By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
This madness is not just on President Donald Trump, who continues to to make ridiculously false claims about the election. This is not about Rudolph Giuliani, who went into federal court this week, literally seeking to set aside your vote in Pennsylvania, with crazed conspiracy claims untethered from reality.
Yes, they spew ridiculous conspiracy theories in press conferences in a twisted attempt at a coup d’etat, but omit those claims in legal filings, knowing they would face court sanction for presenting such outlandish lies in a court of law. They want to set aside all of the votes in Pennsylvania and other states in the misguided hope that state legislatures will override the will of the people.
Another group, including U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly and losing state house candidates filed suit in state court seeking to throw out all 2.5 million mail-in ballots, just because. While that suit has an equal chance of succeeding as I do being named Miss America, the mere idea that these clowns want to throw out my vote, your vote — the votes of millions of us — is undemocratic and frankly, evil.
This behavior is being enabled by Republican elected officials, from your local township supervisors to members of the state legislature. Never forget that.
Thankfully, the dam is breaking, and some Republicans are acknowledging that Joe Biden will take office on Jan. 20, 2021 as President of the United States.
Sen. Pat Toomey, in a statement Saturday, acknowledged the reality, after the latest federal Trump lawsuit was basically laughed out of court.
“This ruling follows a series of procedural losses for President Trump’s campaign,” the statement said in part. “On Friday, the state of Georgia certified the victory of Joe Biden after a hand recount of paper ballots confirmed the conclusion of the initial electronic count. Michigan lawmakers rejected the apparent attempt by President Trump to thwart the will of Michigan voters and select an illegitimate slate of electoral college electors. These developments, together with the outcomes in the rest of the nation, confirm that Joe Biden won the 2020 election and will become the 46th President of the United States.”
Trump, spoiled toddler that he is, lashed out at Toomey via Twitter; by all reports Toomey survived. With a few exceptions, Republicans quivered in the corner, unable to voice what most of them know, this is over, and Trump’s behavior is hurting the country in the middle of a pandemic and economic crisis.
Barring an unexpected derailment into insanity, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will certify its election results on Monday — Joe Biden won by about 80,000 votes. If it does not happen, all hell will break loose.
Those continuing to spin the fiction of massive fraud and conspiracy — which the crazies now say includes some Republicans — are, to be sure, bad actors looking to steal an election and end democracy as we know it in the United States.
Already at least two other Republican U.S. Senators — Mitt Romney and Ben Sasse — have spoken out against this madness, in addition to Toomey. A handful of GOP U.S. Congress members have also echoed those sentiments.
The rest? They are afraid of Trump and his band of flying monkeys. But these officials — from supervisor to state Senator — answer to you. Make them more afraid of keeping their jobs, of not being shunned in public in the future than a few harmless Tweets. This is your country, your democracy at stake.
Remind them.
Republican members of our own legislature are playing footsie with this attempted coup d’etat — of course what do you expect from people who won’t wear masks, even as more and more of their members contract COVID-19 strictly because they felt the need to act like an ass.
They need to hear from you.
Make it painfully clear that you will not accept a legislature ignoring the will of the people and voiding an election. Painfully clear. Call. Write. Use social media. Show up at their office. Make their lives a living Hell until they speak out to defend our democracy.
Remember the cowards.
All in the House and half of the state Senate will be up for election in 2022. Make it clear you will dog them, run against them, remind your friends and neighbors how they failed to stand up for the Constitution of the United States, how they let their constituents down because they were afraid of Trump and his minions.
We will hold this hill against the Charge of Blight Brigade — democracy will win out. The will of the people of Pennsylvania will be heard and represented in the Electoral College.
But let me assure you of this: We will remember who stood with democracy and who was craven and weak — knowing Trump was spewing lies and standing with him anyway for political expediency.
We. Will. Remember.
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BREAKING: Legislature passes bill to stop rogue Lt. Governor from flying gay pride, marijuana flags from his capitol balcony.
Thank God, our Commonwealth nightmare is over.
Seriously, with all of the issues the state faces — in the middle of pandemic — this is what the legislature is focused on. Banning flags in support of issues a majority of people in Pennsylvania support: marijuana legalization and LGBTQ rights. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has been flying those flags from his balcony at the state capitol.
This is would be the most embarrassing thing of the week, if did not appear some GOP legislative leaders might be visiting the White House to consult with Trump on whether it is possible to ignore the will of the people and flip our electoral votes from Biden to Trump. Spoiler Alert: it’s not going to happen, but we will remember who did what and when.
We will also remember the silence of those in the GOP who know better.
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It’s not a news flash to tell you COVID-19 is again out of control and raging through the commonwealth. We’re also seeing the first signs that the economy is going into a tailspin, as well, which is not a surprise.
While we do not have a lockdown — Philadelphia has instituted a few rules and we can no longer sneak into Delaware to go to Total Wines without enduring a 14-day quarantine — people are voting with their feet. They’re starting to stay home again — worried, with justification, that they will get sick.
People are not stupid. If they don’t think it is safe, they will not eat at restaurants. They won’t shop (hello, Amazon). They won’t go to bars. They will stay in their homes if they can.
Congress won’t come to the rescue of our small businesses. There’s no aid package coming, certainly not before Jan. 20. Businesses that barely made it through the spring will close for good without government assistance, punching a giant hole in our economy. Even as the vaccine rolls out this spring to the public at large, we’ll be in the middle of a deep recession if not worse.
People will lose their homes and go hungry. There will be broad suffering.
It didn’t have to be like this, but it is what is going to happen. Just like we didn’t need to lose 250,000 people to a virus, but we did, and will probably lose many more.
People will remember.
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Here’s hoping you have a safe, and careful Thanksgiving.
