It Is Too Late For The Republicans To Say Sorry

 

Analysis by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large

(CNN)Wednesday started with a rump group of House and Senate Republicans preparing to object to the Electoral College results to demonstrate their utter fealty. It ended with many of those same Republicans retreating from their deeply held beliefs about election fraud, tails between their legs.

It only took a violent seizure of the US Capitol building by violent rioters -- the first time the Capitol had been breached since 1814 during the War of 1812 -- to change their minds. 

"I did think that today changed things drastically," Indiana Sen. Mike Braun, one of the 13 senators who had signaled he would object to the results, said in the wake of the storming of the Capitol. "Yeah, whatever point you made before that should suffice. Get this ugly day behind us."

"Obviously the commission we have asked for is not going to happen at this point," said Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, another previous backer of the Electoral College objection. "I understand that. And we are headed tonight toward the certification of Joe Biden as president of the United States."