if it was him, that’s exactly and all it could or would be.

This is what passes as empathy for conservatives. They’re incapable of seeing things from other people’s points of view, they can only take their own view and project it onto others.

Apply this to EVERYTHING they’ve ever said another people is going to do, or what the other person’s motivations are, or really anything.

The modern concepts of conservative and liberal are born out of the French Revolution. Conservatives were the monarchists, and they still are.

So there’s this phenomenon where a person can change their mind because of learning new information.

For example, a person can reasonably say “Our elections are safe and secure” and then, after learning new information, say “Our elections are so insecure.”

The last four years don’t undermine the current claims because there was no credible evidence that the election was compromised then. But new information contains evidence that this time the election may have been compromised. This new information can and should encourage people to change their minds about how secure our elections are. Changing your mind in the face of new information isn’t hypocrisy, it’s rational thinking.

As for your last paragraph, confirming the number of people who voted and the number of ballots recorded does nothing to verify that the ballots were recorded correctly. To do that they need to audit the paper ballots against the computerized count, which is a massive undertaking that will require a lot of time and money. There’s nothing simple about that.

Look, I don’t completely disagree with you. IMO the only thing that’s going to stop the fascists (without taking us into full blown war) is a general strike. And it’s frustrating to see nothing but planned demonstrations, schedule to a specific day, and only for that day. A protest with a scheduled end time is a protest that’s planned its own failure.

But that’s not what’s happening in LA, and that’s why the fascists are trying to put it down so hard. This thing is finally, organically, taking on a life of its own. Will it last? Does it have staying power? Who knows, but why discourage it? Why be cynical and reduce the chance that this time is different even further? You’re literally the problem you just complained about.

All of that said, I genuinely understand why you’re cynical. All I can really say is that you gotta be the change you want to see in the world. I hate using a canned phrase like that but in this case it’s deeply true.

Ya hear that everyone? Cancel the protests! We just gotta buy some bumper stickers and t-shirts, and Trump will be done for! Thank goodness Melvin figured it out, we’d be in real trouble otherwise!