Quick take: Why you should still care that Trump's attempt to steal the election is a dud

It was inevitable that Donald Trump would try to steal the election.  It was far from inevitable that his attempt would be this inept.  Yes, Trump himself is a twit, but as I have noted, there is variation in the professional skill of his flunkies.  Consider the contrast between Bill Barr and Rudy Giuliani.  Trump's attempt to steal the 2020 election is going the way of Giuliani.  Had Barr handled it, things might have gone differently.  We are fortunate.

Yet, that does not mean democracy is stable.  The problem is that Trump's attempt may normalize such attempts, just as his profligate lying and embrace of insane conspiracy theories has exacerbated dishonesty and the spread of conspiracy theories.

And if such attempts are normalized, eventually, someone will succeed, because most politicians are smarter than Donald Trump, and most lawyers are more competent than Rudy Giuliani.

Once we abandon the normality of accepting a loss, democracy really is in danger, even if Trump and his flunkies are too inept to pull off an electoral theft.