GOP apologists say getting a nominee to say "Biden won the election" is just a gotcha "game"(or Trump lost.) EXCEPT

[RoeVWade]

all the f---ing people who showed up Jan 6. Telling facts is not a "game."

[RoeVWade]

1. ...and Trump is going to claim the same crap tonight in a speech. (so I hear) not going to watch though.

nt*

[LiberalArkie]

15. I have only heard a few minutes of Trump talking, I just can not stand listening to his wimpy non-masculine voice.

[Buckeyeblue]

2. And it's not really a gotcha game

It's a simple fact. If they just answered it, it would be a non-issue with everyone except Trump.

And that's what makes it an issue. Trump demands that his nominees deny history. And they are so willing to do it.

[RoeVWade]

3. And Trump's lead-in to the midterms is going to be exactly about the elections being stolen, so it's highly relevant.

nt*

[Ocelot II]

4. Then why not just say it? It's not a gotcha game if there's nothing to get.

[Walleye]

5. The inability to distinguish fantasy from reality is clinical insanity

Don’t ask him who won the election. Ask them if they believe in the constitution and how they feel about it.

[FakeNoose]

16. Exactly right, they're living in a fantasy world

We should call it "Chump World" ...

[mopinko]

6. no, it's a loyalty test.

a shibboleth.

[cmmngrnd]

7. Stating that Biden won is critical to the peaceful transfer of power

One of the core concepts of any democracy is the peaceful transfer of power. When the founders started this experiment the entire world was skeptical that we could pull it off. When Washington refused to run after two terms as president he shocked the world. King George III supposedly said that if Washington resigned he would be the greatest man in the world. We sometimes forget how radical our system of government was in a world of monarchies (yes, there were other examples, and we drew on those).

But the peaceful transfer of power relies on the loser of an election conceding. Until that is done, the peaceful transfer has not occurred. I remember during the VP debate Vance brushed off Jan 6 by saying it was followed by a peaceful transfer of power. He was wrong - it is not complete until that power is uncontested, and that requires concession.

So by not stating that simple fact, these people aren't just falling in line with Trump's delusions, they are attacking a foundational principle of the Republic. They are stating that their allegiance is to Trump and not the country, or the core principles the country was built on. This allegiance is not news to anyone with eyes and a basic knowledge of how things should work, but it is a powerful example.

By not stating this simple fact of Biden's win they are showing that they are willing to throw away our democracy and that they are Trump's lapdogs.

Again, we knew this, but it may be of value to keep this in mind and always frame what some may see (or claim) as trivial with the gravity it deserves.

[Beausoleil]

8. They should be made to back up their opinions about the 2020 election when asked

"So, are you saying that Trump really won the 2020 election?"
"Do you have any evidence that the rightful winner of the 2020 election did not take office on 1/20/2021?"
"Do you have any evidence at all that Joe Biden was not the rightful and legitimate winner of the 2020 election?"
"Do you have so little faith in the American electoral system that when all evidence indicates that there was no relevant fraud in the 2020 election, you still refuse to believe it"

[GiqueCee]

9. I saw an honest Republican once...

... it was dry-humping a unicorn.

[eShirl]

10. So say it and prove them wrong.

[Historic NY]

11. These morons can't squeze a simple fact out of their mouths....in fear of our Dear Leader.

if the election was rigged, then any Republicans who won on the 2020 ballots were also illegitimate. Trump has to claim the Senators were illegitimate in order to fix the election. The Dear Leader can't handle the 'truth' and his cabinet are all yes men

[Seinan Sensei]

12. "Biden was certified blah blah blah"

Then for subsequent questions, they say “I’ve already answered that.”

No.
They did not.
They gave a response.
They gave a reply.
But they did not give an answer.

[OGBuzz]

13. Hegseth needs to pump these fellas full of testosterone. Lord knows they need it.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

14. They need to grow up and quit whining

[Martin Eden]

17. I never understood why they're called "apologists"

I've never heard any Republican apologize for Trump. They rationalize, they spin, they lie.

Ultimately, they enable the would-be dictator who has done so much damage in 18 months to our institutions, federal agencies, trade relationships, and alliances -- on top of direct harm to the American people with rising prices, cuts to food assistance and healthcare, ICE thugs terrorizing our communities ... the list goes on.

This POtuS is by far the most criminally corrupt in American history. If Republicans had any sense of duty or actual allegiance to the Constitution they swore an oath to uphold, they would remove him from office.

[relogic]

19. "This POtuS is by far the most criminally corrupt in American history."

Horribly apparent and we may add the most insane POTUS in history. Trump can learn from history in that the perverted Roman emperors of yore have become his teachers.

[WestMichRad]

18. This is the #1 Trump loyalty test.

A nominee cannot say "Biden won the election" without ensuring TSF's wrath. He would jettison the nominee in a second if he/she did so, and they all know it. So they play the game, regardless of what they truly believe, by stating the obvious "Biden was certified the winner."
It's a consequence of his boundless narcissism.

[orleans]

20. if they say biden won then trump would yank their nomination and they'd be out of a job they're trying to get

what's more important? telling the truth and showing america you have integrity or getting a prestigious job & staying off trump's enemies list