politics of diversity and recognition. For voters who see the very act of acknowledging one’s racial identity as itself racist, the politics of multiracial whiteness reinforces their desired approach to colorblind individualism. In the politics of multiracial whiteness, anyone can join the MAGA movement and engage in the wild freedom of unbridled rage and conspiracy theories.

To call this bullshit is an insult both to bulls and to excrement. Does this woman have students? God help them.

Multiracial whiteness offers citizens of every background the freedom to call Muslims terrorists…

Of course, no one has ever said that all Muslims are terrorists, but many have noted that some terrorists are Muslims. That makes us all “white,” apparently.

…demand that undocumented [i.e., illegal] immigrants be rounded up and deported…

Actually, that is what the laws of the United States demand, and the president’s duty under Article II of the Constitution is to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. But I suspect that the Constitution is not a document with which Ms. Beltran is well acquainted.

…deride BLM as a movement of thugs and criminals…

While no one disagrees with the innocuous slogan “Black lives matter,” the BLM organization does in fact consist largely of thugs and criminals, as last summer’s riots demonstrated.

…and accuse Democrats of being blood-drinking pedophiles.

Heh. I haven’t heard that one before. Maybe she just mixed it in to see whether we were paying attention. Personally, I am not aware of any blood-drinking Democrats.

There is more insanity at the link, but you can’t read it without paying the Washington Post, which you shouldn’t do. The bottom line is that an ideology so confused as to denounce its philosophical opponents as “white,” regardless of their skin color, is not going to last long.

GATSBY Digital

 

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General Motors Goes Electric

 General Motors Goes Electric

General Motors announced yesterday it would transition much of its fleet to vehicles with zero tailpipe emissions by 2035. The target, which would shift the vast majority of GM's fleet to all-electric within 15 years, is one of the most aggressive plans announced by traditional auto manufacturers to date.

Electric vehicles represent one of the fastest-growing sectors of the auto industry, but still represent just 3% of the total cars sold each year worldwide. Some estimates have the market penetration of electric vehicles passing 40% by 2035, and GM's announcement follows heavy investment into its Ultium battery technology. 

Zero tailpipe emissions only refer to air pollutants and greenhouse gases arising from the operation of the car itself. Well-to-wheel emissions include the production and processing of the fuel, while lifecycle emissions include contributions from the manufacture of the whole car. GM further pledged to be wholly carbon neutral as a company by 2040.

South African Strain Arrives

 

South African Strain Arrives

The first cases of a coronavirus variant that may better elude existing vaccines were reported in South Carolina yesterday. The two patients had no recent travel history, suggesting the strain has already achieved community spread in the US. 

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has undergone thousands of mutations during its global spread (see visualization)—most emerge and quickly fade—though scientists remain concerned about three in particular. These strains, from the UK, Brazil, and South Africa, do not appear more lethal but have been observed to spread more quickly. See an overview of the major variants here.

A COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna showed a sixfold reduction in the levels of neutralizing antibodies produced in the presence of the South African strain; Pfizer said early data suggested a slight decrease in the efficacy of its vaccine. In both cases, the vaccines remained overall effective in fighting the virus.

Both vaccines currently available in the US use messenger RNA technology—essentially using small pieces of genetic code to mimic the virus and stimulate the immune system. This approach is adept at fighting mutations, as scientists can effectively update the genetic code to reflect new strains. Moderna has begun clinical trials of booster shots to fight the emerging variants.

Novavax released data yesterday showing its vaccine was almost 90% effective in protecting against COVID-19—except against the South African strain, against which the efficacy dropped to under 50%. The Novavax vaccine uses proteins, not mRNA (see how it works).

The US has reported 433,195 total COVID-19 deaths, with 4,000 deaths reported yesterday. A total of 48 million vaccine doses have been distributed, with 26 million doses administered as of this morning. In positive news, the rate of new cases continues to fall, down almost 40% from mid-January.

Cuomo the Grandma Killer - MSM's "Man of the Year"

 

NY Underreported COVID-19 Nursing Home Deaths by Up to 50 Percent: AG Report

BY JACK PHILLIPS

 

January 28, 2021 Updated: January 28, 2021

 

biggersmaller 

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New York state health officials underreported COVID-19-related nursing home deaths by as much as 50 percent in some places, according to a report released by Attorney General Letitia James.

The 76-page report (pdf) released Jan. 28 follows an investigation by James’s office into claims of neglect of patients and other conduct that allegedly led to the deaths of nursing home residents and employees.

“As the pandemic and our investigations continue, it is imperative that we understand why the residents of nursing homes in New York unnecessarily suffered at such an alarming rate,” James said in a statement. “While we cannot bring back the individuals we lost to this crisis, this report seeks to offer transparency that the public deserves and to spur increased action to protect our most vulnerable residents.”

The COVID-related nursing home deaths have been a flashpoint for criticism against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, who has repeatedly pushed back against assertions that his policy played any role in the deaths. The report is sure to trigger more debate on Cuomo’s CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus policies and how he handled nursing homes during the pandemic.

James, a Democrat, said that Cuomo’s decision to order recovering nursing home patients to be returned to the facilities to free up hospital bed space may have led to more deaths. Cuomo—who has touted his administration’s response to the pandemic—has often rejected the notion that this specific policy led to an increase in deaths.

Last year, the Cuomo administration flatly denied the allegations: “Admission policies to nursing homes were not a significant factor in nursing home fatalities. And data suggests that nursing home quality is not a factor in mortality from COVID.”

Regarding the policy, a Cuomo spokeswoman said last year that “it was a recognition at that point that the nursing home population was very vulnerable. … There were more beds. So we said, out of an abundance of caution, you must test negative before you are released.”

Officials in Cuomo’s administration didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment regarding James’s report.

Retailers vs Hedge Funds - GameStop

 

Small Investors Uprising (E Times) Whose Stock Is It Anyway?

 Toby Howell

Over the past week, the business world’s attention has been hijacked wholesale by an army of amateur traders looking to make fools of the traditional finance industry. Yesterday brought more absurdity: After a 135% gain, GameStop stock closed at $348/share. One week ago it was at $43 and last summer it was at $4. AMC Entertainment shares exploded 301%. No, people aren’t going to the movies more often. The run-up in GameStop was so dramatic that short-seller Citron Research, which bet on the stock to drop, was forced to close out most of its position “at a loss of 100%,” according to managing partner Andrew Left. Let’s get deep There’s a general feeling that the GameStop saga speaks to something larger about the nature of financial markets, and even our culture. To try to make sense of it all, we’ve distilled some of the most popular theories that...try to make sense of it all. 1. The “stick it to the man” theory: This theory suggests that these traders are motivated primarily by their disdain for “suits,” the longtime wardens of Wall Street, who, Redditors argue, exploited the little guy to get filthy rich.  As Bloomberg’s John Authers writes, “The people investing today are driven by righteous anger, about generational injustice, about what they see as the corruption and unfairness of the way banks were bailed out in 2008 without having to pay legal penalties later, and about lacerating poverty and inequality.”  2. The “everyone’s super bored” theory: Without much else to do during the pandemic, people have turned to the stock market as a form of entertainment...and to make a lot of money. Last summer, individual investors accounted for roughly 20% of stock market activity on average, up from 10% in 2019.   3. The “Robinhood” theory: The rise of the amateur investor can be traced back to Robinhood, the app that pioneered no-fee trading and empowered individuals to influence the stock market like never before. 4. The “memeification of society” theory: Some observers have linked the behavior of Reddit’s trading army to other online communities like 4chan that engage in “astroturfing” campaigns. “If you can create enough hype around something, through memes, conspiracy theories, and harassment campaigns, you can manifest it into reality via capital,” Ryan Broderick writes. Looking ahead...the community behind these frenzied trades ran into some trouble last night. Discord banned the r/WallStreetBets server for violating its policies on hate speech, and moderators of the Reddit forum briefly made it private. _____________________________________________________________ The Next GameStop: Highly Shorted Stocks That Are Popping - Or On The Verge Of Crashing Jan. 28, 2021 6:30 AM ETBGFV178 Comments78 Likes Steven Cress 960 Followers Summary Short interest is the flavor of the month (and of last year). It is a pretty poor factor for forecasting long-term performance. But during a cycle of short squeezes, it is a highly coveted data point. Here are 25 stocks with a high short interest percent - as well as stocks screened by Seeking Alpha for fundamentals and quantitative metrics. GameStop and most others with a high short interest are very risky: They are being driven not by fundamentals or quantitative metrics but by short-term (daily) sentiment. If you want to rest easy, with a time horizon beyond one trading day, our Top Stocks screen gives you stocks with excellent fundamentals and quantitative metrics. Analysis As the Head of Quantitative Strategy at Seeking Alpha, I monitor a lot of data points - and among these, short interest is the flavor of the month and of last year. When expressed as a percentage, short interest is the number of shorted shares divided by the number of shares outstanding. As a long-term predictor, it is a pretty poor factor for forecasting long-term price performance. But during a cycle of short squeezes, it is a highly coveted data point. Below is a table of 25 stocks with a short interest percent above 25%. Short interest data is updated twice a month - on the 15th and at the end of the month. The data displayed in the table is from S&P CapIQ. The article also highlights Seeking Alpha screens that ranks stocks on fundamentals and quantitative metrics: the antithesis of a single metric such as Percent of Short Interest. GameStop (NYSE:GME) and most other stocks with a high short interest carry a lot of investment risk. These stocks are not being driven by fundamentals or quantitative metrics; instead it's driven by short-term (daily) sentiment. Any investor or trader in a stock with a high short interest level needs to know it is a gamble and that the risk is high. In light of the risk, short interest as a percentage remains one of the top financial metrics for upside predictability this month. Should an individual choose to invest in any of the stocks on Stocks With High Short Interest table needs to recognize it is a bet similar to that made in a casino. Investors that want to rest easy, and desire a time horizon beyond a single trading day, can find stocks with excellent fundamentals and quantitative metrics on our Top Stocks screen. The screen is updated every day and is grounded in the recommendations of Seeking Alpha Authors, Wall Street Analysts, and SA Quantitative metrics. Our Top Quant Stocks screen is a ranking of our SA Very Bullish Quant recommendations - also updated daily. Our Very Bullish Quant recommendations are up YTD 11.94% compared with the S&P 500, which is up 2.73% As the Head of Quantitative Strategy at Seeking Alpha, I am immersed in data. In fact, data analysis and the interpretation of data have taken center stage in my career. The interpretation of data is the process of making sense of statistics that have been collected, analyzed, and scored. This skill set has served as a solid foundation for me to identify trends and make transparent predictions in the course of money management. It has also allowed me to develop user-friendly web-based tools that furnish individuals with the indicators and signals required to instantly interpret the strength or weakness of a stock. Importantly, one of the signals we do measure is short term interest as a factor (investment metric). This financial factor, notorious for being a very poor metric for forecasting stock price predictability, had a great 2020 and a better January 2021 as a leading investment metric linked to positive stock price performance. On this note, all one can really say is wow! In over 30 years of researching stocks, I have never seen this level of enthusiasm in short-interest data points. Notably, it is not unprecedented to find euphoria over a single factor (investment metric). Sometimes single factors work great - until they don’t. The "don't" is one of the reasons we use a multi-faceted and multi-factor approach to our quantitative algorithms. Years of experience managing money for a hedge fund and a proprietary trading desk have taught me that putting all your eggs into a single investment theme is very dangerous over a long period. We do not want to get pigeonholed when the irrational exuberance of investors for the factor-of-the-month turns into fervor for another factor. When the investment cycle on a factor turns, investors can take a beating. Instead of focusing on a single metric, like percentage of short interest, we blend together investment metrics based on value, growth, profitability, earnings, and momentum. This balanced approach has worked very well over the long term, as seen on the graph below. Seeking Alpha Very Bullish recommendations are up YTD 11.94% compared with the S&P 500 - up 2.73% Source: S&P CapIQ and Seeking Alpha (1/26/21) The blended approach employing a multitude of investment characteristics alleviates a lot of the risk carried when one uses a single factor. In a nutshell, you are not putting all of your eggs in one basket. Inherently, betting your capital on a single factor, such as percentage of short interest, carries significant risk. Especially when investors are whipped up to a frenzy. Seeking Alpha’s Quant Ratings and Factor Grades Seeking Alpha’s Quant Ratings Factor Grades provide investors with an instant characterization of each stock. This makes it easy to find or rule out stocks based on your investment criteria. Below is an example of how the quant factor grades and quant ranking are displayed. Big 5 Sporting Goods (BGFV) - A Top Five Quant Recommendation For investors wanting to do more research, the Quant Ratings and Factor Grades provide a springboard for further research. You can quickly see where a stock is strong or weak, and with one click you can view the underlying data and sector averages to perform your own evaluation. The Quant Ratings and Factor Grades are appropriate for both short- and long-term investors. The Value, Growth and Profitability factors identify mispriced securities, and the Momentum and EPS Revisions factors identify timeliness. The culmination of our quantitative rankings can be found in our ratings screener. Additionally, Top Rated Stocks, the display of top buy recommendations for Seeking Alpha Authors, Wall Street Analysts, and SA Quantitative metrics can be found on the Seeking Alpha dashboard. This is available for all Premium subscribers and they only need to scroll down as it does not even require a click. Top Rated Stocks Displayed Daily On The Seeking Alpha Dashboard The stocks ranked above are a convenient display of Seeking Alpha top-rated stocks across many metrics. The screen combines the directional recommendation from Seeking Alpha Authors, Wall Street Analysts, and SA Quantitative ratings along with the quant roll-up grades for the investment characteristics that represent Value, Growth, Profitability, Momentum, and EPS Revisions. These are the core investment metrics that are measured to support our quantitative algorithms. Short Interest as a Percentage of Shares Outstanding With the long-standing successful multi-factor strategy in mind, market timing is currently revolving around one single factor that has a very poor history of market timing: Short Interest as a Percentage of Shares Outstanding. Retail investors, with the help of those on a social media platform and a handful of billionaires, have joined forces to zero in on this metric. To the agony of hedge funds shorting stocks with the highest levels of short interest, listed below, investors in these stocks have seen their profits shoot up like an Elon Musk Falcon 9 rocket. The table displays 25 stocks with a short interest percent above 25%. Short interest data is updated twice a month - on the 15th and at the end of the month. The data displayed in the table is from S&P CapIQ as recorded on January 27th, 2021. Short interest is the number of shares that have been sold short but have not yet been covered or closed out. Short interest is often exhibited as a percentage and has traditionally been viewed as an indicator of market sentiment. This year, as exhibited by the performance below, it has been a leading indicator. Source: Xignite and Seeking Alpha Investing in stocks, whether with long positions or short positions that have a high level of short interest, is extremely risky. The risk is so great that many traders will not carry the positions overnight and look to reestablish positions each morning. When investing in these stocks one of Wall Street's oldest adages comes to mind. Bulls can make money, Bears can make money, Pigs get slaughtered.

CDC Urges School Reopenings - Citing Accumulated Evidence

 

CDC Urges School Reopenings

The total number of COVID-19 cases reported worldwide surpassed 100 million yesterday, with more than 2.1 million deaths (see dashboard). Five countries—the US (25 million), India (11 million), Brazil (8.8 million), Russia (3.7 million), and the UK (3.7 million)—make up more than half of all reported cases. 

In the US, where cases have fallen by about 30% over the past two weeks (see previous write-up), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called for schools to begin returning students to the classroom. The decision cited accumulating evidence in districts where schools have opened that in-person learning has not contributed meaningfully to community spread of the virus, assuming mitigation measures were in place. See an overview of the data here.

Separately, Johnson & Johnson said it was on track to produce 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine by June, and would present efficacy data early next week. Pending approval, it would become the third available vaccine in the US. Unlike the existing two vaccines, it requires only one shot and can be stored at standard refrigerator temperatures for up to three months (how it works).

As of this morning, the US had distributed more than 44 million vaccine doses, with about 23.5 million administered. Roughly 4,100 COVID-19 deaths were reported yesterday, bringing the total in the US to just over 425,200. See rolling averages for cases and deaths.

Whose More Dangerous - Tulsi Gabard Tells Us

 Tulsi Speaks

“The mob who stormed the Capitol to try to stop Congress from carrying out its constitutional responsibilities were behaving like domestic enemies of our country,” Ms. Gabbard said Tuesday. 

“But let us be clear, the John Brennans, Adam Schiffs and the oligarchs in Big Tech who are trying to undermine our constitutionally-protected rights and turn our country into a police state with KGB-style ‘surveillance’ are also domestic enemies — and much more powerful, and therefore dangerous, than the mob which stormed the Capitol.”

Tulsi Gabbard: Calls for Biden to embrace 'KGB-style' tactics in U.S. far scarier than Capitol riot

Democrat says ex-CIA head Brennan, allies 'much more powerful, and therefore dangerous'

Use of Nat. Guard in DC - Sign of Bad things to come

 BIDEN’S RETURN TO NORMALCY IS ANYTHING BUT: 

Reflecting the Authoritarian Climate, Washington Will Remain Militarized Until At Least March: The idea of troops in U.S. streets for an extended period of time — an extreme measure even when temporary — has now become close to a sacred consensus.

Well, sacred to our political class, which likely contemplates doing things that will require they be protected from the American people. “The rationale for this extraordinary, sustained domestic military presence has shifted several times, typically from anonymous U.S. law enforcement officials. The original justification — the need to secure the inaugural festivities — is obviously no longer operative.”

120Posted at 7:00 am by Glenn Reynolds   

J

 

GOP Election Fraud Deniers Face Reckoning

One cannot simultaneously defend the integrity of the 2020 election and demand new laws to ensure election integrity. 

By Julie Kelly

January 25, 2021

So here’s the official company line promoted by establishment Republicans to defend the outcome of the 2020 presidential election: Of course the election had some irregularities like all elections but nothing that would change the result and, by the way, the country needs some major election integrity reform before this happens again.

The doublespeak designed to refute what election fraud deniers call “the big lie” was best expressed over the weekend by Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor, failed presidential candidate, and now paid ABC News shill. While attempting to shame fellow Republicans for bolstering Donald Trump’s complaints about how the election was handled in states that flipped to Joe Biden in 2020, Christie falsely claimed there wasn’t any evidence of vote fraud. “I don’t think there’s any question that the country needs to focus on in terms of our elections is making sure we have some effective electoral reform . . . we need to make the system better for 2022,” Christie told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Sunday. “But this election was not stolen.”

Others have set up a similar trap for themselves. Just hours before the so-called “insurrection” began, ex-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) slammed his GOP colleagues planning to protest the results and demand an election audit. Like Christie, McConnell defended the integrity of the election while supporting election reform at the state level. “Last year’s bizarre pandemic procedures must not become the new norm,” McConnell lectured January 6.

Which raises the question—why not?

If the 2020 election was legitimate and, as McConnell and others insist, featured no evidence of decisive fraud outside the normally acceptable level of illegalities, then why should anything change?

Tens of millions of mail-in ballots without signature verification or documented chain of custody or other legally required proof should indeed be the “new norm” if their analysis is to be believed. Election Day will last not weeks but months; every voter will receive an absentee ballot, even those who didn’t request one, and it can be returned past Election Day without a postmark or delivered to drop-boxes manned by partisans in deep blue counties and cities.

Unelected government bureaucrats can override state election laws with impunity. Republican observers will be kept far from the counting process. Judges, motivated either by fear or malice, will refuse to consider lawsuits that carefully detail the unlawfulness. Even the United States Supreme Court will insist states that properly followed the Constitution in administering their own elections lack any “standing” to sue other states that did not follow the Constitution.

This is the conundrum created by election fraud deniers in the GOP. One cannot simultaneously defend the integrity of the 2020 election and call for new laws to ensure election integrity. It’s an exercise in cognitive dissonance, a self-own as the kids would say, that will backfire one way or another. By refusing over the past few months to acknowledge, let alone address, provable instances of voter fraud, Republicans now find themselves between a rock and a hard place.

If Republicans in Congress pursue federal election reform, as Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) plans, Democrats, the news media and some of their own Republican colleagues will accuse them of perpetuating the “big lie” that the 2020 election was stolen. Otherwise-moderate voices such as Scott’s will be vilified as no better than the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol last month and promptly given the Josh Hawley treatment.

If Republicans in Congress don’t pursue federal election reform, they’ll write their own political obituaries for two reasons: First, the still-infuriated base will punish them at the polls. Second, the Democrats once again will get the message that their pursuit of political power by any means necessary won’t be stopped by the other party even when they have control. It’s worth noting that state legislatures in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia are controlled by Republicans; feckless leaders in Washington aren’t the only politicians to blame for this mess.

Democrats, on the other hand, plan to leverage every bit of the “big lie” cover-up story to codify the socially-distanced 2020 election, pandemic or not. Shortly after winning the House in 2019, Democrats passed H.R. 1, dubbed “For the People Act.” The bill, sponsored by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), “will create automatic voter registration across the country, ensure that individuals who have completed felony sentences have their full voting rights restored, expand early voting and enhance absentee voting, simplify voting by mail, reduce long lines and wait times for voters and modernize America’s voting system.”

Now that Democrats have control of the Senate, it’s increasingly likely the bill will make it to Joe Biden’s desk before the next election; Senator Jeff Merkely (D-Ore.) announced January 19 that he would sponsor the bill in the Senate. The House could pass the legislation as early as this week.

If signed into law, the bill would end the prospect of electing another Republican president ever again. Ditto for most governorships and Senate seats. Free and fair elections, to the extent any shadow of this core constitutional right still exists, will get tossed into the dustbin of American history.

Which is why the “nothing to see here” gambit being played by Senate Republicans is so risky. Instead of using their power to confront voter fraud before and after the election, Republicans, many of whom were eager to see Donald Trump leave the White House, hid under their desks, both literally and figuratively.

McConnell already has paid a hefty price; disgruntled Republican voters in Georgia demoted him to minority leader this month. But instead of recognizing his own culpability, McConnell is in cahoots with Democrats to prepare an impeachment trial for Trump as some sort of retribution.

Ironically, an impeachment trial might be the best way for Trump and his legal team to combat the “big lie” and force both Democrats and Republicans to defend their tolerance of election fraud. Trump, unfortunately, did promote some claims that turned out to be far-fetched, but if his lawyers focus on provable election illegalities in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin instead of silliness like “krakens,” the former president has a slim chance to counter the Beltway’s groupthink.

Republican-held state legislatures plan to enact election reform as lawmakers finally begin to understand and admit that lax rules, or laws that were ignored altogether, have enraged their constituents. Georgia Republicans are considering laws to tighten that state’s mail-in voting rules; Pennsylvania Republicans are holding a series of hearings on election reform.

Several election-related lawsuits, as I explained last week, await action by the Supreme Court.

Trump voters, meanwhile, are not backing down. Polls continue to show the overwhelming majority don’t think the election was fair. Republican losses in Georgia this month were just the start of the rank-and-file’s revolt against idle party leaders.

In order to save itself, the GOP must reconcile its claims of a clean election with demands for election reform. It’s tricky territory that few, if any, are savvy enough to navigate.

But they only have themselves to blame.