From Jonathan Bernstein:
The delayed transition, especially if it goes on any longer, will cause all sorts of problems. But the most serious situation right now is the pandemic, with the incoming Biden team unable so far to even make contact with the outgoing Trump people. Make no mistake: This could cost lives.
A week ago, Trump’s reluctance to admit he had lost was unfortunate, but a few days wasn’t going to make much difference. It’s been nine days now since media outlets declared that Joe Biden was president-elect, and more than that since it was obvious to everyone that he had won. By now, the media declarations are irrelevant; while there are still a lot of votes to be counted in some areas, there aren’t many in the close states — not nearly enough to change the results even if every remaining ballot went for Trump. Nor do the president’s lawsuits have any realistic chance of eliminating Biden’s lead, and not just because they’re more frivolous than serious; the truth is that even if he won in court he simply isn’t challenging enough votes to give him a second term.