Irrational and unproven claims by Congressmen Gohmert and Brooks

The following is a letter to the editor I forwarded to my newspaper. Please feel free to edit and use.

As an independent and former GOP voter, I am puzzled and frustrated by the insistence of followers of the outgoing president, such as Congressmen Louie Gohmert and Mo Brooks, that the election was stolen. The fact the outgoing president has claimed fraud is not a surprise as it was predictable and staged for months. What he did not plan on was losing 59 out of 60 court cases, many ruled on by Republican judges, nor the push back from election officials, secretaries of state and governors (many of whom are Republican).

To me, the oath to the constitution takes precedence over a loyalty to a president. I believe these irrational and vastly unproven claims are detrimental to our democracy and betray the will of the voters. If these folks caught this bus, like the chasing canine, what are they going to do with it? Our democracy, in essence, would be over.

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Republican Congressman – “I’ve had enough”

Business Insider posted the following article yesterday regarding a Republican leaving the party called “‘I’ve had enough’: Rep. Paul Mitchell leaves the GOP and becomes an Independent, decrying Trump’s efforts to overturn the presidential election.” A link to the article is below. Here are a few paragraphs:

“GOP Rep. Paul Mitchell announced on Monday that he is walking away from the Republican Party and becoming an Independent, according to CNN.

‘As elected members of Congress, we take an oath to ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States,’ not to preserve and protect the political interests of any individual, be it the president or anyone else, to the detriment of our cherished nation,’ he wrote in a letter declaring his party change.

Mitchell, who is retiring after two terms in office, has represented Michigan’s 10th Congressional district since January 2017.

‘This party has to stand up for democracy first — for our Constitution first — and not political considerations,’ he told CNN. ‘Not to protect a candidate. Not simply for raw political power, and that’s what I feel is going on and I’ve had enough.'”

To be frank, Mitchell’s words ring loudly, but they are tardy. It looks like he was waiting, as were some other Republicans, for the Electoral College vote to declare Joe Biden the next president to make large pronouncements. Sadly, too many minds are made up in the Trump Party believing the fraudulent and unproven claims of the outgoing president.

Nonetheless, I did see a few more Senators speak out declaring Biden the winner after the Electoral College vote including Senator John Thune, the #3 Republican in the Senate following the #2 guy, John Cornyn’s comments over the last week. Surprisingly, Trump fan Senator Roy Blunt added his acknowledgement of Biden’s win. And, even the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal asked the outgoing president to concede.

Yet, the final dagger may be Vladimir Putin, the outgoing president’s favorite leader, calling Biden to congratulate him on his victory. Of course, Putin was likely not apologizing for hacking several US governmental systems.

‘I’ve had enough’: Rep. Paul Mitchell leaves the GOP and becomes an Independent, decrying Trump’s efforts to overturn the presidential election (msn.com)

Trump continues to lose in court, but that does not seem to matter

The news from Saturday revealed the outgoing president continues to lose in court. By my count, Trump and his supporters have lost 46 court cases, winning only one small one which threw out about 600 votes in Pennsylvania. Yet, per David Brooks, about three-fourths of Republicans believe the election has been stolen from the outgoing president. That is the power of conspiracy theory, a cult-like faith and the lack of political courage in people who know better, but are silent..

Here are just two paragraphs from and article called “Donald Trump’s brutal day in court” by Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein of Politico (see link below).

“President Donald Trump and his legal allies earned a platinum sombrero Friday, striking out five times in a matter of hours in states pivotal to the president’s push to overturn the election results — and losing a sixth in Minnesota for good measure.

It was another harsh milestone in a monthlong run of legal futility, accompanied by sharp rebukes from county, state and federal judges who continue to express shock at the Trump team’s effort to simply scrap the results of an election he lost. Several of the most devastating opinions, both Friday and in recent weeks, have come from conservative judges and, in some federal cases, Trump appointees.”

And, just after reading this, I read that the outgoing president is going to sue again in Georgia, after two recounts, an audit and two certifications of results. This is due to the conspiracy engine firing up yet more footage that is sure fire evidence of corruption. The Georgia election people saw this and recertified their results.

I am beyond embarrassed for the Trump Party. I am disgusted by the lack of comments and courage to condemn the outgoing president. There are a few extreme Congress people and Senators who are backing the outgoing president’s efforts. But, most are silent and hope it and he goes away. Republican Congressman Denver Riggleman calls the silent ones “unethical.” The ones backing Trump’s efforts (like the Senator Ted Cruz and Congressman Matt Gaetz crowd) are aiding and abetting a fraud against the United States of America, in my view.

It is not uncommon for conspiracy theorists and their followers to get pointed down a dark and sinister path. It is in part to deflect their attention from the real conspiracy, the real fraud. The real voter fraud looks back from the mirror at the outgoing president when he shaves. He has planned and staged this fraud for over six months. It is disappointing, dangerous, but not a surprise. It is also depressing that people by into this fraud.

Yet, a simple question needs to be answered. Is it easier to believe that there is a vast conspiracy across the country which has been kept secret, that must include Republican, even Trump appointed, election officials, Secretaries of State, Governors, Judges, Attorney General and staff, Cybersecurity and staff, Election Commission director and staff OR is it easier to believe that a person well-documented as being untruthful is lying yet again?

The answer is obvious. Mr. Trump, man up and admit you lost.

Donald Trump’s brutal day in court (msn.com)

Former Trump National Security Director tells GOP to acknowledge the reality

John Bolton urges Republicans: “‘Acknowledge the reality that Biden is the president-elect’” in an article with his title by Quint Forgey of Politico. Here are a few paragraphs below:

“Former national security adviser John Bolton urged congressional Republicans in a new interview to ‘acknowledge the reality’ that Joe Biden is president-elect — predicting GOP lawmakers would survive any potential backlash from President Donald Trump if they broke with him over the 2020 election results.

In an interview with NPR that aired Friday, Bolton said Republicans ‘may not like’ recognizing Biden as the winner of the White House race, ‘but the country deserves to give him the preparation he needs. A gracious president who kept the country’s interests first would acknowledge that.’

‘All I’m saying is that showing disagreement with the president is not fatal to your political future. I’m not asking anybody to climb Mount Suribachi and plant the American flag on top of it,’ Bolton added, referring to the iconic photograph of U.S. Marines raising the flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima.”

Yesterday, the president-elect was declared the winner in Arizona and Georgia, while the president was declared such in North Carolina. The electoral college count now tallies 306 votes to Biden and 232 to Trump. Ironically, this is the same margin of victory that Trump had in 2016. The key in 2020 is Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin went for the Democrat candidate this time.

On the legal front, the Trump campaign efforts are waning. Two law firms representing Trump are seeking permission from judges to back out of cases. A case in Arizona was withdrawn as it will not change the result and the Trump campaign has lost several others in Pennsylvania and Michigan while winning one small case that threw out some ballots in PA. A hand recount is occurring in Georgia, as per state law due to the closeness of the election.

Sadly, with the orchestrated manner in which the president claimed victory, tried to stop the counts, noted voter fraud was trying to steal the election and with his lawsuits, his base believes something is amiss. The fact some spineless Senators have gone along with the Trump charade is frustrating. Trump lost because Biden got more votes in key states.

Four Republican Senators (Romney, Collins, Murkowski and Sasse) have publicly acknowledged Biden as president-elect. Many others have done so privately to Biden. Senators Langford and Grassley have been vocal about Biden getting intelligence briefings. As they note, it is a national security risk for him not to be up to speed.

In my view, this yet one more series of examples of the incumbent focusing on himself rather than the country. As his niece Mary said, her uncle will “burn down everything to avoid losing.” That is evident and a scary premonition of what could come. A person who acts corruptly and deceitfully will stoop to just about anything to win.

Yet, one question seems to evade Trump and his supporters that evokes Occam’s Razor. Occam’s Razor notes the simplest explanation is the more obvious reason. Trump is asking us to believe there is a massive voter fraud effort against him, which would have to include the collusion of many Republican election officials and Secretaries of State.

Is it is easier to believe that a massive voter fraud scheme was undertaken, or a president, who is known for being untruthful, who hired attorneys over the summer, who defamed the mail-in vote process, who hobbled the post office and who told his voters to vote in person knowing those votes would be counted first, is perpetuating a fraud on the American public?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/bolton-urges-republicans-acknowledge-the-reality-that-biden-is-the-president-elect/ar-BB1aZck0?ocid=msedgdhp

Current Arizona Republican Attorney General denounces unsupported fraud claims

In an article in The Washington Post entitled “Arizona’s GOP attorney general rejects Trump’s unfounded voter fraud claims: ‘There is no evidence’” by Jaclyn Peiser, the current Arizona Attorney General adds his Republican voice to that of his predecessor, Grant Wood (also Republican) regarding the election in Arizona.

The article can be linked to below, but here are the first four paragraphs which give you the gist of his comments. Note I wrote a few days ago about Wood’s comment in a Fox News editorial.

“President Trump’s campaign plows on with lawsuits featuring unfounded claims of voter fraud in lost battleground states, Arizona’s Republican attorney general on Wednesday rejected the president’s conspiracy claims and said he’s unlikely to overtake President-elect Joe Biden in the state.

‘It does appear that Joe Biden will win Arizona,’ state Attorney General Mark Brnovich said in a Wednesday interview with Fox Business host Neil Cavuto. “There is no evidence, there are no facts that would lead anyone to believe that the election results will change.”

Brnovich, the first high-ranking Republican in Arizona to reject Trump’s fraud claims in the state, added that Trump would have to win 65 percent of the less than 50,000 remaining votes to edge out a victory, a dubious outcome based on expert analysis and historical trends. It would be ‘very, highly unlikely to happen,’ Brnovich said.

Fox News, the Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ have all declared Biden the winner of Arizona. As of Thursday morning, The Washington Post has yet to call the race. With 99 percent of the ballots counted as of Thursday morning, Biden leads by more than 11,600, according to The Post.“

The president keeps saying that Democrats are trying to steal the election, but these two men are Republicans. The Secretary of State in Georgia is also a Republican. Other state officials are also pushing back on the president’s fraud claims. Others are taking notice, especially with the president not offering tangible, significant evidence.

I saw a Reuters poll that noted 79% of Americans and 1/2 of Republicans believe the president elect is Joe Biden. What the president is doing was predicted by more than a few months ago. Hobbling the post office, defaming the mail-in process and hiring 1,000 attorneys around the country over the summer show a staging of this moment.

In fact, google Bernie Sanders on Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show back in October regarding Trump’s expected election actions. Sanders lays out precisely what the president is now doing – claiming victory on election night, suing to stop the election counts and claiming fraud by those trying to steal the election.

From where I sit, the only fraud going on has the fingerprints of Donald Trump on it.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/arizona-s-gop-attorney-general-rejects-trump-s-unfounded-voter-fraud-claims-there-is-no-evidence/ar-BB1aWp4T?ocid=msedgdhp

Sample letter to Senators and Congresspeople

Whether Americans voted for the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ticket, the two speeches given by Biden and Harris were powerful and unifying. Words of unity, healing and working together were emphasized. Seeing an African-American, Asian-American, and child of immigrants woman in the Vice-President role offers hope to young girls of all colors. By itself, that is a big deal.

Of course, the president has the right to bring litigation, if he feels his claims of voter fraud have merit (more than a few legal experts and Secretaries of State say they don’t). And, per several Republican Senators and Congress people, claiming a wide-spread fraudulent election is both “reckless and irresponsible.” This is especially true when the president has been staging this course for over four months with his unsupported push back on mail-in votes and hiring of attorneys around the country over the summer.

Our nation must heal and work together. The song lyric “united we stand, divided we fall,” has pertinent meaning. As an independent and former Republican (and Democrat) voter, I strongly urge you to ask the president to think of our country first and cease the unsupported allegations. In my simple view, the president stands in the way of this healing.

Former Republican Attorney General notes Trump lawsuits are baseless and will fail

An op-ed written by Grant Wood for Fox News called “Ex-Arizona GOP AG Woods: Trump claims of election fraud are completely baseless — his lawsuits will fail” is worth reading. A link to the editorial is below. Here are a few select paragraphs.

“Stop counting the ballots — unless they will help me win. That’s the argument President Trump has been making since election night.

I say this as a legal matter, not a partisan one. I was the Republican attorney general of Arizona for two terms, but it was always the law — not my party registration — that guided my decisions.

And you don’t have to take my word for it. Judges appointed by Democrats and Republicans alike have made it clear that President Trump’s election lawsuits aren’t worth the paper they are printed on.”

I found the words of this former Republican Attorney General of impact, given their source. The lawsuits are frivolous, but in keeping with Trump’s modus operandi of suing people and entities. The greater damage is his calling the election into question, which was part of a plan he had been staging for about six months. In fact, Senator Bernie Sanders, with eerie accuracy, predicted what Trump would do on Jimmy Kimmel’s show about three weeks ago.

Speaking of another former Attorney General, Pam Bondi from Florida is on Trump’s legal team. We should recall she is there because she would not let Floridians be a part of the lawsuit against Trump University for fraudulent and aggressive marketing that Trump settled for $25 million before being sworn in.

The only reason I mention this latter example is Trump likes to use the word “fraud” but he has been accused of such on more than one occasion and has often settled the cases.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/trump-election-lawsuits-grant-woods

Two great speeches – words of unity, healing and working together

Whether Americans voted for the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ticket this week, the two speeches given by Biden and Harris were powerful and unifying. Words of unity, healing and working together were emphasized. Seeing an African-American, immigrant woman in the Vice-President role offers hope to young girls of all colors. By itself, that is a big deal.

I was planning to write more on the topic, but my friend Jill wrote an excellent piece called “Hope, Unity and Patience.” I encourage you to read it with the link below. The only words I will leave you with is our nation must heal and must work together. The song lyric “united we stand, divided we fall,” has pertinent meaning.

Hope, Unity, and Patience

Even Senior Republicans speak out against Trump’s election claims

Courtesy of the US News article link below as well as other sources like Business Insider, The Guardian and The Hill, here are a few quotes from several senior Republican leaders regarding the election claims of the president.

Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania –  “I saw the president’s speech last night and it was very hard to watch. The president’s allegations of large-scale fraud and theft of the election are just not substantiated. I’m not aware of any significant wrongdoing here,” Toomey said on “TODAY.”

Senator Mitt Romney of Utah – Per The Hill, Romney, in a statement posted to Twitter, said the president was “right” to “exhaust legal remedies,” including asking for recounts and that alleged voting irregularities be investigated, but “wrong to say that the election was rigged, corrupt and stolen. Doing so damages the cause of freedom here and around the world, weakens the institutions that lie at the foundation of the Republic and recklessly inflames destructive and dangerous passions,” Romney added.

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida – Per US News, Rubio, who ran against Trump in the 2016 presidential primaries and campaigned for for the president in recent weeks, tweeted ‘The result of the presidential race will be known after every legally cast vote has been counted. Taking days to count legally cast votes is NOT fraud,” he wrote. “And court challenges to votes cast after the legal voting deadline is NOT suppression.”

Senators Mike Lee of Utah, Rob Portman of Ohio and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska –  The Senators echoed the sentiment in the same US News article below, saying the votes should be counted. Lee asked people to “allow the vote counters to do their job.”  We should respect that process and ensure that all ballots cast in accordance with state laws are counted. It’s that simple,’ Portman said, while Murkowski urged “everyone to be patient.’

“Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois – Per US News, “We want every vote counted, yes every legal vote (of course). But, if you have legit concerns about fraud present EVIDENCE and take it to court. STOP Spreading debunked misinformation,” tweeted Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.

Congressman Will Hurd of Texas (and former CIA officer) – Per US News, Hurd of Texas, who is retiring, went further. He accused the president of undermining the foundations of the country. “A sitting president undermining our political process & questioning the legality of the voices of countless Americans without evidence is not only dangerous & wrong, it undermines the very foundation this nation was built upon. Every American should have his or her vote counted,” Hurd tweeted.

German foreign minister Heiko Maas – Per The Guardian: The German foreign minister, Heiko Maas, said: “America is more than a one-man show. Anyone who continues to pour oil on the fire in a situation like this is acting irresponsibly. Now is the time to keep a cool head until an independently determined result is available.”

‘”In order for the result – which has not yet been determined – to be accepted, everyone must first show restraint. Decent losers are more important for the functioning of a democracy than radiant winners.”

These voices are not alone. They speak for many. We need to be patience and trust the people, who appear to take their job with seriousness of purpose and try to get it right, to finish counting the votes. Recounts can occur if warranted per each state law. And, a candidate can bring lawsuit if he or she thinks there was a problem. Yet, disparaging a process before and while it is going on is beyond poor form. The word used a few times above is “irresponsible.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/senior-republicans-speak-out-against-donald-trump-s-election-claims/ar-BB1aLkPT?ocid=msedgdhp

Two sets of thoughts this Friday

“Stop the counting,” the president of the United States cries.

I was thinking of an analogy of the New England Patriots who were badly losing to the Atlanta Falcons late in the third quarter of the Super Bowl a couple of years ago. Stopping the counting, would be like Trump, the QB for the winning team, going to the referee and saying “why don’t you call this game at the end of the quarter. I have already tweeted we won and playing anymore would be stealing the game from me?” The referee shook is head and said “you have to be kidding me. Oh, and by the way, the opposing QB is Tom Brady, so I don’t think he would cotton to calling the game then.‘ The Patriots came back to win. 

I applaud the election officials and judges who are trying to get this right. We must count every vote legally cast per the laws of that state. There are three things I find interesting, with one being an extrapolation:
– if they acquiesced to the president and stopped the counting, Biden would be declared the winner as he is ahead in Arizona and Nevada.
– the president is claiming fraud with illegal counting in PA and GA, but he needs the counting to continue in Arizona and Nevada – OK, which is it?
– Trump could still win when the counting is done, so at that time, he will say “I never said we should stop counting – that is fake news.”

If you have not seen the show, Senator Bernie Sanders was on Jimmy Kimmel’s show (I think it was Kimmel) about two weeks ago and he described with eerie accuracy what would transpire. The president would be ahead before all the mail-in votes were counted, he would declare victory and ask that the counting be stopped as it is fraudulent.

Yet, what Sanders defines and Trump is doing is not a surprise, as he has been staging this moment for six months with his attacks on the mail-in process.