Three Things Trump Means When He Says the Election is ‘Rigged’

Two ways he uses the charge are absurd. The third is absurdly dangerous.

This is the third sense in which the election is allegedly rigged. If Hillary wins, it will be with substantial majorities of the votes of women, of blacks, of Hispanics—but quite likely with support from only a minority of white voters. And it will signal a demographic shift that may prove irreversible. Unlike the claims of media conspiracies or systemic fraud, this charge is accurate on its own terms.

She’s suggesting that if most Americans disagree with her, she won’t be bound by the results of the election. She’d rather flirt with secession than accept an outcome in which the “us”—Americans as she’s used to defining them—get outvoted in an increasingly diverse nation. That represents a betrayal of the democratic faith.

It is also vile.

An American is an American. Our votes are equal. And the agreement to abide by the results of elections, particularly those whose outcomes we regret, is the pact that sustains our democracy.

Source: Three Things Trump Means When He Says the Election is ‘Rigged’