If they were smart, they would stop coddling the toddler now. It actually could be effective to fire up the base with the threat of Kamala as the deciding vote in the Senate. If they don't acknowledge they even lost, however, they can't acknowledge the Senate is on the line. Add on top of that the fact that only 3% of the population is buying into this embarrassing delusion and it's just going to backfire hard on them as time goes by and people get even more and more sick of their nonsense.
This has already gone too far to be "coddling the toddler". It is well beyond embarrassing.
This is dangerous. Even if it's not an attempted coup (and I think that's exactly what it is), it is the governmental equivalent of an idiot clowning with a deadly weapon. A moron horsing around with a gun at the range is presumed to have a live round in the chamber and everyone with a modicum of responsibility will react accordingly.
These people - the Republican leadership - aren't stupid. They know damned well what they're doing. This is, at best, an extension of their years-long pretense of ignorance as Donald Trump trampled tradition, law, and the Constitution down into the sewage in which he dwells. At worst, it's sedition and treason as they attempt to seize power.
I hope my fears prove unfounded and this whole shameful episode ultimately proves to be nothing. But just because Donald Trump is an idiot doesn't mean his threats shouldn't be taken seriously.
