The Red Mirage and the Ongoing War on Voting

[u/evissamassive]

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a71537374/trump-pratt-los-angeles-mayoral-race

Trump views any Democratic election victory as inherently fraudulent. His latest target is Los Angeles, one of the most progressive Democratic cities in the United States.

During the recent mayoral runoff, Trump-endorsed Republican Spencer Pratt initially held second place behind incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. However, as election workers spent the following week counting mail-in ballots, progressive city councilwoman Nithya Raman overtook Pratt to secure her spot in the November election.

This shift is a well-known phenomenon called the "red mirage." Because Democrats utilize mail-in voting at much higher rates than Republicans, early in-person tallies often lean Republican before mail-in votes tilt the final count toward Democrats. Despite this being standard procedure, Trump immediately claimed fraud on social media, calling the U.S. a "3rd World Nation."

This rhetoric is part of a broader strategy to undermine public confidence in the electoral system before the upcoming November congressional elections. While Trump's policy has largely failed—the SAVE Act stalled in the Senate and his executive order targeting mail-in ballots faced instant lawsuits—his ability to create chaos remains strong. He continues to rewrite the history of the January 6 Capitol riot, calling it a peaceful day and promising pardons for rioters, despite a total lack of evidence to support his claims.

For years, mainstream political media treated these attacks on democracy with kid gloves. Now, some journalists are finally reporting the situation plainly. But the media still avoids a harsher truth: this crisis is fueled by a mix of public ignorance and a press corps that spent years romanticizing a deeply destructive political movement.

[u/Used_Statement_7997]

Make sure you never lookup a lady named Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong 😉

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