‘Legitimate discourse’ rarely kills

Most of the time, I like being a political junkie whose oxygen is news from D.C. Unfortunately, for some time now, I have thought that being an ostrich with my head in the sand might be more fun. The reason is simple. I can’t avoid hearing for the thousandth time about voter fraud in 2020, or that a deadly attack on the Capitol was really a picnic on the mall. Even a junkie has limits.

I’m a Democrat who thinks he’s always right and Republicans usually, if not always, wrong. But legitimate debate is possible. We may differ on tax policy, education, conservation, transgender bathrooms, even when to wage war. Those are real, deserve debate, and are worth revisiting. For all of them we begin with facts and agreement on what they are, even as conclusions are widely different.

What we should not differ on is whether the earth is round, the sun comes up in the east, a full moon appears about once a month and that it is cold when it freezes. We should also agree that there was no widespread voting fraud in the 2020 presidential election; that the riot at the Capitol was not a “legitimate public discourse,” as the Republican National Committee said recently. (They really did.)

To deny reality should remain an individual psychiatric problem, not a national political one. There is no evidence of voter fraud in 2020 after endless probing, review and some hand recounts. None. That Donald Trump cannot accept that fact after all this time is beyond criminal. Faith in elections is a serious matter in our democracy and questioning legitimacy of a presidential election has been avoided, by both losing parties, from our birth until now.

What is also astounding is that the Capitol riot where five people died and millions of dollars of damage was done to a historic and precious site, is, as I’ve noted, has been “legitimate public discourse.” It takes my oxygen away.

The RNC doesn’t care what I think, but it might listen to Republicans. A few have now spoken out, but our Iowa senators have not. I’m sure Sen. Chuck Grassley knows better, even as he remains silent. He is not dumb nor is he blind. Other senators are speaking up.

Sens. Mitch McConnell, in response to the RNC, said that Jan. 6 was a “violent insurrection.” Sen. Mitt Romney said in response to the RNC, “Anything my party does that comes across as being stupid is not going to help us.” Would that grassroots Republicans would listen to them, not Trump.

The Pew Charitable Trust, a respected polling organization, recently polled the country on two questions: Do you think Donald Trump won the election and does he have any responsibility for the riot at the Capitol? They found that “ … nearly two-thirds of Republicans think that Trump probably won. And 6 in 10 think he bears no responsibility at all for the violence …”

The good news is that 40 percent of Trump voters accept the truth of an honest election. The bad news is that 60 percent don’t. That means over 44 million people with an active fantasy life are at loose around the country.

Trouble is ahead. A junkie can tell.

Norman Sherman of Coralville has worked extensively in politics, including as Vice President Hubert Humphrey’s press secretary.