Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brazenly announced on Nov. 10, “There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.” His announcement sent out “shock waves,” said one news anchor. Had Pompeo lost his mind? Was he ready for a padded room complete with a straitjacket?
Not quite. This was just a blatant attempt to “test the waters” for a coup that would establish a dictatorship in the U.S. Pompeo’s incredible pronouncement flies in the face of all electoral facts, and he knows that.
On the same day as Pompeo’s seemingly bizarre statement, Attorney General Bill Barr announced that he was authorizing the Justice Department to investigate allegations of voter fraud in the election. This is ridiculous.
The New York Times announced that it had called election officials in every state and were told no evidence of voter fraud had been found. International observers have also concluded that Trump’s voter fraud claims are “baseless.” Even the Department of Homeland Security has declared the 2020 election to be the “most secure ever.”
The latest vote count has Biden with over 77 million votes and Trump with 72 million. Biden has also beaten Trump in the Electoral College arena—decisively. The vote margins are too immense for this nonsense to have any credibility except in the minds of the followers of the ultra-right. Trump is behind by tens of thousands of votes in multiple states.
Moreover, even if Trump beat Biden in the four states where votes are still being counted, that still would not give him the needed electoral votes nor the popular vote.
Talk of stealing an election abounds among the far-right, but this is exactly what Trump is trying to do with his frivolous lawsuits—steal the election. He would if successful, be the only candidate in U.S. history to assume the executive office after twice losing the popular vote.
Trump has already lost the popular vote by 5 million votes, and he still wants to be president. This is beyond the absurd and, if not for the seriousness of the situation, would be downright ludicrous.
Concerns of people of color
What is also concerning to people of color, however, is the fact that even though he lost, Trump still garnered 72 million votes. This writer, in off-the-cuff conversations with people on the street, was asked how Trump could receive such a huge number of votes when at best he should have gotten, as one person said, only a “few thousand.” Well, we can never underestimate the pull of racism. But not only was Trump an extreme racist; he was also a misogynist, a sexist, and a crude, coarse, vulgar nascent fascist promoter of the worst in American culture. He brought out the lowest and most base feelings in sections of the white population most heavily influenced by racism.
Trump, while not winning the popular vote, became president in 2016 because he garnered the majority of the white vote. No Democratic candidate for president since the 1960s has received more than 42% of the white vote. White voters, because of the influence of racism, left the Democratic Party in large numbers after President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights and Civil Rights Acts.
Not the majority, but far too many white voters still adhere to the idea of white supremacy, which is actually harmful to the interests of the entire working class which requires unity if it is to overcome its oppression by the ruling class in this country.
Secondarily, either because of or in spite of his most vulgar sexism, as illustrated by his infamous Billy Bush x-rated interview on how to “approach” women, 53% of white women, nonetheless, voted for him. This has never ceased, if true, to amaze this columnist. This has always been mindboggling, but for the ever-present banner of racism paraded in so many different ways by Trump. This figure has been cited again and again without any refutation.
So much of this election took place in the realm of dystopia. For example, some of the areas of the country hardest hit by the coronavirus were the strongest in support of Trump. Again, this makes little sense in that regard, except for the draw of racism.
In the minds of so many people of color is the question of how the huge numbers of white Trump voters can be reached, as they will still be with us post-election, falling prey to ideas and ideologies that hold everyone back.
Also, to be noted is the inconsistency of large pockets of white voters, in some sections of the country, who twice cast ballots for Obama but then voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020.
In contradistinction to these fickle voters, Black voters and Native American voters consistently vote Democratic in their majority.
Trump’s lawsuits meant to promote conflict
But back to Trump and his lawsuits, which are meant to stoke civil unrest. There has so far been no success for the losing White House executive. There is also the likelihood that he may even refuse to concede at the end of the legal process.
But Trump and his cohorts must accept the will of the people and retire quietly into the night. It is beyond time for them to stop the nonsense and accept a peaceful transition of power.
The people have spoken. Trump shall not be imposed on us again.
His supporters say “Four more years.” The people say, “No more years.”
As with all op-eds published by People’s World, this article reflects the opinions of its author.
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