The Point: The Big Lie is (unfortunately) winning

View this email in your browser   September 15, 2021  | by Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski The Big Lie is (unfortunately) winning It is 100% true that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. And that Donald Trump lost it.   Unfortunately, in recent months, the Big Lie -- that Trump somehow was defrauded out of the election -- has gained increasing amounts of traction, according to a new CNN poll.   In January, 59% said they have confidence that elections in this country reflect the will of the people, while 40% said they lacked that confidence. Today? A majority of Americans -- 52% -- say they do not have confidence that elections reflect the will of the people, while 48% say they do. That's a significant swing in less than a year, in the exact wrong direction. And it's primarily fueled by Republicans, 76%(!) of whom say they had just a little or no confidence in elections reflecting the will of the people.    That's hardly the only data point in the poll that suggests Trump's Big Lie is working.   While 63% of all respondents said that Biden "legitimately won enough votes to win the presidency," the story was very, very different among Republicans.     Among that group, 78% said that Biden did not win enough votes to legitimately win the election. That's right: 8 in 10 Republicans think that Biden didn't win the election.    Which, well, wow. What those numbers make clear is that among Republicans, Donald Trump and the Big Lie he is telling are winning. Winning is a relative term, of course. Because building a political party around a lie is the quickest way to destroy a political party.   The Point: The Trump fever didn't break after the 2020 election. In fact, it's running hotter than ever.   -- Chris QUOTE OF THE DAY "The fact that voters in both traditionally Democratic and traditionally Republican parts of the state rejected the recall shows that Americans are unifying behind taking these steps to get the pandemic behind us." -- President Biden called the results of California's recall vote "a resounding win" for his and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's approaches to the Covid-19 pandemic, specifically citing strong vaccine requirements. WEDNESDAY'S MUST-SEE TWEETS 1. Everyone should watch McKayla Maroney's opening statement 2. One in 500 3. Pope Francis wants you to get the 💉  4. Lin! 5. Happy Roberto Clemente Day! CHRIS' GOOD READS Jonathan Martin of The New York Times nails the key takeaway from the California recall race: evoking the name of Donald Trump still works as a major motivator for the Democratic base.   If you haven't been reading The Wall Street Journal's expose on Facebook, you need to start right now. The latest installment covers how the social media giant tried to make the platform less hate-filled -- and failed.   I really enjoyed this piece out of Wisconsin in Politico that makes clear just how much power the state's speaker of the House possesses. (HINT: It's a lot.)   This Norm Macdonald appreciation in The Washington Post is really good ...   ... as is this one in Gawker.   I am admittedly intrigued by the smart glasses that Facebook and Ray-Ban rolled out recently. This Technology Review piece details just how much they could change society. MUSICAL INTERLUDE We could all use a little love, right? Check out My Morning Jacket's brand-new song "Love Love Love." MEANWHILE, IN PENNSYLVANIA Pennsylvania Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to subpoena the Pennsylvania Department of State for millions of voters' personal information and voting histories as they launch a review that appears designed to relitigate the 2020 presidential election, reports CNN's Sara Murray.   Despite claims from Republicans on the Pennsylvania Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee, there has been no indication of significant voter fraud in Pennsylvania or any other state. But the vote is the latest indication of how Republicans in a handful of states across the country have embraced so-called audits to relitigate the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and appease former President Donald Trump and his supporters.   Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, a Republican, said the review would help ease concerns of fraud among Pennsylvania voters -- though he did not acknowledge that those unfounded claims stemmed from leaders of his own party amplifying fraud allegations.   State Sen. Anthony H. Williams, the top Democrat on the Senate panel, accused Republicans pursuing the audit of taking a "blowtorch to Democracy."   Democrats on the Senate committee said they plan to file a lawsuit challenging the subpoena. It's unclear how the Pennsylvania State Department will respond. ONE DROP IN APPROVAL 🏛 37% Approval for the Supreme Court among registered voters nationwide, according to a new Quinnipiac poll. This is SCOTUS' worst job approval since Quinnipiac University began asking the question in 2004, and a steep drop from July 2020, when registered voters approved 52%-37%. You are receiving this message because you subscribed to CNN's The Point with Chris Cillizza newsletter. Unsubscribe from this list Check out other CNN Newsletters Create your CNN Account Share the Point Newsletter Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get The Point in your inbox.   Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski. You can follow Chris and Lauren on Twitter and connect with The Point on: Our mailing address is: One CNN Center Atlanta, GA 30303   Copyright © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., All rights reserved.

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