Afraid of a Vote

When Hillary Clinton lost the presidential election to Donald Trump back in 2016, Republicans were quick to pounce on Democrats that Trump won and Democrats needed to “get over” losing the election. Republicans couldn’t wait to manipulate a reality show guy, sans “art of the deal” businessman, into getting what they wanted now that they had the White House, but, ah, the plans of mice and men, can sometimes go astray. It went quickly with Donald Trump. Republicans would promptly find out that Trump as president, didn’t listen to anyone except those with whom he came up the business ladder. Trump was a man that they couldn’t “control”, and with all of the power as president, Trump soon realized that he could (in his mind) do anything. And guess what, Republicans had two choices, either accept their “conservative” president or defy him when needed. Four years and an election later, we know how that turned out. Trump owned (and still does) the Republican Party and as long as the wave of voters (Tea Party) that came in 2010 remains as core Trump voters, Republicans in Washington and around the nation, have to do what Trump wants, or else. Ah, those best laid plans didn’t turn out to be. Four years later and because Republicans failed to put any kind of brakes on Trump’s MAGA plans, Republicans find themselves out of control in Washington. No House of Representatives, Senate and White House. All because Trump wanted to “do it my(his)way”, even though he is no longer a resident of New York. Trump and many Republicans in Washington and around the nation, “couldn’t get over it”, as they followed “their” Commander-in-Chief, lamenting the fact of a presidential loss and the numerous court challenges, even though Republican secretaries of state in Republican states, certified Joe Biden as the duly, elected president of these United States.

Republicans have since shown the world what sore losers that they are, when they made feeble attempts to “condemn” the January 6 riot at the Capitol that left dead and injured policemen and so-called protesters alike. Even before some Capitol police officers were laid to rest, Republicans were busy in state legislatures that they controlled, coming up with more measures to not “protect” the integrity of the voting process, but in actuality, to make it more difficult for those who don’t vote for them. That would mean Black/brown, poor people, the ones that Republicans never campaign to. Although, Republicans know that those votes are so important to winning. The 2020 presidential race revealed this in what they thought were winnable states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Georgia. Yes, Georgia. Republicans in Georgia are going about as far as they can without outlawing voting in certain areas of the state by passing sweeping voting changes, that will tighten, not expand voting in the state. When someone “tightens” something, you are at the same time restricting what you want to control. That is what Republicans want in Georgia, total control of the voting process, not anything like integrity. Integrity would soon get tossed out of the window when their own Republican secretary of state certified under penalty of law, that the presidential and the senate elections, were fair. How did Republicans reward one of their own? They ostracized him even after he was threatened and now they want to take away most his power when it comes to deciding elections. Remember, these were the people telling Democrats to get over losing.

The one thing about Georgia’s voting law that will leave historians having a field day in the future, is the part that makes it a crime to give food and water to voters who have to wait in long lines. Yes, in Georgia, that is a crime. Instead of doing something to decrease long lines, ensuring the “integrity” of the voting process, Republicans want voters to become disgusted at the process and not cast a ballot. When the opposition to the Republican Party decides to leave the line, Republicans win. At least, that’s what they are betting on. Do Republicans really believe that if someone is giving an individual a bottle of water or a sandwich, that act will somehow encourage that voter to switch their vote? How do they know which voter will change their mind? They don’t. To them, it would be best to get most, if not all to abandon their right to vote, simply because Republicans made it more difficult for them to vote. Now, that has to be a new low in America where the right to vote is not cherished. A simple gesture of American freedom is under attack. No foreign enemy is taking away Americans’ right to vote, nor is the Constitution. Just a group of individuals who wrap themselves in the flag with a gun in one hand and the Bible in the other, proclaiming that they are “God fearing” people. However, judging from their actions concerning access for all persons to vote, it appears that they fear the vote more than they fear The Almighty Himself. Remember, the world is watching. So is God.