A Damn Shame

Posted on by under Election 2020, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry

The Electoral College will meet in just ten days to cast their votes, per the popular vote in their states, for the next president of the United States.  Joe Biden has, as I’m sure you know by now, won 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232 … so there should be no question, right?  But, you need to know that there are a few shenanigans by people who are attempting to override the will of the people and keep Donald Trump firmly planted in the Oval Office.  Do I think this will work?  No … but I do think we need to be aware, and once again contact our elected officials to make sure they understand that we will not put up with having our voices erased.

Although the Electoral College will meet on December 14th and presumably the electors will vote in good faith, representing the will of the people, there is still one final step in the process.  Congress must certify the Electoral College vote.  Trump has, thus far, lost all but one of his lawsuits, and that one resulted in a negligible difference, especially as compared to the 40 he has lost.  So, his last best hope is for Congress to challenge the results of the Electoral College.  Typically, this wouldn’t be a concern, but this year is like no other in our history.

An obscure 1887 law called the Electoral Count Act, and several subsequent updates, spell out the process, setting January 6th after a presidential election as the official certification date and outlining vague, unnecessarily complex procedures. On that day, the House and Senate meet in a joint session at 1 p.m. — just three days after the newly constituted Congress is sworn in. One of their first orders of business is to pass judgment on the Electoral College vote.

If a single House member and a single senator join forces, they can object to entire slates of presidential electors. They must do so in writing and provide an explanation.  If they do, the House and Senate must retreat to their chambers and debate the outcome for up to two hours before voting on the matter. Each state’s electors are certified separately, meaning lawmakers bent on challenging the results have multiple chances to force lengthy delays.  If the Democrat-run House and GOP-controlled Senate disagree? That outcome has never been tested before, so we are in uncharted waters here.

Why do I bring this up now?  Because at least a few republican members of Congress are trying to rally support for such a challenge.  Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama has been telling colleagues and allies that he plans to challenge the Electoral College votes when Congress officially certifies Joe Biden’s victory on January 6th, as long as a Senate Republican joins him in the long-shot effort.

“In my judgment, if only lawful votes by eligible American citizens were cast, Donald Trump won the Electoral College by a significant margin, and Congress’s certification should reflect that. This election was stolen by the socialists engaging in extraordinary voter fraud and election theft measures.”

Methinks Mr. Brooks has been drinking a bit too much of the Trumpade.  But, he is not alone … the ignoble Matt Gaetz, representative from Florida, unconscionable Warren Davidson from Ohio, and newly-elected Marjorie Taylor Greene, the QAnon follower/promoter, have all said they would seriously consider challenging the certification of the Electoral College.  So, all that’s left is a republican senator to jump on board … is it so hard to believe that Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul, or Lindsey Graham might decide to play along?  They certainly haven’t shown any integrity thus far …

Even so, I think the odds of such a challenge succeeding are slim-to-none, however it is in our best interest to keep an eye open, for there are those who would deny the voice of the people, would instead opt for a government that does not consider the will or best interests of the people.  These are uncharted waters … this entire election and post-election period has been unprecedented in the history of this country. We can be forgiven for not having much trust in the system operating as it was originally intended … as it has for the past 233 years.  Corruption seems to be the name of the republican game and … the only thing I trust them to do is lie, cheat, and steal.

I don’t think the framers of the Constitution nor the people who fought for our freedom ever intended it to be like this.  It’s a sad statement that we cannot trust the people we elected and whose salary we work hard to pay.  Most people work hard all their lives and pay their taxes without question, so that we can support the lifestyles of these people in Congress, most all of whom are independently wealthy beyond our wildest imagination, and half of whom would throw us under the wheels of a bus if it suited their interest.  A damn shame.

23 thoughts on “A Damn Shame”

  1. Pingback: A Damn Shame — Filosofa’s Word – It's a Liberal Thing

  2. Said it before, I’ll say it again. Our system needs changing because it delivers disproportionate results, but on the other hand it doesn’t have 101 ways to simply throw out a legitimate result.

    Your system, on the other hand, needs to be completely dismantled and rebuilt from scratch.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Looking from the outside, it does seem that the real problem is that tnere are on both sides people who believe the other side cheated. Unable to find clear evidence, they then conclude that the evidence is bieng hidden from them. It is impossible to ‘win’ the argument in that situation. The question is, how do we restore trust?

    Liked by 2 people

    • That’s a pretty astute assessment, Frank. But as to your question … that is the one I have been asking for quite some time now, and thus far neither I nor anybody else has come up with an answer. One part of me says perhaps we take it all apart and rebuild from the ground up the way we do things, but you and I both know that’s not a practical solution. I’m not sure right now how we even survive the next 45 days.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. I didn’t think it was over yet. Am I imagining things, or can College Electors vote against the popular vote in their states. Isn’t that how Trump won in 2016? Too confusing to remember.
    But now all it might take is one representative and one senator to challenge the EC vote? What kind of politics is that? And who the hell ever brought forth such stupidity?
    Oh what tangled webs you weave, to allow such perfidy to conceive.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Electors can actually vote against the popular vote in their state, but they are not supposed to do so unless there is a contested election. Different states have different laws, so I really can’t say what is kosher and what isn’t. Trump lost the popular vote in 2016, but won the electoral college because of gerrymandered districts in key swing states. It is all unnecessarily confusing and sometimes I think that is intentional. The Electoral College has failed twice in this century so far to operate as it was intended, and in most people’s opinion, it is a white elephant that needs to go. It won’t happen, however, as long as it continues to change the landscape in favour of the unconscionable republicans. Your poetry is improving!

      Liked by 1 person

    • I fully agree! Safeguards that were put into place to avoid this very thing, are having the opposite effect. The very future of this nation is at stake, as well as our lives. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

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    • Thanks Jeff! Today, I hear that Trump phoned Georgia governor Kemp to ask his help in getting the Georgia legislature to overturn the election results. WHERE DOES THIS F***ing END? Why hasn’t somebody gotten rid of this jerk? Oy Vey is right! 🤬

      Liked by 1 person

      • Yes, I heard the same thing and just commented about it to Jerry from my Michael Flynn post. I don’t know where it ends Jill. As I also said to Jerry, I will not be totally at ease until Biden is officially sworn in. Until then, we cannot take our eye off the ball. You simply cannot trust these idiots. Never in a million years did I think this was possible in the USA. Boy was I wrong.

        Liked by 1 person

  9. Unfortunately, given that at least four Republican representatives have indicated a willingness to even consider challenging the Electoral College vote, it’s almost likely that there will be one Senator who might go along with it. These people don’t seem to have any appreciation for what their actions, if they follow through, will do to this country. It will be chaos.

    Liked by 4 people

    • You’re right … I have no doubt that at least one will go along with their crazy scheme. I don’t think they can make it fly, but the fact that they are so afraid of Trump that they will set aside their values, their Oaths of Office, and allow the people of this nation to be bulldozed is beyond words.

      Liked by 1 person

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