The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
We instinctively know that the fractious 2020 election is horrendous for our country. It perfectly represents destructive division.
As one of several conspiracy theories, Donald Trump began his mantra of a potentially corrupt election months ago, in case he lost. Trump routinely calls anything critical of him a hoax, witch hunt, fraud or a scam. This is no different, but far more consequential.
He especially attacked mail-in balloting, claiming that those ballots would be fraudulently cast in various ways; discarded, forged, counterfeited, but only against him. It was accelerated closer to Election Day. Millions voted early because of threatened election fears.
On election night, Trump announced that he had won, knowing that mail-in ballots had not all been counted. No votes should be counted after midnight of Nov. 3, he stated. The election was rigged, illegal and should be potentially challenged to the highest courts in the land.
Over 30 lawsuits have been filed in numerous states, almost all rejected as without merit. Now he is blaming voting machines.
Trump would not concede then, now or ever.
Imagine a football team losing by 14 points and the losing coach claiming he had won. The refs cheated, he said. The time clock was wrong. He insisted that every play be reviewed by instant replay.
No significant errors were found. The coach still insists that he won, and his team’s fans rebel. He threatens further action and makes more fallacious claims. Ridiculous, you say? It is what Donald Trump is doing. Being a loser is his worst imaginable fate.
It’s been said that when a severe malignant narcissist goes down, they take everything down with them. That is happening now.
Because Trump claims the election was fixed, as he did in 2016, he hopes to convince others it is true. Misery loves company. About 70% of his followers actually believe him, which only widens the vast political and sociological chasm.
What better way to get revenge than to bring down a whole country? It gives Trump immense power, of the worst kind. If he wants a different sort of power, of the best kind, he could exercise it immediately. He could go before the American people, speak from the heart to truly make America great and unite the country.
This is what he could say:
“Fellow Americans, it is difficult for me to lose. No one likes a sore loser and that is what I have been. I have used conspiracies, blaming, fear, anything, to win. It is time to stop and evaluate.
“Although I received 74 million votes, second most ever, I received 6 million fewer than Joe Biden. Although some state races were close, I lost those after recounts.
“Joe Biden has 306 electoral votes. I lost the election the same way I won it in 2016. Reluctantly, I must admit that Mr. Biden won the election.
“To further question the results would be counterproductive. We must put out this forest fire and move positively ahead as a nation. Sometimes we lose, even when we have done our best .
“I will do my best to support Mr. Biden during the transition and after the inauguration. It is the least I can do and the best I can do. Let us truly be the great country that we can be. We have many big challenges, and those will not be conquered unless we work together.”
Can you imagine the effect this would have? It would be immediate and lasting, leaving an enduring historical legacy. Any chance of this happening?
