I think this trend has existed longer than this year, but Jonah Goldberg made a good point about double standards in close elections.
The final lesson: There is a massive double standard in the national conversation when it comes to election results and irregularities.
When Republicans suggest Democrats are up to no good, it is universally decried as a paranoid, craven or “openly authoritarian” attempt to delegitimize an election. When Democrats suggest an election was stolen, it’s a grave warning of a crisis that should require “international election monitors,” in the words of Dan Rather.
When Republicans graciously concede, as Rep. Martha McSally did in Arizona, it’s an example of decency and civility. “I give McSally credit for a graceful concession. But let’s be clear: It only stands out because of the moral sludge of Trumpism in which any show of grace or honorable conduct is shocking,” tweeted Josh Marshall, the editor of the Talking Points Memo. “When you lose, you don’t lie about it or attack the voting process. You concede & move on.”
But when Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, a three-term Democrat, refused to concede and move on, insisting that Scott was trying to steal victory, liberals didn’t call him a sore loser. And when Abrams refused to concede in Georgia and (still) refuses to say that Kemp is a legitimate governor, it’s hailed as heroic speaking truth to power.
Such double standards are poisonous and contagious. Which is why you can be sure you’ll hear even more of this in 2020 — and not just from Donald Trump.
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