Elections don't matter.
There is a new normal: Republicans need not accept elections.
Norms are what matter.
". . . That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. . .."
Declaration of Independence
The words of the Declaration reflect Enlightenment ideals. They also, in the long run, reflect practical reality of political power. The will of the people is like gravity or the tides. Eventually it determines everything.
Americans don't eat rats, and are most of us are disgusted at the prospect, although rats are commonly eaten by people in Southeast Asia. Culture and norms matter.
The norms of the American republic changed. What was unthinkable two decades ago--that a president can ignore an election, throw out ballots, and stay in office--now has the enthusiastic support, or silent consent, of leaders and members of one of the two great political parties in America.
Trump's ability to persuade and lead public opinion has been vastly underestimated by people who perceive themselves to be thought leaders and caretakers of American culture. Trump is a towering figure in American politics. He did what FDR did 90 years ago by establishing the New Deal; Trump changed Americans' understanding of government. A significant body of Americans don't accept election losses as legitimate.
Trump led this, but leadership has trickled down to state and local GOP leaders. They agree or are silent. They understand their base.
Trump issued a statement:
Today's news describes Peril, a book written by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. Trump was screaming mad that Pence would not unilaterally discard electoral votes. Peril describes Pence as desperately wanting to comply and sought an excuse. Pence called former Vice President Dan Quayle looking for some crack or seam in the wall of law. Quayle said there was none.
The sources for this story could only be Pence and Quayle themselves. At least one of them was willing to talk to Woodward and Costa; the other did not deny it, so it is in the book.
The lost opportunity for Pence is the "tell" that reveals the changed state of public norms. Pence could position himself here as heroic, as a man courageously resisting tyranny and a coup d'état. He has a great story. He was an eyewitness and victim. He stood tall and proud.
No.
Pence is obviously attempting to position himself as the 2024 Republican nominee. That requires that he be the reluctant disappointment, one who changes the subject of Trump to the things Trump got right. The people whose support he needs don't want a hero. They wanted Trump to remain president by hook or by crook.
Trump begged, flattered, and threatened officials to claim fraud. The system of checks, balances, and federalism anticipated the possibility of a dangerously persuasive actor operating in bad faith. In 2020 Trump was stopped. That was then. Trump's persistence in claiming fraud has metastasized. Public opinion within the GOP primary electorate now accepts Trump's premise and goals. Larry Elder's pre-election claims of upcoming massive fraud in the California recall election hurt him among Democrats, but not Republicans. Additional Republican state legislators are demanding forensic audits of 2020. Election denial is becoming commonplace.
Pence has a chance to be a hero of the republic. I stood up to Trump and tyranny! He isn't doing that.
Why not? He wants to win a Republican primary.