Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:40 pm
Conservative CNN contributor and senior editor at The Atlantic David Frum reminded Trump and his supporters that actually, in spite of their claims to have a mandate, the people “didn’t speak” because “Donald Trump won 0.35 points more of the popular vote than Michael Dukakis in 1988.”
Recurring reminder that Donald Trump won 0.35 points more of the popular vote than Michael Dukakis in 1988. The people didn’t speak.
— David Frum (@davidfrum) December 11, 2016
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
It has become even more clear that the people didn’t speak as we learned that the votes in Detroit, where we were told “Democrats just didn’t turn out” in spite of the reports of busy polling places from long time Motor City voters, couldn’t be counted due to inaccuracies with the ballot boxes.
The Michigan recount is dead now anyway, courtesy of the Republican hold over the state- the same state where Republican activist Brandon Hall was convicted of 10 counts of election law fraud for forging signatures on a 2012 petition effort. Hall He also worked on President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign in Michigan, according to the Grand Haven Tribune.
If there were a real mandate for Donald Trump, you’d think he would be pushing for a recount to prove it, and also due to his own repeated claims that the election was rigged.
It’s sad commentary on a previously great party that modern Republicans stand against protecting the vote and protecting our elections, with their relentless efforts to make voting more difficult by passing laws requiring photo IDs, killing early voting, making voting hours shorter, and challenging people’s right to vote at the polls. Now they are fighting recounts when their own presidential candidate warned everyone repeatedly that the election was rigged, which begs the question if it only matters if it’s rigged for the opposition. The voting patterns in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin were bizarre, for example in Pennsylvania there was a larger than normal amount of Democrats splitting their ticket to vote for Trump, possibly the most divisive candidate in history.
Frum wrote a piece published on November 2nd in the Atlantic that made the conservative case for voting for Hillary Clinton, in which he wrote, “Why support a candidate who rejects your preferences and offends your opinions? Don’t do it for her—do it for the republic, and the Constitution.” This piece was no endorsement of Clinton and buys into some of the more dubious unsubstantiated charges made against her, and still Frum came out for Clinton because Trump was so dangerous.
The people did not speak for Trump, he does not have a mandate. The only mandate it appears he has is a Russian-tinged mandate.
Listen to Sarah on the PoliticusUSA Pod on The Daily newsletter podcast here.
Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.
Sarah is two-time Telly award winning video producer and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Connect with Sarah on Post, Mastodon @PoliticusSarah@Journa.Host, & Twitter.
