To endure the Democrat-Media Complex’s blackout of any discussion of credible allegations of voter fraud or election rigging is tough enough. But watching the conservative media grapple with the Trump team’s claims of election fraud as presented by Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, and Rudi Giuliani is downright dizzying.  In stark contrast to the analysis provided daily by Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin, is the stultifying commentary by Tucker Carlson and, let’s say, a has-been who never was like Erick Erickson.  I’m no Pollyanna and I do not have any insider information about the current state of the election, but I would like to tamp down a bit on the hysteria with my own perspective.

On November 19th, Tucker Carlson went into a Diva-style tirade about Sidney Powell’s failure to produce any evidence substantiating her claims that the election was corrupted by the Dominion voting system and whined about her refusal to go on his show and PRODUCE! THE! EVIDENCE! Trust me when I say conservatives were flipping out when Carlson went down this road.  Expect his ratings to dip.

Then, Erick Erickson wrote "Nope" in which he lists Trump’s legal team failures in battleground courts -- affiants walking back claims, Trump’s counsel admitting to a lack of substantiating evidence for fraud claims and walking back fraud allegations before the court, asking for recounts but not in counties that used Dominion, and failing to provide evidence in sufficient numbers to make a difference.  

Further proof of Erickson’s conclusion that we aren’t dealing in the realm of fact but uncredible conspiracy theory, is Sidney Powell’s failure to provide evidence of her fanciful claims regarding Dominion, Hugo Chavez, Smartmatic, Clinton, and Soros.   

At this point, I find this both deeply harmful and bordering on malicious. I would not be surprised if Dominion Voter Systems files a defamation claim against them. My suspicion is that this is payback for the Democrats’ treatment of Trump after 2016 and a whole lot of people want to be lied to and will believe it all despite zero evidence.

So, what’s really going on here?  Sidney Powell is a legal force to be reckoned with and a courageous one at that.  She is not only a fearless appellate expert but cut her litigation teeth in the late 70s when few women were in the field and those who were had to be light-years smarter than the brightest, most accomplished men.  It took courage to throw yourself into a practice dominated by men and still retain your femininity. 

Powell’s reputation is hard fought and she has a legacy of taking on unsavory characters and achieving justice for her clients.  That’s a true American heroine -- not someone who is incompetent, let alone reckless.  Hers is not the profile of someone who would bluff her way through something that goes to the heart of our democracy and is bound to be in the history books.  Moreover, there are penalties for bringing frivolous suits under both federal and state laws.  She would never throw her career away on a whim with no purpose. 

Moreover, lawyers do not tip their hand to a preening press or public.  Revealing evidence prematurely gives the opposition opportunity to tamper with it and undermine the president’s case.  No one is owed that information just because they want it.  In due course, the evidence will be presented before a court so cool your jets, boys.

I, too, have been baffled by the state court misses and can understand why people might conclude that Rudy and Lin Wood may be past their prime.  But we should dig a little deeper into these state court cases and look at them from the point of view of strategy. 

First, let me just dismiss outright any claims that Rudy is incompetent.  He may not be the guy he was in his 40s, but he certainly isn’t daft like Joe Biden.  There was concern during the impeachment hearings when he did not appear to be at his best on late night news shows and rumors suggested it might have something to do with late-night appearances after dinner and a few drinks at his club.  I have no idea, but it would explain why he is fine during the daytime.  In fact, you can hear Rudy on 77 WABC talk radio in New York for an hour at 3 p.m. and I assure you he is quite cogent. 

Assuming Rudy is not a dunderhead, I suspect the state court strategy (including all the legal maneuverings withdrawing and initiating suits) is about buying time and deflection -- using the system to launch suits that knowingly do not have a high degree of success but take time. 

This keeps everyone on their toes.  While attention is paid to the legal maneuverings around relatively insignificant cases, the real heavy lifting is going on with Sidney Powell’s leg of the investigation.  Her claims involve broad, systemic fraud that could affect tens and hundreds of thousands of votes, maybe even millions.  The state cases are penny-ante dalliances that might or might not have legs but, in any event, won’t change much in terms of the vote count.  They do provide Powell with the cover she needs for a deep dive into these systems and gives her time to uncover the evidence Tucker Carlson and Erick Erickson feel entitled to have yesterday. 

Watch this hand, while the other hand is doing its magic.  Trump is known for his three-dimensional chess tactics.  This could be just that. 

Assuming there is evidence, that doesn’t mean it is sufficient to turn the election or throw it to the Congress.  Trump still might lose.  At the very least, he will have outed the undeniable corruption in our election system and sown doubt as to the legitimacy of a Biden/Harris administration -- all which helps with the Georgia run-offs, the mid-terms, and a Trump campaign in 2024.

As to the claims that this is all a bluff or a conspiracy, one must ask who gains what? Trump’s attorneys have everything to lose, including their licenses for a scam on the American public. Nor does the President have anything to gain.  If all for the sake of nothing, he would certainly look the fool -- even to his supporters.  It would further fracture our trust in the system, destroy the GOP and our chances in the Georgia run-offs, the mid-terms, and 2024.  Trump would leave office like a wrecking ball, proving that the left and #NeverTrumpers were right about him all along. No one who plays three-dimensional chess would walk headfirst into such a colossal blunder.

Let’s hold onto what our reason tells us is happening and see where we are come December 14^th which, in political years, is an eternity.