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In March, 2018, I attended the ACLU v Kobach (also known as Fish v Kobach) trial in federal court in Kansas City, KS.
It was a doozy of a first trial to attend, filled with drama and humor.
Kobach did poorly.
So poorly that on the first day, the overflow room, filled to the
It was a doozy of a first trial to attend, filled with drama and humor.
Kobach did poorly.
So poorly that on the first day, the overflow room, filled to the
brim w/ mostly lawyers, was filled w/ loud laughter at his gaffes.
His faulty attempts to introduce evidence drew a rebuke "Evidence 101. I'm not going to do it" from Judge Julie Robinson.
On a more substantive level, he failed utterly to defend his decade of fraud claims.
His faulty attempts to introduce evidence drew a rebuke "Evidence 101. I'm not going to do it" from Judge Julie Robinson.
On a more substantive level, he failed utterly to defend his decade of fraud claims.
At the time of the trial, Kobach was running for Kansas governor.
At lunch with some of the other attendees in the second week of the trial, I said "well, I'm glad at least Kobach's gubernatorial bid is sunk".
You see, I was naive then.
At lunch with some of the other attendees in the second week of the trial, I said "well, I'm glad at least Kobach's gubernatorial bid is sunk".
You see, I was naive then.
I thought his failure to substantiate the fraud claims on which he'd built his fame would be his undoing.
My companions, savvy political types unlike me, dropped the bomb.
"His fans won't care about the truth. They'll believe whatever he tells them."
My companions, savvy political types unlike me, dropped the bomb.
"His fans won't care about the truth. They'll believe whatever he tells them."
Weeks later, he was out on the campaign trail spinning the trial as a success, acting as if he was a hero for taking on the evil ladies at the League of Women Voters and the ACLU.
The excellent reporting (standouts from @JessicaHuseman @Celia_LJ) reached reality based voters.
The excellent reporting (standouts from @JessicaHuseman @Celia_LJ) reached reality based voters.
But truth didn't matter to his fans. Either it didn't penetrate at all or they didn't care.
Kobach's fans propelled him past sitting Governor Jeff Colyer to win the primary despite the evidence of his misrepresentations about fraud & his incompetence.
Kobach's fans propelled him past sitting Governor Jeff Colyer to win the primary despite the evidence of his misrepresentations about fraud & his incompetence.
I'm thinking of this experience today as Trump tries to overturn the election and @ericschmidt helps while @JerryMoran and @SenPatRoberts sit quietly letting it happen.
False claims of fraud have been given root, fertilizer, water and sun to grow while Jerry says nothing.
False claims of fraud have been given root, fertilizer, water and sun to grow while Jerry says nothing.
We know from the Kobach era that it is EASY to make false claims of fraud & the people who want to believe them will believe them, evidence be damned.
Except democracy can't survive this.
We are at the breaking point here.
Overturn this election, & our experiment is dead.
Except democracy can't survive this.
We are at the breaking point here.
Overturn this election, & our experiment is dead.
I meant Derek Schmidt ( @KSAGOffice). My apologies to Eric Schmidt for the errant tag.
This is an accurate and typical description of the "evidence" Team Trump has been presenting in these cases. They've lost 51 and won 1 very narrow victory because
THERE
IS
NO
EVIDENCE https://twitter.com/marceelias/status/1336823023089946629?s=20
THERE
IS
NO
EVIDENCE https://twitter.com/marceelias/status/1336823023089946629?s=20
