WHAT WAS I SAYING ABOUT AUTHENTIC BACKGROUNDS?

I don't know whether Wisconsin representative Mike Gallagher (R-Titletown) hired in a bookshelf.  That Packer jersey prominently in the background is authentic.

.@RepGallagher details the changes needed in order to restore people's confidence in the integrity of our election system#NextRevFNC pic.twitter.com/ZKaDoD038c

— The Next Revolution (@NextRevFNC) January 11, 2021

The representative describes himself as an "Eisenhower nerd" and his reaction to last Wednesday's Capitol incursion was "banana republic crap."  He's no fan of Congressional oversight of state elections: the Federal Constitution is pretty clear on that point.

By even forcing debate today, they are endorsing the pernicious idea that Congress, not the states, is the right forum for litigating — or even worse, relitigating — an election. This is an extremely progressive interpretation of the Constitution. It gives the federal government enormous new powers to regulate how states conduct elections, something the Left has sought for half a century. Until now, conservatives have rightly fought back against this line of legal reasoning. Yet the objectors would throw it all away for a few hours of primetime debate that they concede is unlikely to change the outcome.

The objectors also point out that the Democrats objected first, and so turnabout is fair play. It is true that Democrats bootlessly objected to certified Electoral College counts in 1969, 2001, 2005, and 2017. Their conduct was disgraceful, and Republicans rightfully shamed them for normalizing end-runs around the Constitution. But just because Democrats violated norms does not mean that Republicans should follow suit, especially when it will achieve nothing other than endorsing unlimited congressional supervision over election outcomes. Allowing a handful of people working in the federal government to choose a president borrows from the cynical playbook of the Left, and it is a recipe for Republican defeat in future elections.

The representative elaborated on the points in the first paragraph, above, on Steve Hilton's show Sunday evening.

The second paragraph illustrates a problem that arises in repeated games: once you get into a grim strategy equilibrium, in this case punish your opponent each opportunity you get, it's hard to get out.