The big truth Upholding democracy in the age of "the big lie"

Election denialism is pushing America into "dangerous psychological territory," according to this insightful study from CBS News correspondent Garrett (Mr. Trump's Wild Ride) and Becker, founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research. Drawing on interviews with poll workers and election supervisors, the authors thoroughly debunk claims made by Donald Trump and his supporters in their campaign to overturn the 2020 presidential election. These include allegations that voting machines were hacked by the Chinese (they're not connected to the internet), that voting early or by mail is "suspect or devious" (both Trump and Biden benefitted from the pandemic-caused surge in these votes in 2020, and they come with ample "safeguards and redundancies"), and that "ballot dumps" in Democratic areas on election night signaled large-scale fraud (votes are always counted in batches and delays were often the result of laws against pre-processing). Trump lost, the authors claim, not because the election was stolen or rigged, but due to "sky-high Democratic interest" and his "poor voter mobilization in key states, misspent campaign resources, and misguided overconfidence." Throughout, Garrett and Becker present statistical evidence in clear terms and cool overheated rhetoric from both the right and the left. This thorough and evenhanded assessment deflates Trump's "big lie." (Sept.)

A pertinent study of the possibility of "our next civil war," which "is stalking us" after the 2020 election chaos and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. "We believe many who cling to grievances about the 2020 election know, deep down, they are wrong," write Garrett, chief Washington correspondent for CBS, and Becker, founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research. "They know lies are masquerading as truths. They rationalize both as tools in a large enterprise--defeating Democrats, reversing socialism, wokeness, radicalism, and the like." Under the terms of the Trumpian big lie, Republican legislators are doing everything they can to redistrict, gerrymander, suppress, and otherwise alter the vote so that their minority party will always win, which shows which side of the "power or principle" argument they're on. However, as the authors demonstrate, the big lie is about more than politics; it's a moneymaking machine, practically a printing press, for Trump and company, who have raised hundreds of millions on the premise that they were wronged but will return. "Every big con needs its bagmen, and the attempted coup had a rogues' gallery," they write of Jan. 6 and its aftermath. "Some wore MAGA hats and carried Gadsden flags. Some wore suits or possessed law degrees and, in some cases, worked inside the White House." The biggest con man of all remains diligent in his attacks on the democratic process and bloviating attempts to maintain his relevance and possibly regain power, even though he's lost every legal challenge he's mounted. But as his former aide Mick Mulvaney noted, "When you are taking your legal advice from My Pillow guy, what do you expect?" Unfortunately for the U.S., despite their bright, vigorous narrative, the authors seem to suggest that things are likely to get worse before they get better. A thoughtful consideration of how and why to protect the vote--and, with it, American democracy. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.