WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2020 - PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2020 - PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

THE 2020 TRENDS AS I SAW THEM. The 2020 United States Presidential Election

Yes, I had a bias in the election - and it still continues.  Please forgive me.

I viewed the 2020 Presidential Election as a type of Civil War.  While the mainstream politicians may not agree with me, here goes.

Conservative View::  

Stop abortion 

Keep the status quo

Be somewhat restrictive on the LGBTQ+ views

Tend to be supportive of Evangelical White Christian views

(And … wanting to be careful on this - Supportive of police, opposed to riots, opposed to immigrantion, and, some of these conservatives were opposed to Black Lives Matter.)

Liberal View:

Keep the option for women to choose to keep a baby or not

Move ahead - progressive.  The world is changing, the status quo isn’t working.

Be understanding and tolerant of LGBTQ+ views.

Integration - blacks, whites, Hispanics, immigrants

Care more for all people - not just white, Christian Americans

Black Lives Matter

*****

Okay, an analogy.

In college basketball, there is the “March Madness” tournament.  Sixty-four teams are selected, and only one survives to win the NCAA Men’s (or Women’s) Basketball Championship. 

There is sometimes some luck, and sometimes the superior team wins, and (gasp) sometimes the underdog wins.  

There might be games that go into overtime - some even to two or more overtime games when a possible winning shot - goes in at the buzzer - or doesn’t go on.  

The losers go home, the winners go on to the next round.

*****

But, in politics this year, one candidate kept crying “foul”.  According to this candidate, there was widespread voter fraud - WIDESPREAD.  (And, particularly in the states where this candidate lost).  

In basketball, after a close, nail-biting game, the players on both teams meet on court and shake hands.  But this candidate demanded recounts, claimed victory, did not concede.

“President Trump’s aides have told my Washington Post colleagues to never expect the president to actually say “I concede” the election. And polls suggest the president has taken along a sizable chunk of the Republican base with him into falsely believing the election was rigged and he won.” (Washington Post, November 27, 2020)

Seemingly there have been rumors that that candidate has discussed declaring martial law to keep the government from changing hands.  

I don’t know about other areas of the country, in fact, I don’t know about other areas in Texas.  But in Williamson County, where I worked for both the Early Voting and for the actual Election Day, we were very careful of verifying voters.  There was also an attempt to let people vote in the national and state-wide elections if they had moved from another county before the election and hadn’t registered to vote in Williamson County. 

Could some fraud exist?  I suppose.  The case I think of is when a couple both sign up for mail-in ballots.  The ballots come to their mailbox.  But maybe the man gets the mail and he wants to vote one way but knows his wife wants to vote another way.  He fills out both ballots, forges his wife’s signature, and sends them back.  The election board could review the signatures and suggest that her signature on the ballot is different from the signature on file.  But, I will assume that even in such a situation, that the couple will still each vote their own ballots. 

My personal bias is that this candidate “complained too much”.  It might be like a basketball coach screaming at the end of a game where a substitute player on the other team makes a “hail Mary” shot from half-court at the buzzer to win the game for the other team.  It happens.

To me, this almost caused a Constitutional problem.  Yes, the election was close - but most elections are close.  Whining isn’t something that I enjoy hearing.  (I had former students whine!!).  Elections in the United States aren’t necessarily pretty!!

Here is a snippet about the Hayes/Tilden election of 1876

“The 1876 United States presidential election was the 23rd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 7, 1876, in which Republican nominee Rutherford B. Hayes faced Democrat Samuel J. Tilden. It was one of the most contentious presidential elections in American history and gave rise to the Compromise of 1877 by which the Democrats conceded the election to Hayes in return for an end to Reconstruction and the withdrawal of federal troops from the South. After a controversial post-election process, Hayes was declared the winner.”

To me, there is a difference between a statesman and a politician.  

*****

I am reminded of 1 Timothy chapter 2, verses 1 and 2

“ I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.”

We are to pray for all people - and especially for all who are in authority.  I have wondered who would want to be President of the United States - it is an almost impossible job.  It tends to be a “damned if you do and damned if you don’t”.  The “loyal opposition” will criticize your every move.  Therefore, we are to pray for those in authority!!  

LOVE WINS!!!

HUGS!!

Karen