Ed has always been a friend of mine. Since Ed McBroom, a Republican state senator from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, was a state representative I have always liked him. He is a calm and thoughtful person. Although I disagree with his political views (he wants to ban abortion and allow wolf hunting), I can attest to his ability to keep his constituents' best interests in mind.AdvertisementMcBroom has been hailed as a hero after he released a report on security in Michigan's elections. It was the result of an eight-month investigation. The Atlantic has given McBroom a glowing review. McBroom's frustration and pain since the release of the report are highlighted in the piece. But, the story is still a shining example of a growing number of stories that celebrate Republicans who have achieved the highest standard of reality-based governance.AdvertisementAdvertisementThis man is not your savior, however.Tim Alberta's profile and other recent deep dives in Vulcan dairy farmer, Vulcan dairy farmer, fails to consider that McBroom spent eight years giving platform to the notion of fraud.AdvertisementEach of Michigan's legislative chambers investigated the November 2020 election. The investigations in Michigan, especially in the state House made Michigan laughable. Saturday Night Live mocked one hearing in its cold opening and both chambers continued their investigations for several months. After a widely publicized hearing in which Rudy Giuliani allowed witness after witness to testify about proclaimed fraud, the House Committee hearings seemed to have ended with no resolution.Although the Senate hearings didn't reach Rudy Giuliani hostage situations that occurred during the House hearings. McBroom spent eight months working on them. Many people were able to tell dangerous lies during those eight months, as McBroom's investigation provided cover. McBroom and other Republican lawmakers have repeatedly held these hearings up as a way to find out the truth about the 2020 election. Here's the truth: There was never any evidence of wrongdoing. People claimed that fraud was being committed, but the Michigan Legislature opened an investigation without any evidence to support these claims. They held hearings to find evidence to support what everyone (absurdly) believed to be true.AdvertisementAdvertisementThis is not how things should work. This is how it should be. You might think that police should spend eighteen months trying to find out who stole your TV if you call the police and say your television was stolen.McBroom is being celebrated because he came to the right (obvious!) conclusion. McBroom is a man of the ground, with his thick, sweaty, blond hair, and bulging arms that protruded from a red button-up shirt. McBroom worries that his report won't reach the right people.AdvertisementMcBroom expressed frustration, a tone that sounded like exasperation. All I can hope for is that people use their judgment and discernment to examine the facts I have laid out and then consider these theories and ask the question: Does this make sense?It was absurd to open a lengthy investigation in November, after every clerk had testified that there was no fraud. The report is still feisty, and it pulls no punches. It calls on the Michigan Attorney Generala Democratic to investigate those who furthered these lies, particularly those who used the Antrim County saga where an inputting mistake caused Joe Biden's initial win in this Republican stronghold. Although the error was quickly fixed, it has been used to fuel fraud accusations in Michigan, and other states, as Trump himself took advantage of it.AdvertisementAdvertisementIt was bold to call upon Attorney General Dana Nessel, the proud progressive thorn in the side Michigan Republicansto possibly file charges against Stop the Steal loyalists. McBroom stated to The Atlantic that fraud is fraud. It is a crime if they lie to people in order to make money.McBroom's biggest problem is that McBroom's report is based on the truth but McBroom still calls for changes in the state election system. Why is McBroom supporting bills to require ID for in-person and mail-in voting? Fraud.It is common to hear that there was just a little fraud, so no additional steps are necessary. McBroom stated that just because we have caught this much fraud, it doesn't mean that there weren't more. This was just one week before the Oversight Committee published the report. This is a false description and a red herring.AdvertisementIt's like claiming that all your months-long investigations have yielded no evidence and then suggesting that there may still be fraud that was not caught. This is similar to insisting that a brick wall is in excellent condition after careful analysis and then insisting that it be shored up just in case. This is actually worse than it sounds, as it relies on one of the main reasons Republicans voter fraud concerns are so prominent with their base: It's very difficult to prove a negative. McBroom spent months investigating this claim. McBroom is not satisfied with his results.
