The election is over, but there’s no end to Republican bad faith
Analysis by Shalin Payne
Article by Michael Gerson
Michael Gerson of The Washington Post bluntly expresses his opinions on Donald Trump, his false claims of a corrupt voting system, and the Republican Party as a whole through the use of critical and severe diction. From the start, Gerson makes his perspective of the election and its candidates crystal clear. He claims that despite the projected winner being announced and the election coming to a conclusion, Republicans find themselves being cowardly. He uses the word “poltroonery” and describes them as having or acting in “bad faith.” Gerson is serious about the claims he is making and does not want his opinion to be misunderstood, especially when his article revolves around the idea of a right-leaning community being easily swayed by controversy and conspiracies. However, he also makes that claim that Republican leaders are to blame for the Republican Party’s mishandling of Trump’s sour defeat and plans to take the polls to court. Gerson writes “No, it is Republican leaders who are responsible for poisoning whatever wells of goodwill still exist in our republic” (Gerson, washingtonpost.com). Gerson’s stance is sharp, declaring Republican leaders as being so detrimental to our democracy that they have “poison[ed]” it, while portraying a somewhat defeated and melancholy tone while mentioning “whatever wells of goodwill” remain in the American system as a result of all of the unnecessary squandering and unbelievably unprofessional situations the country has seen in the past few months. Gerson even makes an allusion to past interference from foreign countries, partially joking that these Republican leaders do a better job at sabotaging the democratic system and making people believe it is corrupt than an “agent of China or Russia.” Other words like “autocratic delusions,” “abetting,” “guilty silence,” “cynicism,” “degradation,” “erratic lame-duck,” “feckless,” and “demagogue,” all create an aggressive, merciless tone with hostile diction.