NYT’s Leonhardt: Democracy in Peril Because Republicans Don’t Accept Losses Like Al Gore

EXCERPT:

LEONHARDT: “So as you said, there are basically two threats. One is the immediate threat, and in the short-term, it’s the much more worrisome one, which is the idea that large numbers of the Republican Party have signaled that they will not necessarily accept defeat in an election. And the reason this is worrisome is that it raises the possibility that in the future election, potentially as soon as the 2022 race or 2024 presidential race, Republicans will try to overturn the result the same way Donald Trump tried and failed in 2020. This is just way outside of the norm of American politics in history. Al Gore lost a close disputed election to George Bush, and he said, okay, it’s time to move on, George Bush is the president. Richard Nixon lost a close and in some circles disputed election in 1960 to John F. Kennedy. And he said, okay, I lost, John F. Kennedy is the president. We just didn’t have until very recently major figures in parties suggesting or even outright saying they would not accept defeat.”