The date of the election has been fixed for over a century and a half by federal law - which they can't change even if they wanted to, lacking a majority in the House. And even if they could, they could only delay by a couple of weeks in practice, considering the constitutionally fixed date of Jan 20th.

Any Republican office holder with half a brain knew that this suggestion was a complete non-starter - and one that makes them look weak and scared, to boot. Clearly distancing themselves from it was obviously the only way to go, the only real question was how negative to be about Trump in the process. And I haven't seen too many of them being particularly negative, except maybe that aide to McConnell in your article. Some took the opportunity to push Trump's conspiracy theories about voter fraud.

If this reaction looks more forceful than their reaction to most of what Trump says, it's not because they have somehow become braver or more principled, it's just because Trump's suggestion was not only alarming and outrageous, but also quite simply impossible.