USA Elections: “Peaceful transfer of power”
Donald Trump’s victory at the US presidential elections stunned his opponents, his followers, the leadership of the Republican and Democratic parties, the academic establishment, the media, and the entire world. It was a mess. There hasn’t been an election like this in America’s living memory. You had to “pinch yourself” to make sure you were wide awake and not having a nightmare.
Was Donald Trump himself similarly stunned, shocked or surprised? To the last day he announced to the crowds at his every rally, over and over and over, that “THE ELECTION IS RIGGED!” What did he mean? Did he know something the listening crowd didn’t know? Was this the verdict he expected—and if so was it because of the rigging or in spite of it?
Trump started these rigging announcements way back in the early days of the Republican primaries. At that time he specifically accused the Republican party leadership, whose distaste for his style was on public record, of attempting to rig him out of the contest. After he demolished all 14 opponents and won the party nomination—against all odds—he broadened his accusation. The villain was no longer the Republican party leadership but “the entire system.” The electoral system was rigged, he announced repeatedly. It is “one big fix . . . one big, ugly lie.” “The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary—and also at many polling places.” And he called on his followers to resist.
Some of Trump’s followers said if Hillary Clinton won—through a “stolen election”—there might be “another Revolutionary War.” “People are going to march on the capitols. They’re going to do whatever needs to be done to get her out of office, because she does not belong there.” Even assassination was not beyond consideration: “If push comes to shove and she has to go by any means necessary, it will be done.”
Trump stoked the fires of “resistance” when he refused to say that he would accept the election results unconditionally, as is the custom. He would, he said, decide when the time comes; meanwhile he would keep everyone “in suspense.” As controversy raged, he announced that he would accept the results only if he won.
The nation was aghast. The entire establishment—political, academic and media—spoke up with one voice: Trump was undermining the very foundations of American democracy, the “free and fair elections” with which its flag flies high above the world. American elections, they said, are never rigged. Yes, there are occasional electoral malpractices; but these are small, rare and inconsequential. They have never affected the outcome of any election.
Really? Not in Florida in 2000? Or Ohio in 2004? Or Illinois in 1960? The “hanging chads,” “butterfly ballots,” illegally purged electoral lists and the Supreme Court’s pro-Republican halting of the vote recount in Florida in 2000?
Trump turned a deaf ear to the reprimands and lectures from the establishment. And if he was aware of these “small, rare” electoral malpractices which affected the outcome of a presidential election, he was evidently unimpressed. He put up no counter-argument but simply kept on announcing that the election was rigged.
Trump’s rhetoric called down threats of violence; and people were on edge as they crawled in long lines toward the polling booths on election day.
When the FBI Director announced a fresh investigation of Hillary’s emails 11 days to election day, he empowered Trump to reduce Hillary’s 11-point lead to within 3 points. Two days before elections the same FBI Director announced that his renewed investigation yielded no new facts and that the original verdict of “no criminal offence” still stood. But the damage had been done. Still, Hillary had the edge—which is why everyone was stunned when the electronic board kept putting Trump ahead. By 2 a.m. it was all over.
So, what on earth happened? Was it a clever coding of the computers that gave the victory to Trump—with his prior knowledge, or without? The establishment—from the President to the party leaderships, the academics and the media—everyone has been scrupulously silent on this question. To even whisper the issue publicly is to hit your head against the stone wall of American democracy. The entire concern now is to help equip Trump for the tasks of the office. If he won the office unjustly, that is now for the history books.
The nation’s most important electoral duty is the “peaceful transfer of power.” Who the power is transferred to is much less important. Sorry, the system is “not perfect.” Innocent mistakes are sometimes made. Errors of judgment. And, yes, even fraud. All are admissible. But the work of one nation and governance must go on.
All of which means that the ongoing nation-wide protests of Hillary’s sympathizers—men, women and children walking or in wheel chairs, including frightened minorities who are already under physical attacks and intimidation by a resurgent white nationalism, racism and xenophobia—these will fizzle out in a week or two, and the tough task of living and succeeding under the Trump Dispensation will begin.
Onwuchekwa Jemie