Let's talk about the Red States telling Trump 'no' when it comes to federalizing the elections.... - Belle of the Ranch

[TexasTowelie]

Well, howdy there Internet people. It's Belle again. So, today we're going to talk about the red states telling Trump no when it comes to federalizing the elections.

There's been a handful of unique happenings at the state level in red states and it's led to some outcomes that have surprised a lot of people. So, we'll go over just a few of them and explain why the dynamic shouldn't be as surprising as a lot of people are finding it.

Here's one of the funnier messages on the topic to get us started. "Hi, Miss Belle. Can I simply ask WTF? I'm in Ohio and the psycho right-wing House Speaker basically just told Trump to go pound sand when it comes to any help with federalizing the elections. Between that and the Republican governor in Oklahoma publicly calling Trump out, I feel like I've lost my mind. What is happening?”

There's a lot of this going around. West Virginia just told the Trump administration to kick rocks when they asked for unredacted voter rolls. So why? Trump said he wanted to federalize elections and said “a state is an agent for the federal government in elections.” Please somebody explain to the president how the Constitution was formed. I can tell you now, the federal government didn't spring from the ether and then create the states as agents. His attacks on legitimate states rights are making actual Republicans turn on him, sometimes in anger.

Ohio's very Republican House Speaker Matt Huffman said, "The state of Ohio should be in charge of the state of Ohio's elections. I don't think that the states in any way should give up their elections. For one thing, is the federal government going to come in and run a township trustee election? Are they going to come in and decide who's running for school board or fiscal officer or the thousands and thousands of other elections?

Okay, so what's going on? There are three things at play. First is that there are some normal Republicans out there at the state level. They have a strong distrust of the federal government. So, a few of them are legitimately acting on an ideological motivation. I think that's what's happened in West Virginia because the Secretary of State there basically dared Trump to sue because the only way they're handing over the rules is by court order.

A second reason is that Trump is quacking very loudly. The lame duck perception is much stronger outside of DC. Why should state politicians put themselves out there for a guy who will be irrelevant in 3 years?

Then there's the third and probably the biggest reason. Trump's attack on the separation of powers between the states and the federal government erodes the power of state level politicians. Politicians like power. He wants them to fight to give away their own political influence. Keep in mind that influence is how they get campaign contributions. They're probably more likely to fight to keep that. I'd expect to see more of this. There is definitely going to be a lot of good examples of how politics make strange bedfellows soon.

Anyway, it's just a thought. Y'all have a good day.