Sowing Despair as an Election Strategy

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

Donald Trump has been making ominous statements about the upcoming presidential election.  This week he declined to say whether there would be a peaceful transfer of power if he loses to Joe Biden in November, and said instead that he would have to wait and see what happens.  He also whines loudly that "millions" of unsolicited ballots are being sent to voters and that mail-in ballots will lead to "massive" voter fraud.  Both of those statements are unsupported by facts.

(The need for many to vote by mail in this election has been heightened by the coronavirus pandemic that has literally ravaged our land - and Donald Trump has only himself to blame for that awful situation.)

Yesterday Trump appears to have been handed a "fact" to support his spurious voter fraud arguments.  Apparently nine marked ballots from military members were found discarded in Pennsylvania - a state that Trump must win if he is to remain in the White House.   The FBI is reportedly investigating, and someone from law enforcement conveniently let it slip to the press that seven of those ballots had been marked for Trump.  Now Trump has seized on this minor incident, one that Pennsylvania authorities say was accidental and unintentional, as proof of his claims of massive voter fraud.  Some dubious observers note that the incident could also have been engineered by GOP operatives in Pennsylvania who are trying build sympathy for Trump and create a case for his acrimonious allegations.

In response to Trump's continuing refusal to guarantee a peaceful transfer of power in the event that he loses, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell yesterday went before the press and said there would be a peaceful transfer of power - just as there has been following every change in presidential administrations since 1792.  White House officials also made similar statements with the caveat:  "in the event of a free and fair election."

Trump for his part, is now saying that he would cede power following a Supreme Court decision that awarded the victory to his opponent.    (The states and the Electoral College decide presidential elections - not the Supreme Court.   If for some reason the matter did come to rest with the Supreme Court, Trump undoubtedly would feel a certain advantage because he would have appointed three of the nine justices hearing the case, and the Court would have a lopsided (6-3) conservative tilt - so any claims he could contrive for getting the election outcome to the Supreme Court would appear to be to his ultimate advantage.)

All of that is a fairly bleak picture for a country that is used to going to the polls every four years and electing a president - usually without major incidents, and certainly without the threat of democracy itself being overthrown in the process.

It's damned discouraging, in fact.

Yesterday I heard a news-talker state that some poll or survey had indicated that people who felt Trump was preparing to steal the election through false claims of voter fraud were less likely to vote.  Some voters would be so despondent over Trump's theatrics that they would essentially just give up before the election and not even bother to go vote.  The news-talker went on to say that the Trump campaign was using that voter despair as an election strategy - adding to the sense that Trump would steal the election anyway, so voting would be useless.

I hope that is wrong.   I hope that every American of voting age will become well versed in the issues facing our country and cast their ballots - by mail or in person - in alignment with their beliefs of what is best for our country as a whole.  No one should be intimidated into not voting, and no one should be made to feel that voting is a useless act.

Voting is important.  If it wasn't important the noise level wouldn't be nearly so high.

Absentee voting is already underway in many states.  Get out and vote by whatever available method is right for you, and then trust that your vote will be counted correctly and that the winners will be able to assume their offices without threats of government disruption or violence.   

The United States of America has thrived on the peaceful transfer of power for more than two centuries.   The irrational and erratic self-interests of one individual must not be allowed to undo our nation's liberty and democracy.  It is our country, and "we the people" must show up and vote if we are to keep it.

Do not let despair defeat us!