Inside the Beltway: The truth about a ‘rigged’ 2020 election

NEWS AND OPINION:

Let us venture back to the autumn days of 2020 to consider a Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,346 U.S. adults conducted Nov. 13-17. It offered some telling findings about the presidential match between Donald Trump and Joseph R. Biden.

At the time, the poll found that 52% of Republicans said that Mr. Trump “rightfully won,” and that the election was “stolen from him by widespread voter fraud.” Only 29% said that Mr. Biden was the rightful victor.

“Asked why, Republicans were concerned that state vote counters had tipped the result toward Biden: 68% of Republicans said they were concerned that the election was ’rigged,’ while only 16% of Democrats and one-third of independents were similarly worried,” the poll analysis said.

That nagging suspicion that something complex and mysterious went on after the polls closed has not disappeared quite yet. One particular observer believes that yes, the election was “rigged,” and that this phenomenon caused Mr. Trump to lose his bid for reelection. There’s a book on the way which promises some answers.

That would be “Rigged: How the Media, Big Tech, and the Democrats Seized Our Elections,” written by Mollie Hemingway, senior editor of The Federalist, and it is available by preorder through Regnery Publishing.

Though the book is not arriving for four months, it is already topping an Amazon bestseller specialty list that covers elections and politics.

“I have no doubt that the same powers that worked to oust President Trump in 2020 will do everything they can to suppress this book in 2021, but I don’t care. The story has to be told,” Mrs. Hemingway noted Thursday in statement about the book and the circumstances leading up to her decision to write it.

“This is the definitive account of the 2020 election. Based on Mollie Hemingway’s exclusive interviews with campaign officials, reporters, Supreme Court justices, and President Trump himself, it exposes the fraud and cynicism behind the Democrats’ historic power-grab,” Regnery said in advance notes for the book.

“Rewriting history is a specialty of the radical left, now in control of America’s political and cultural heights. But they will have to contend with the determination, insight, and eloquence of Mollie Hemingway. ’Rigged’ is a reminder for weary patriots that truth is still the most powerful weapon. The stakes for our democracy have never been higher,” the publisher said.

HERE’S TO YOUR (PARTISAN) HEALTH

Republicans and Democrats differ in more ways than their political beliefs.

The two sides are polarized in their attitudes toward public health agencies or health providers, says a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health survey released Thursday.

“When it comes to trusting the recommendations of different groups to improve health, there are major differences in views between Democrats and Republicans,” the poll said.

It found that 52% of U.S. adults overall trust the health recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three-fourths of Democrats agree with that sentiment — but only 27% of Republicans.

The overall public gave their respective local health department a 53% performance rating of “excellent or good.” Among Republicans, that number was 40%, among Democrats it was 64%.

Then there is the money factor. The poll also found that 71% of all U.S. adults favor “substantially increasing federal spending on improving the nation’s health programs; 40% of Republicans agree with that, along with 86% of Democrats.

Find more examples of the great health divide in the Poll du Jour at column’s end.

FOX NATION FOR FREE

It is a timely gesture of generosity.

Fox Nation — the on-demand video streaming platform of Fox News — will offer a special promotion of one year of free access to all active United States military members and veterans as part of its “Grateful Nation” initiative in honor of Memorial Day.

From May 24 to May 31, any active member of the armed services or military veteran will be able to opt into the special offering and get a free subscription to Fox Nation lasting one year.

There’s also some appropriate programming for that week.

“Beginning May 25th, Fox Nation will also showcase themed programming in tribute to members of the U.S. military. New programs include ’Hero Dogs,’ ’America’s Top Ranger,’ ’Modern Warriors’ and ’USA Ink,’ all of which will spotlight uplifting stories of veterans and the heroism and selfless dedication they exemplify in their daily lives,” the network said in advance production notes.

“We are honored to celebrate our service men and women by contributing in a small way to those who have sacrificed so much on behalf of our nation,” said Fox Nation President Jason Klarman in a statement.

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POLL DU JOUR

• 71% of U.S. adults trust health recommendations from nurses a “great deal or quite a lot”; 68% of Republicans and 75% of Democrats agree.

• 70% overall trust recommendations from healthcare workers that they know; 70% of Republicans and 78% of Democrats agree.

• 67% overall trust the recommendations of doctors; 52% of Republicans and 80% of Democrats agree.

• 40% overall trust recommendations from friends or family; 46% of Republicans and 35% of Democrats agree.

Source: A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health survey of 1,305 U.S. adults conducted from Feb. 11 to March 15 and released Thursday.

• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.