It is very, very important that Republicans not upset the precious until they maintain their death grip on power.

"Jonathan Lemire, you had a great story last night in the A.P. where you said that behind the scenes, Republicans are admitting on the Hill and across Washington, D.C. that Donald Trump has lost, he has no way forward, but you're saying they're telling you off the record the reasons they're afraid to come out and say that publicly. What are they?" Joe Scarborough said.

"What we have seen is a growing example in recent days of Republicans privately coming to terms with the election. No better example than when Vice President Harris, who returned to the Senate floor for a vote, a number of Republican senators, some wearing masks, whispered congratulations," Lemire said.

"Lindsey Graham, who is one of Trump's most vocal supporters, offered her a fist bump and saluted her on her new post. Mark Meadows, there was discussion of what could be done in the remaining two months of the Trump term and we have had Republican senators now being more willing to cast doubt on the chances of these legal challenges, far-fetched legal challenges being mounted by Rudy Giuliani and others, but privately they're not willing to go there.

"First of all, they point to the fact that Donald Trump did win more than 70 million votes and he remains extraordinarily popular among the Republican base who the Republicans will need for future campaigns. They note of course there's always the long-held fear of the tweets and two other things that have emerged here. One, they feel that if the Republicans are perceived as pushing Trump out, rather than the president coming to grips on his own and kind of quietly whimpering out of office, they wonder what the blowback will be. They fear he'll make risky strategic policy decisions, perhaps more troop drawdowns, and of course, this is what advisers told me, Senate leader McConnell's primary concern, Georgia. The runoff there, where they're hopeful that Trump can still be a useful campaign asset but at the very least, they don't want him turning on his own party.

"If he perceives that the GOP is pushing him out, he'll turn on the attack and perhaps damage their chances on the two runoffs and they need to win at least one in order to maintain control of the Senate. Obviously this doesn't excuse their public silence, which of course gives life to the conspiracy theories and hands Joe Biden a very difficult hand. Not only with the transition here delayed, him unable to be fully briefed on the pandemic as it surges out of control, but also in the minds of a huge portion of the country, this is damaging Biden's legitimacy."

First, let me say this:

Dear Republicans,
I'm sorry that your need to hold onto power at any cost rules your life, that actual democracy is just a convenient cover story, and that the thought of putting our country before your party doesn't even occur to you.

He might make "risky policy decisions"? He's already decided to leave all the U.S. weapons behind for the Taliban when he withdraws troops in Afghanistan, simply to blow things up for Joe Biden, who had the audacity to beat him in a legitimate election. And when things fall apart there, you, of course, will publicly blame Joe Biden! Because political advantage, amirite?

Just as you will all attack Biden over the deficit you all created by passing Trump's insane tax cuts, and insist Granny take cuts to Medicare and Social Security.

Are you so used to the stress of constant lying that you can't even conceive of putting American first? Wait, that wasn't really a question. Of course you can't, you pathetic losers.

Sincerely,
A Real American