First of all to my friends who remember when I said changing the voting procedure scant months before the election was going to be nothing but trouble.
Told ya.
So there I was on election night at the local radio station with my Democrat colleague. I’d gotten the offer to be there only that morning and was not shall we say, their first choice.
Apparently they couldn’t get a typical Republican and someone said, “Hey Steve’s a libertarian conservative, close enough.”
So there we were, me totally out of my depth when talking about statewide elections but managing to come up with an interesting question or two when it came to general trends.
My Democrat colleague was perhaps a bit taken aback when it became evident Colin Peterson (D-MN) was not returning to Congress.
“He was the very last working farmer in congress,” I said. “Now ag policy will be set entirely by people who don’t know what the (bleep) they’re talking about.”
So 11 p.m. rolls around, we do the math and my Democrat colleague looking disappointed but dignified, graciously conceded Trump had it in the bag.
I dropped by the pub on the way home, guy behind the bar looks at his phone and yup, it’s Trump with a lead not likely to be overcome.
I go to bed like Thomas Dewey in 1948, thinking we have a president. Get up in the morning at 5 a.m. and find we don’t, or at least not the one we thought we had.
Seems an early morning vote dump flipped Michigan and Wisconsin. Surprise!
A friend with masochistic tendencies was watching all night and said both states had stopped counting for unexplained reasons then started again. And apparent there were glitches in software used in a number of key places.
So now it stands with Biden declared – by the news media remember that, as the presumptive winner. All heck is breaking loose in ways that will likely change a lot by the time this goes to press.
There are dark mutters on the right about war. On the left there are open calls for making lists of Trump supporters to punish them in unstated by ominous ways.
Everybody take a chill pill! I have some observations both sides should consider.
There will be legal challenges in several states: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Nevada for sure.
If any of them go to the Supreme Court conservatives should remember three justices were appointed by Trump and one (Clarence Thomas) despises Biden for some pretty unforgiveable insults during his confirmation.
That may not be good. It could be argued they should recuse themselves. But if not, they might actually rule according to the law. You know, like judges are supposed to.
That could be good or bad depending on your position, and the facts of the case. If the facts do indicate invalid results nobody on the left will believe them.
On the other hand if Biden is sworn in he will likely preside over an administration as crippled as Nixon’s after Watergate.
He could be impeached for shady dealing with China and Ukraine. And… say it softly but once in office it will be impossible to hide Biden’s mental decline. He will be older on his first day of office than Reagan was on his last. It was certainly evident he could not match Trump’s energy during the campaign.
So conservatives, it’s not that bad. Leftists, it’s not that good.