It obviously is impossible for Donald Trump to reconcile the fact that he lost the election to Joe Biden, but somebody needs to set him straight and tell him, flat out, "Get over it, pal. You lost."
Remember when he said how embarrassed he would be if Biden, whom he called "the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics", actually beat him? He said he might have to leave the country! Well, Trump, start packing.
Today, The Washington Post reported that Trump is getting so desperate that he called Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp begging him to join in his attempted coup and arrange for the state legislature to overturn the state's election results, which gave Biden the state's 16 electoral votes.
Kemp, The Post reported, "declined the entreaty from Trump."
The man is pathetic and a brazen criminal, illustrated with this latest effort to interfere with a legally conducted election. Upon conviction, federal law -- 18 U.S. Code 595 -- provides a penalty of up to a year in prison or a fine, or both.
In addition, The Post quoted Kathleen Clark, a law professor at Washington University, as saying that if Trump invoked his federal authority during his phone call with Kemp, or if the call was made from the Oval Office, he might have violated criminal provisions of the Hatch Act.
Federal employees who do so can face penalties that include removal from federal service, reduction in grade, debarment from federal employment for a period not to exceed 5 years, suspension, reprimand, or a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000.
According to The Post, Trump wanted Kemp to call a special session of the legislature to appoint electors to the Electoral College who would vote for Trump instead of Biden, contrary to the state's election results, which gave Biden a plurality of some 12,000 votes. He urged Kemp to order an audit of absentee ballot signatures, which Kemp says he does not have the power to do, although he tweeted that he's requested such an audit on three occasions.
All of this happened before Trump was scheduled to hold a rally in Georgia for the state's two Republican senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who are in tight runoff races with Democratic candidates, Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. His charges that voting in Georgia is fraught with fraud has Republican leaders worried that many Republican voters will choose not to vote, thus jeopardizing Perdue and Loeffler, and with that, control of the U.S. Senate.
GOP Lawmakers Wimp Out
But unlike Gov. Kemp, most Republicans in Congress refuse to recognize Trump's defeat, and tacitly, at least, are supporting his ill-founded effort to overturn the election.
The Washington Post reported today that it surveyed all 249 Republicans in the House and Senate after Trump posted a 46-minute video falsely claiming he had defeated Biden and making unsubstantiated allegations of “corrupt forces” who stole the election from him. It is important to note in this context that Attorney General William P. Barr has said the Justice Department found no evidence to overturn the election results.
A team of 25 Post reporters contacted every GOP Congressional office and asked these questions: Who won the election, Biden or Trump? Do you oppose or support Trump's continuing effort to claim victory? And, If Joe Biden wins a majority in the Electoral College, will you accept him as the legitimately elected president of the United States?
Here are the responses:
27 said Biden had won the election. 2 said Trump had won. 220 either did not respond or said the outcome was unclear.
9 said they support and 9 said they oppose Trump's effort to claim victory. 231 said it was unclear or did not respond.
32 said they would accept Biden as president once the election is finalized by the Electoral College. 2 said they would not. 215 said it was unclear or gave no answer.
"The results demonstrate the fear that most Republicans have of the outgoing president and his grip on the party, despite his new status as just the third incumbent president to lose reelection in the last 80 years," The Post said.
It's time for Republicans to stop being bullied by this man. His power, once he's out of office, lies only in the extent to which it is given to him. Yes, he has legions of rabid, loyal supporters, and yes, he is likely to continue feeding them red meat, one way or another.
But if GOP elected officials stand up to him and decide to finally do what's best for the country instead of worrying about their own political skin, the nation will be much better off. Then there will be a chance of the two parties breaking the logjam that currently exists and getting things accomplished for the American people.
We are in the midst of a catastrophic health crisis with the Covid 19 pandemic and its impact on the economy, with millions of Americans suffering through it all. The least these Republicans could do is stop kissing up to Trump and figure out a way to help get us out of this mess.
Kick Trump to the curb. Move on. He lost. Make sure it stays that way. His tweets won't hurt you any more, unless you let them.