The Election Show: Transfer of Power

Earlier this week Donald Trump indicated that he would not move forward with a  peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election to Joe Biden. The only surprising thing about this statement is that anybody is surprised by this.

But in contrast, the Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution reaffirming its commitment to a peaceful transition of power in the wake of President Donald Trump's refusal to do so if he loses the election.

The measure, authored by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, warns, in part, "Whereas any disruption occasioned by the transfer of the executive power could produce results detrimental to the safety and well-being of the United States and its people ..." and ends saying that the Senate "intends that there should be no disruptions by the President or any person in power to overturn the will of the people of the United States."  Trump, stood by his comments first made Wednesday night,  even as the White House tried to back peddle. 

Here is the thing. From the moment he became a national political figure Donald Trump has sought to weaken American democracy and break down the norms, rules and indeed laws that have framed American politics for decades. At every turn too many in the Democratic leadership and punditry have expressed surprise and ensured the American people that Trump would be stopped by something-the Hamilton electors, the Mueller report, winning back the House, the impeachment process. This naïve desperate belief has been an unwitting handmaiden to the democratic rollback that has defined the Trump presidency.

Democrats and progressives must meet this latest announcement by Trump, in which he elucidated something that should have been obvious to any observer, not with statements of shock and pious Tweets about the American way, but by preparing for a struggle for the future of American democracy that will endure well beyond the election. Democrats, progressives and anybody who believes American democracy is worth fighting for must be prepared to peacefully and persistently demonstrate for all the votes to be counted, for the outcome to be respected and Donald Trump to be forced to leave office if he loses. If we are not willing to do this Donald Trump’s dishonest lawyers, packed Supreme Court and armed thugs will destroy American democracy.

 A blog by Lincoln Mitchell, co-host of The Election Show