Originally published at: ‘2000 Mules’ Filmmaker Joins Growing Coterie Of Election Deniers Quietly Dropping The Act - TPM – Talking Points Memo
Trump ally and MAGA influencer Dinesh D’Souza posted a statement on his website over the weekend at long last admitting that his conspiracy theory film “2,000 Mules” was produced “on the basis of inaccurate information provided to me and my team” — joining a growing group of election deniers who have been quietly dropping the…
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Trump wins = no election fraud.
A Democrat wins = election fraud like no one has ever seen.
Trump pardons criminals, family members, people aiding and abetting his bullshit = nothing to see here.
Biden pardons his own son after a politics-fueled investigation = ABJECT HORROR.
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There are a couple of things that have always driven me crazy about this story, and both hinge on the fundamental ignorance of most (many) Americans regarding absentee voting.
First, one cannot just write BIDEN on a piece of paper, stuff it into a drop box, and expect to have it counted. Absentee ballots are barcoded and tracked. Once submitted, voters can track the disposition of their votes on line. Yes, there’s the issue of duping elderly (or other) people into signing ballot envelopes and filling out their ballots in their stead, but that’s already a crime not related to stuffing the ballot box.
Second, there are SEVEN states that run their entire elections by mail: Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, UTAH, Colorado, and (most recently) Nevada and Vermont. [California apparently does something akin to it, but I don’t fully understand.]
Claiming that vote-by-mail is rife with fraud or susceptible to ballot stuffing or rigged rigged rigged means that all those states have been conducting illegitimate elections for years. And seating elected officials of both parties all along.
The populace seems largely ignorant AND impervious to understanding of how elections actually work.
I do not know how we get past that in an environment of Republican winner means fair election and Democrat winner means FRAUD RIGGED OUTRAGE.
Here, have a CAT:
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I actually lost contact with an up to that time dear friend because he was convinced by 2000 Mules and I thought it was nonsense. On top of that, Dinesh D’ Souza?
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It’s almost as if the claims of election fraud were always transparent attempts to game the system and play the media into amplifying false accusations.
Good thing the media learned from the Obama Birther accusations and never again swallowed Trump’s bullshit hook, line, and sinker.
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While D’Souza acknowledges that he’s issuing an apology from the goodness of his heart
Nope. Made my saving throw. Disbelieved. What else ya got?
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“D’Souza is one of several big name election deniers who has quietly eaten their words in recent weeks.”
He didn’t so much “eat his words” as decided that the fabrication was not only no longer useful, but counterproductive to his aims. Welcome to the cynicism of Trump world (as if we didn’t already have overwhelming evidence.
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Dinesh D’Souza is and always has been a simpleton who thinks he’s smart. The so-called “allegations” in ‘2000 Mules’ were tissue thin and easily proved to be bullshit. But, naturally, Repubs only see fraud in elections where they lose.
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Here in the Golden State, we have a “both/and” system, not “either/or”. It’s not hard.
The county elections department mails us a ballot (and a lot of other stuff, too, but that’s an extra-credit assignment that we’ll skip for now). Assuming that we’ve provided the info to do so, the department also sends us an email or text message notification that the ballot is coming.
If we choose, we can fill in the ballot, and pop it in the Yew Ess Mail or use one of several ballot drop box locations. We get another confirmation message when it’s received and counted. Done. 100% no-excuse vote by mail.
Or we can show up on election day, or at various early voting locations, and fill in a ballot right there on site, the old-fashioned way.
Or we can carry the mail-in ballot that we filled out and hadn’t quite gotten around to mailing yet in to the voting precinct on election day.
Mail-in ballots that are postmarked by election day and arrive within seven (I think - too lazy to look it up right now) days after are also counted.
And finally, if there’s a problem with a ballot, the voter has (had) until the first of December in this case to “cure” it.
All of which is why it’s taking so long to get the final results from the razor-thin CA-13 race. But it’s a system that is really optimized for participation, not speed. It’s pretty damn hard in this state to come up with a scenario where an eligible registered voter can’t get their ballot counted.
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Vermont’s system is very similar. Everyone was mailed ballots during the COVID pandemic years. Now that the pandemic is over, you can request from the town offices a mail-in ballot for an individual election or all elections for the year (we have local stuff in spring, state and federal elections in November plus maybe a second vote on a local budget or a primary at some other time.) At that point, you can mail your ballot by USPS, drop the ballot in a drop box, or vote in person, early or on election day. The biggest difference is that all ballots must be received by close of voting on election day.
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That is a GREAT cat picture! Very clever my friend! 
Oh, as a fellow Californian, I can confirm everything brian512 said in reply to you. 
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I knew this but didn’t fully understand it.
Basically what I would have guessed.
Thanks to both you and karlsgems for the responses.
I teach at a tech school, often frosh who are right at the age to vote for the first time.
I spend valuable class time encouraging them to register (citizens only!) and showing them my sample ballot and post pictures of myself casting my ballot (drop box) and screenshots of the online verification that my vote has been received and acknowledged (and does not need any sort of curing).
I try. Of course, I teach in a deep blue state (though I vote in a purple one – one of the only states to split its EVs) so it’s hard to know what kind of impact I have.
The last 8 or 9 years have really shaken my faith in the system. I’m voting as hard as I can!
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Thanks.
And just LOOK at those claws!
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Dinesh D’Souza is a naturalized citizen, and was a birth citizen of India until 1991. Personally, I think he should be stripped of his US citizenship and deported back to India. He is scum, and not fit to be an American. If it was my decision, I would have him shot as a traitor, with his body given to a pig farm for food. Instead, the Orange Asshole (and draft dodger) will probably give him a cushy job as a reward for his support.
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You forgot the part where you bathe in his blood while drinking wine from his skull served to you by his children as your cupbearers. 
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Mama cat says “no closer!!!”
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D’Souza still would not acknowledge that there’s no proof the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.
“We’ve sent teams of investigators to all of the 2020 election sites. You would not believe what they’re finding.”
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But I want to cuddle those babies! They’re stinkin’ cute.
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