It is time for Idahoans to join together and face the facts: Donald Trump is blatantly trying to delegitimize the results of a proper general election in our country and the silence of any Idahoan is complicit.
The effective silence of the members of Idaho’s congressional delegation is thunderous. Their oath of office requires them to represent the interests of our nation, but instead Sen. Risch, Sen. Crapo, and Rep. Fulcher in lockstep repeated the mantra about needing to count every “legal” vote, which implies that the election results are fraudulent and fuels the Trump administration misinformation.
Of course, every legal vote should be counted, but their words show that they lack the courage to state the important truth for our democratic process: President-elect Biden’s margin of victory is too great for any recount or fair challenge to overturn the outcome.
Rep. Simpson’s no comment is just as complicit.
We need our congressional delegation to publicly call for Trump to accept the reality of losing, begin a smooth transition to the new administration, and to stop trying to steal a fair presidential election. Until they do, they are bowing to Trump and his insidious totalitarian efforts that threaten the foundation on which our sacred electoral process is based and the peaceful transition of power between parties, which has been a necessary and vital element of our country for 200 years.
Far from the law and order that Trump bellows about his presidency, his continued challenge of a fair election is promoting chaos and, in reality, lawlessness. He and those supporting the continued challenges to the election results seek to overturn the popular vote, overturn the electoral college process, and fabricate an unconstitutional, lawless takeover of the presidency.
In just two weeks Mark Fuller, chair of the Bonneville County Republican Party, went from stating in a column on this page — before the election results were in — that the “loyal opposition,” even if that included himself, should support the winning president to benefit the country to — now that Biden has won — a complete volte-face advocating overthrow of the Electoral College for state legislatures to direct electors to vote against the popular vote.
Fuller’s preferred path goes against the 1887 federal Election Count Act, which gives only governors the right to certify electors based on existing laws. Those laws had to be changed before the election. They weren’t. Fuller is fueling chaos and lawlessness. Right-wing extremists seize on such thinking, which the “Stop the Steal” rally in Boise illustrates.
Each of us who knows better, and that really includes all of us, needs to be willing to speak the truth that Trump’s continued push to overturn the election should stop.
The people have voted. Please vocalize to the Trump administration, to our congressional delegation, to our governor, in newspapers, and whatever other avenues you have available to you to let the voters’ will prevail. Our elected officials need to get on with addressing the interests of the people — not the interests of Donald Trump.
Pat Tucker is the chair of the Bonneville County Democratic Party.