Donald Trump says if he doesn’t win the presidential election in November, the Clinton campaign will be guilty of cheating.
“I’m telling you, November 8th, we’d better be careful, because that election is going to be rigged,” said Trump. “And I hope the Republicans are watching closely or it’s going to be taken away from us.”
This statement again exposes how very little Trump knows — or pretends to know — about the American political system.
The federal government doesn’t run presidential elections. The states do. And in most of the key battleground states, Republicans are in charge of overseeing the voting.
- Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican, is the chief elections officer in Ohio.
- Secretary of State Ken Detzner, a Republican, is the chief elections officer in Florida.
- Secretary of State Paul Pate, a Republican, is the chief elections officer in Iowa.
- Secretary of State Wayne Williams, a Republican, is the chief elections officer in Colorado.
- Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, a Republican, is the chief elections officer in Nevada.
Trump is going to need to win the battleground states above to reach the 270 electoral votes he needs to become president. It’s up to the Secretary of State in each of those states to oversee, investigate and confirm the election results.
Is Trump really suggesting these elected Republican office holders are going to rig the election — approve mass voter fraud and/or cyber sabotage — for Hillary Clinton?
That’s complete nonsense.
But it doesn’t stop voices on the far-right, like Sean Hannity and conspiracy lover Alex Jones, from repeating Trump’s claims. Why do they do it? Maybe because half of all Republicans told pollsters after the 2012 election that ACORN had stolen the election for President Obama, even though the group had disbanded two years earlier.
People love to believe they can’t lose and the other team must be guilty of shenanigans.
Trump, especially, loves to tweet about “losers.” The thought he could be one is impossible to fathom. So he is attempting to create this dangerous narrative that his loss will be illegitimate.
Can you imagine what would have happened had Al Gore encouraged his supporters in 2000 not to recognize George W. Bush after he beat him in the popular vote and still lost the election by a partisan 5-4 Supreme Court decision?
“I know that many of my supporters are disappointed,” said Gore at the time. “I am too. But our disappointment must be overcome by our love of country. And I say to our fellow members of the world community, let no one see this contest as a sign of American weakness. The strength of American democracy is shown most clearly through the difficulties it can overcome. Some have expressed concern that the unusual nature of this election might hamper the next president in the conduct of his office. I do not believe it need be so. President-elect Bush inherits a nation whose citizens will be ready to assist him in the conduct of his large responsibilities. I, personally, will be at his disposal, and I call on all Americans — I particularly urge all who stood with us — to unite behind our next president.”
That’s what a leader says. That’s what a patriot says. Sadly, that’s not what Trump is saying.