My newpaper ran an edited version of my letter to the editor today. Here it is for your review, edit and use, if you so choose.
“The former president is continuing his Big Lie that the election was stolen from him. It’s a claim he has been very unsuccessful in proving, losing all of his recounts, audits and reviews and winning only one court case out of 65 or so.
Some of his funders have asked for their money back feeling they were misled. Sadly, so were the folks who felt emboldened to storm the Capitol to overturn the election. More than a few will go to jail, rightfully so.
It is past time for Republican leaders to follow the political courage of folks like U.S. Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger and tell the former president to ‘man-up, you lost.’
The Republican Party needs to right this ship and stop listening to Trump and his sycophants.”
musingsofanoldfart 
Well done, Keith!
He has been a Charleton throughout his business career. Sadly, all of those folks wanting their money back need to get in the back of a very long line of associates, banks, and contractors.
As for manning-up, the only one brave enough to get that party started was a woman. Maybe it’s time for the narrative to change to “woman-up” to make the changes we all long for in DC.
Lisa, you hit upon a key gender point. I used to type that a real man is accountable to distinguish behavior from that of the former president. But, that is terribly unfair to women. So, I started saying a real adult is accountable. These funders specifically funded the lawyers for lawsuits. 1 out of 65 is about as pitiful a return on investment as one could get. So, yes several felt misled. Yet, they should have known better as the inability for the former president to consistently tell the truth is overt. His greatest gift is to convince his followers to believe that everyone else is lying, but not him, one of the most prolific liars. Keith
“When someone shows you are, believe them”: Maya Angelou
Well said.
Well said. I’m cheering for the prosecutors aiming to prove he’s a fraud.
VJ, it did not get the notoriety it deserved, but he was proven in court as such with The Trump Foundation. The judge ordered the repayment by Trump to the Foundation of monies he used for business and personal purposes. The judge also ordered the payout and shut down of the Foundation and said no one named Trump could oversee that process, also requiring them to have fiduciary training. This fraud was overshadowed at the time. Keith
Yes, I was smiling when I heard that he has to release the records!!
Erika, it is a positive sign. I did read a Georgia District Attorney is bringing a grand jury to determine if the former president should be charged with criminal interference in the 2020 election. Keith
That’s good to hear! Finally, this all takes a direction that makes one believe that in front of the law all are alike.
Erika, we hope that is true. He declares everything as political witch hunt, but that is a labelling defense mechanism meant to be on a bumper sticker. People did not pay attention to his career before he ran for office. Financial reporters who covered the Trump organization noted he was a great salesperson, but a not-so-great business manager. The New York AG looking at his business dealings is finding some malfeasance. Plus, his Foundation had to be paid back for misused funds and disbanded, as ruled by a court, without anyone named Trump handling the distribution process. Keith
Note to Readers: I chose the term “man-up, you lost,” with intent as the former president has tended to use false bravado to define a toughness he does not seem to possess. He has tended to shy away from female reporters, in particular, but any reporter for that matter, who is armed with facts and persistence. We should never forget that he refused to do a Republican debate if Meghan Kelly was on the interview panel as she asked him tough questions, that really were not that tough. We did learn later, Roger Ailes, the head of Fox had someone feed Trump all debate questions as Ailes had recruited Trump to run, so Kelly had gone off script. Plus, he recently walked off the air when a NPR reporter asked him questions he did not like.
Yet, our country is barking uncivilly at each other all due to the fact the former president has a shallow ego and cannot take losing. As his niece rightfully said just after the election was called for Biden, her uncle will burn it all down to avoid losing the election. I constantly see articles about the former president fuming over this or that, but he is always mad at something, because of that fragile ego. Man-up, you lost is a mantra that needs to be its own meme.
I fear though true, it’s classic misdirection. Apart from occasional stoking of the embers, behind the scenes, more perfidy is afoot. As I am aware Mr Trump kinda ‘ came out of nowhere’ for his four years in sun. Each time reference is made to ‘the steal’ etc etc is time wasted from more diligently pursuing means/funding/support to ensure the same does not happen again. As the fact of an election loss is In fact well established, the insurrection visited on your democracy painfully demonstrated which way that road leads. Ensuring future stability, fair electoral laws and future civility are positives to focus upon. For certain your former leader is not focussed on such, nor listens to contrarians to his big lie narrative. Continuing to push back against is futile and unnecessary. The battle must be waged on the most favorable ground and not that of the foe. And, I’m glad to be Tasmanian
David, thanks for your comment. My concern is several Republican governors and legislators have used the Big Lie as a reason to tighten voting requirements primarily affecting opposition voters. As for Trump, I want to assure that he cannot get reelected. We are dumb to elect him once and we are certainly dumb enough to do it again, which will put a stake in our democracy. I am glad to see a grand jury being convened in Georgia. Keith
In ways I see your USA experience portends Aussie future
David, these far right operations have made too much headway. Based on what I have seen, their base does not fully comprehend what it means to be an autocrat, that it also means their rights as well. Keith