Lost Cause ideology factors into this North Carolina judge’s refusal to admit defeat

Griffin insists that the photo “does not represent the person I am today.” If it’s true that he no longer supports the Lost Cause, a mythology that glorifies the Confederates that attacked the Union, then he should also give up the lost cause of election subversion. That dissenting judge argued that Friday's ruling amounts to “changing the rules by which these lawful voters took part in our electoral process after the election to discard their otherwise valid votes,” and he rightly said that “an attempt to alter the outcome of only one race among many on the ballot is directly counter to law, equity, and the Constitution.” While the particular myths of the Lost Cause have varied over the years, the motivation stays the same: Lies about the past are told to help people in power hold on to it in the present.

Author: The Rev. Dr. William Barber

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