Every election cycle, certain buzz words monopolize the discourse and, through exhaustive repetition, lose all meaning. I’m not just talking about slogans like “Hope and Change” or “Make America Great Again.” I’m talking about vague words and phrases like “democracy” and “election integrity,” which can be twisted to fit a politician’s rhetoric even as 95% of the electorate is united on the general idea. Biden’s “Democracy is on the line” pitch wasn’t working because — guess what — everyday Republicans believe in democracy, too. Trump’s “election integrity” line isn’t moving any needles because — guess what — everyday Democrats believe in election integrity as well. (Relatedly, in all the cases the 2020 Trump campaign filed over the lost election, none provided evidence of voter fraud, rendering his integrity concerns rather moot.)
Where Trump’s “election integrity” line might move the needle is in how certain states count votes. Georgia’s Republican-majority election board recently changed the state’s counting procedures, and while some are saying they’re for the better, others (not just Democrats) are saying they’re for the worse. We’ll see, but details — not buzz words — matter. And while I think Trump will win the state regardless of the changes, this could be a case of Republicans wishing they’d left well enough alone.