For months now, soon-to-be-Former President Donald Trump has called into question the democratic process that lies at the heart of our representative democracy. He has been joined in this scurrilous attack on the nation’s electoral process by fellow Republican lawmakers who seem to be more loyal to him than to the nation.
Our democracy is under assault today, at the hands of the very people elected to protect it. The notion that in any election ballots should not be counted runs counter to the idea that citizens (“the people”) choose who will represent them. That fundamental choice cannot be expressed when legally cast votes are intentionally ignored.
Trump and other GOP leaders are not only undermining the integrity of the electoral process, but also eroding public confidence in our system of laws. It’s shameful, and unworthy of anyone who holds public office. When you lose, be gracious, but get out.
When they began this ill-fated attack, Trump & Company may have believed that the Republican rank-and-file would rise up in righteous indignation, storm the palace and return the king to his throne. And rise up they did– for a while. But the startling inconsistencies, lack of substance, and incessant whining from Don and the Family Trump has caused the entire nation to take another, more critical look at all the President’s (wo)men.
Trump’s lack of vision and lack of leadership led to too many super spreader political events, and tens of millions of people who were not concerned enough about the virus– because of what he said and did– to follow the recommended safety protocols. So now, the damage has been done. The disease is literally speading through the nation like wildfire. True to form, TrumpCo’s only focus is TrumpCo. Mike Pence has moved away from leading the coronavirus task force to crying and whining and ballot counting. While the nation is burning, Trump & Company are busy playing the fiddles of sad songs nearly forgotten while whining their old familiar ‘mail-in voting fraud’ refrain.
According to a recently-released poll, a whopping 80 percent of Americans– almost all Democrats and 60 percent of Republicans– are tired of this fiasco. They say it’s time for Trump to concede the election; time for the nation to move on. There are too many people without jobs; too many people having a hard time feeding their families; too much tensions in the streets and in our homes. And instead of magically disappearing as promised, the coronavirus is spiraling out of control.
It’s time to turn this page on history and let the future be its judge.
