The Point: This conservative outlet just crushed Donald Trump's election claims

View this email in your browser   November 30, 2020  | by Chris Cillizza, Lauren Dezenski and Allison Gordon This conservative outlet just crushed Donald Trump's election claims When you think of conservatism in America, you think of the National Review. Founded in the mid-1950s by William F. Buckley Jr., the publication has been a bulwark of conservative thought for almost the entirety of one Donald J. Trump's life. Which is why an editorial by the editors of NR that was published Monday morning is worth paying attention to. Headlined "Trump's Disgraceful Endgame," it amounts to an absolute takedown of the President's fanciful and false claims that the 2020 election was somehow stolen from him.   Here's the key bit (bolding is mine):   "There are legitimate issues to consider after the 2020 vote about the security of mail-in ballots and the process of counting votes (some jurisdictions, bizarrely, take weeks to complete their initial count), but make no mistake: The chief driver of the post-election contention of the past several weeks is the petulant refusal of one man to accept the verdict of the American people."   This is 100% accurate. What Trump has been tweeting -- and, on Sunday, talking about with Fox's Maria Bartiromo -- about alleged election violations has been debunked in full. He is peddling falsehoods solely because he can't accept losing.    And as the National Review editorial argues, there are real and dangerous consequences to this deluge of dishonesty.   "Flawed and dishonest assertions like this pollute the public discourse and mislead good people who make the mistake of believing things said by the president of the United States," they write. Make no mistake: This will change nothing about Trump's ongoing attempts to muddy the waters about who won the election. (Spoiler alert: Joe Biden did!)   But one hopes that Republican elected officials -- the vast majority of whom have stayed silent or said that Trump has every right to continue his legal challenges despite their total lack of merit -- will read the National Review piece and reconsider the real world impact of what the President is doing.   If the last four years are any indication, though, probably not.   The Point: Words matter. Especially when uttered by the President of the United States.   -- Chris QUOTE OF THE DAY "There are those who are exploiting the emotions of many Trump supporters with fantastic claims, half-truths, misinformation and frankly they are misleading the President as well, apparently." -- -- Georgia GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says "massive amounts of misinformation" about the election are "being spread by dishonest actors." CHRIS' GOOD READS You should read this Anita Dunn profile   How camp explains Donald Trump The battle for what the American flag means in politics   Do people really think the election was stolen?   The great Christmas tree debate   How college cheerleaders make $$$   John Lennon's last day   Nicole Kidman's eyeballs stole the show MUSICAL INTERLUDE This year is the 50th anniversary of George Harrison's epic, post-Beatles triple album, "All Things Must Pass." To commemorate the anniversary, his estate just released a remixed version of the title track. Lovely. Today's episode: Why some want Trump at Biden's inauguration. ALLI'S GEORGIA UPDATE In Atlanta, you know it's getting serious when the iconic Southern diner chain Waffle House is invoked.  Over the weekend, GOP Sen. David Perdue knocked his Democratic opponent, Jon Ossoff, for patronizing a vegan restaurant on Small Business Saturday. Pictured alongside his wife in a Waffle House, Perdue tweeted that "we'll take the all-star special" instead.    (Editor's note: An all-star special is a Waffle House staple with two eggs, hash browns or grits, bacon or sausage or ham, toast or biscuit and a waffle.)   Casey Black, Perdue's spokeswoman, doubled down in an email statement to CNN on Monday. "Jon Ossoff likes plant burgers from places like Slutty Vegan, David Perdue likes the All-Star Special at Waffle House. Georgians can make their choice," she said.   Ossoff's team doesn't seem perturbed by Perdue's fast-food attack. On Saturday, they shot back on Twitter, writing that "there's only one candidate too scared to debate." (Perdue has refused to debate Ossoff next Sunday, which the Ossoff team continues to hammer).  ONE TINY MARGIN 6 The number of votes separating Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks from apparent second-place finisher Democrat Rita Hart after a recount in Iowa's 2nd House District.  You are receiving this message because you subscribed to CNN's The Point with Chris Cillizza newsletter. Unsubscribe from this list Check out other CNN Newsletters Create your CNN Account Share the Point Newsletter Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get The Point in your inbox.   Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski. You can follow Chris and Lauren on Twitter and connect with The Point on: Our mailing address is: One CNN Center Atlanta, GA 30303   Copyright © 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., All rights reserved.