I Like Systems That Work

Throughout my adult life, no matter who won, the system worked.

No one talked about persuading electors to be faithless. The electoral votes were counted without issue--a formality in a smooth process. Everything moved through the motions like clockwork.

Inaugurations were celebratory and civilized too.

Then in 2016, all this disruption of the process started. The day after the election there were riots. Cars were burned, and I wrote in my blog that the tradition of the peaceful transfer of power has been broken. I said it wasn't right.

Democrats hoped for faithless electors, as if they thought they could use that to overturn the result of an election.

I spoke out against it and said it wasn't right.

In 2017, some Democrats said that then Vice President Joe Biden could prevent a Trump presidency by simply choosing not to count some electoral votes, suggesting that the law could be interpreted that way to overturn the legal results of the election.

I've read the relevant statute and it doesn't say that.

Joe Biden didn't go for it either.

“It's over,” he said.

Riots plagued the Inauguration.

Why? Did they think that rioting would somehow get the system to change its mind? Did they think that the system would say, “Oh, people are angry and breaking things. Maybe we shouldn't go through with this.”?

Then, in 2020, Trump broke a long tradition by not conceding.

Then on this day in 2021, I heard whispers that some folks were going to Washington for the electoral vote count with the intent of making trouble. As if they thought they could disrupt the process and keep Trump in office.

I spoke out against it and said it wasn't right.

“Don't go to Washington and behave like a bunch Antifa jackasses,” I said--or something like that.

Trump took bad advice from one of his lawyers and tried to persuade Mike Pence to do what Joe Biden refused to do four years earlier.

Again, I've read the statute. That's not what it it says. Saying that it does is fringe legal theory and fringe legal theory should not impact presidential power.

I am others on both sides of the aisle spoke out against it and said it wasn't right. I also predicted publicly that Mike Pence, a man of principle, would do the right thing.

He did the right thing and people got very angry with him and stormed the Capital Building to try and delay the electoral vote count past the Constitutional deadline. They thought that if they did that a Supreme Court decision could keep Trump in office. It wouldn't have. Barrett likes the letter of the law and Roberts doesn't like Trump.

I spoke out, again, against the bad behavior and said it wasn't right.

The Secret Service tried to stuff Pence in a car, but he refused and stayed at the Capital and called Congress back in once the building was safe and lead the completion of the electoral vote count and completed it on schedule and the working process was preserved.

Last year, multiple fringe legal theory cases tried to disrupt an election by distracting one of the candidates, spend his money, keep him off the campaign trail, disqualify him, and try to put him in jail.

How far have we sunk?

There were two assassination attempts against that same Presidential candidate and many who don't like him condoned it and said, “How could you miss?”

What?

Them that candidate has very clearly won the election…including the popular vote by 2.7% (yes, I looked it up).

Now it’s 2025 and it’s time for another electoral vote count and another inauguration.

Again, people who didn't get things their way are condoning violence…as if to say that they think can overturn the result of an election. There's even been a stupid truck bomb.

It isn't right.

Can we please have a smooth, orderly system and a peaceful transfer of power again?

It needs to be a system that works. The Presidency is too important for the transfer of power to not go smoothly and peacefully.

It's a good tradition.