Force House Republicans to Elect Trump
Well, we’ve officially reached the desperate bargaining stage. As Change.Org petitions circulate demanding that Electoral College voters flip their votes to Hillary Clinton, I’ve read a range of justifications, from honoring the popular vote to high-minded screeds on the original intent of the Electoral College.
I’ll leave it to others to argue about those details because from a practical standpoint it’s moot. Even if you pulled it off the anarchy and complete meltdown from the public would make it impossible for her to govern. The Democratic party has already been through a public relations shellacking filled with accusations of corruption. A stunt like this would destroy the party leaving no hope of ever gaining back control of Congress and guaranteeing a loss of the presidency in 2020.
The electors should abstain instead.
Encouraging the electors to abstain from casting a vote would be a smart use of everyone’s energy. In the event that Donald Trump does not attain 270 votes on December 19th the vote for president will go to the Republican led House of Representatives, who will undoubtedly elect him president.
Why do I feel like this extra step is necessary? Because the Republican party rode to decisive victories in Congress by sitting the fence and playing all sides. From obviously inebriated statements such as “I will vote for him, but I won’t endorse him” to the hurried press releases “denouncing” Trump’s scandals followed by chasers of “still support the nominee”, the Republican members of Congress have shimmied their way through a political dance where they refuse to take responsibility for Trump’s excesses but happily partake in the benefits. Few are more culpable than House Speaker Paul Ryan, whose on-again off-again tango with his party’s nominee induced dizziness and nausea across the political spectrum.
The Republicans are now the sole power in Washington, without opposition. Whatever happens next, it’s on them. As politicians always are, they will be eager to take credit for any successes and quick to distance themselves from any failures. This cannot be allowed to happen. Trump is their choice and their responsibility and they need to own him. If they truly believe putting Donald Trump in the White House was a good idea, then they should have no trouble taking a public vote to reaffirm their support for him. If they don’t believe it, then it is even more critical that they be made to accept responsibility for helping him attain the presidency.
We all hope that Mr. Trump will not be the disaster that his campaign rhetoric indicated that he would be. But should the worse happen why should the voters of the Electoral College live with the weight of moral regret? They are not politicians but ordinary citizens who assumed they were engaging in an honorable ceremonial tradition. Freeing them to abstain is the right thing to do. The time has come for the “Party of No” to stand for something. They wanted this, let them have it. All of it.
