Disclaimer:  This is NOT about being pro-Democrat or anti-Republican.  To be honest, I am not a fan of either, but it’s pretty much all we have. 

Those of us in the military are used to being part of something bigger than ourselves.  We sacrifice our individual rights (and our egos, if we are doing it right) for the greater good.  We are taught from a relatively junior rank that leadership is about doing what is right for the group you are leading, not ourselves.  And yet here is our commander in chief, acting like a petulant child and being noticeably absent while a pandemic ravages his country.  The President’s refusal to concede an election he clearly lost has gone long past the unpleasant stink of sore loser and into the completely inescapable stench of attempted coup, and it’s disturbing on a few levels.

First and foremost, we have had a history of a peaceful transfer of power in this nation since pretty much our inception.  Even after bitter elections, where the candidates insulted each other’s policies, intellect, and genetics, when the dust settled there was a concession speech and an understanding of the will of the people.  Maybe not immediately, but within days of the race being called.  That transition is one of the things that kept us apart from other nations that appeared to be members in the “coup of the month” program, and yet our current President feels the need to dance all over that like an incontinent old man who needs to get to the bathroom.   The President contends that there was shenanigans to deny him a second term, which may be true (and here is the important part) if there is actual evidence.  However, the Prez and his legal strike farce have produced very little evidence of any widescale fraud, and certainly not enough to close any gap in any state he lost.  The only evidence they really have produced is that the President doesn’t understand the difficult concept of “facts,” and that Rudy Giuliani is quite possibly completely crazy, or at least in need of serious professional counseling.   For the highest office in the land, a Presidential temper tantrum seasoned with Rudy Giuliani rantings is not considered evidence.  (It is, however, entertaining.) 

Second, this is undermining our already suffering reputation on the world stage.  Even semi-literate goat herds in small undeveloped nations are at a loss.  “Really, Mr. President.  Eighty million is more than seventy four million; what is so hard to understand?”  There were probably a few illegal votes; I doubt there were six million.   Our allies are awkwardly smiling at us, wondering what is taking so long to figure out, and our enemies are flat out laughing as they figure out how to use this against us.  If that last part doesn’t scare you, you aren’t paying attention.

Third, this is a horrible lesson for (seemingly) adults to pass on to the young and impressionable.  “If you don’t get your way, whine and cry and lie and sue until you muddy the waters so much no one knows what to believe.”  If the kiddies see us doing it, must be ok, right?  We are going to pay for letting this go on as long as it did down the road.

And finally, while all indications are that common sense and election law will prevail, if one individual is this close to overturning an election, than one day someone else may try to get closer.  That does not bode well for the survival of our country’s republic.

Mr. President, I know this doesn’t have pictures, but if you are reading this, you got a lot of votes, and you should be proud of that.  In truth, you got more votes than any other presidential candidate in history, including President Obama, except one.  Unfortunately that one person who received more votes than you happened to be the one person you were running against, so in accordance with the rules of just about every free election ever conducted, you LOSE, sir.  Let me put this in terms that even you can understand.  YOU’RE FIRED.

There is at least one positive to take out of this soap-opera turned democratic tragedy that was the past November.  One hundred and fifty four MILLION Americans voted.  That’s twenty four MILLION more people than voted just twelve years ago.  That tells me that more Americans cared enough to exercise their vote, both in absolute number and in percentage of registered voters, than every before.  That’s a good news story, because too many people don’t exercise their voting rights (and yet still bitch about the outcome).

I guess some people value the spotlight even at the cost of their dignity.