January 6, 2021 – Racism, White Supremacists and Donald Trump’s Attempted Coup
This is the date that Congress receives the votes for President of the United States from the Electoral College; it’s traditionally a largely ceremonial event of the passing of power to the new American President. The American people voted for Joe Biden by nearly 7 million votes. https://www.cfr.org/blog/2020-election-numbers Biden’s state-by-state victories were certified by the designated election authorities. The Electoral College voted for Joe Biden by a margin of 306 to 232. https://www.cfr.org/blog/2020-election-numbers Still Trump refuses to concede his broad and decisive loss; he lost in the cities; he lost in the suburbs; he won in rural areas and small towns, particularly in many Southern and Great Plains states. Biden received over 81 million votes and Trump over 74 million – the biggest turnouts in over a century, and a real triumph for our democracy.
Donald Trump and his attorneys have been trying to reverse his defeat by American voters at the polls by finding a favorable ruling from a judiciary, which he has appointed in large numbers. So far he has lost every case. https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-campaign-lawsuits-election-results-2020-11 In the most recent case, the federal District Court for the Eastern District of Texas turned down the effort of the Representative Louie Gohmert (R. Texas) and the Trump campaign to make VP Mike Pence the ultimate decider of this election. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/2/us-judge-dismisses-lawmaker-case-against-pence-over-vote-count The integrity of the judicial system has stood stalwart. Representative Gohmert is now calling for street violence after his lawsuit lost in both the District Court and Court of Appeals. https://news.yahoo.com/rep-gohmert-calls-street-violence-183409939.html
Trump has tried to no avail to persuade state legislative leaders and state elected officials to overturn his losses at the ballot box. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-strategy/trumps-election-power-play-persuade-republican-legislators-to-do-what-u-s-voters-did-not-idUSKBN27Z30G That speaks well for the devotion to constitutional values of Republican elected officials, like Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, in the five swing states. https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/03/politics/donald-trump-brad-raffensperger-call-washington-post/index.html I just finished listening to the one hour call between Trump and Raffensberger where Trump threatens, cajoles, and bullies Raffensberger to find him 12,000 votes and call Georgia for Trump; Raffensberger and his attorney reply we have investigated your claims, and they are not accurate. For example, Trump and his attorney Cleta Mitchell claim that over 5000 dead people voted; Raffensbeger snd his attorney, Ryan Germany, reply “we investigated that and found two dead people voted.” Trump and Cleta Mitchell claim 4500 out of staters voted in the Georgia election. Raffensberger and Germany reply “that’s not accurate, we investigated that and these are people who moved out of Georgia to another state and then moved back to Georgia — some many years ago.” Trump claims votes are being shredded in Cobb County; Germany replies “we investigated that and the shredding is old paper work from many years ago.” Trump threatens Raffensberger and his attorney with criminal prosecution and the loss of the two Georgia Senate races unless he finds 12,000 votes and awards the state to Trump.
This week, Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama and Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri have indicated that they will ask Congress to overturn the decisions of the American voters. https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/532082-hawley-to-challenge-electoral-college-results-in-senate This is not altogether unprecedented. Back in 1876, there was a close election between Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes (a Civil War general from Ohio). Tilden, the Democratic Governor of New York, won the popular vote; however a back room deal gave the Democrats control of the South and the Republicans the Presidency. This led to the end of Reconstruction and the start of Jim Crow; it facilitated the terrorism of the KKK and a century of oppression of black Americans in the South. https://www.history.com/news/reconstruction-1876-election-rutherford-hayes
It should not escape the notice of anyone that Trump is complaining loudly over Twitter about the African-American vote against him in Milwaukee, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Atlanta. He ran a racist campaign in 2016 and once again in 2020; he governed as a racist for the past four years. He now enjoys the diehard support of white supremacists throughout the nation. He is encouraging the Proud Boys and other armed White Supremacist militias to gather in DC for a “wild time” on January 6, 2021. https://www.afr.com/world/north-america/missouri-senator-to-challenge-biden-s-victory-20201231-p56qyb
Representative Brooks has had a long and deep history of support for white supremacy and white nationalism. https://www.salon.com/2014/08/16/gops_post_racial_fantasy_secession_delusion_and_the_truth_about_americas_most_hateful_dividers/ He has support from at least 100 House Republicans for his effort to overthrow the democratic election of Joe Biden. They have each taken a solemn oath to defend the Constitution – a vow they are now breaking. They are individually and collectively making claims about our elections for which there is absolutely no factual basis – in other words lies. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/10/donald-trump-us-election-misinformation-media and https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/11/07/trump-fact-check-election-fraud-mh-vf-orig.cnn
Senator Josh Hawley is newer to the DC scene. His views have become very popular with the far right white supremacists; observers in his home state of Missouri describe him as a smooth, dangerous demagogue. https://metrostl.com/2019/06/11/jaco-the-potential-president-more-dangerous-than-donald-trump-josh-hawley/ and https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/josh-hawley/Content?oid=31780514 He now has the support of ten to twelve other Republican Senators in his efforts to overturn the decision of American voters. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2021/01/02/republican-senators-join-josh-hawley-election-objection/4113152001/ The Trump Administration’s key cyber security official stated this was the most secure election in American history; he was fired. Trump’s Attorney General said there was no evidence of widespread election fraud impacting the election; he was dismissed. Other leading Republican Senators are standing up to the efforts by Senators Hawley and Cruz and supporting the election results. https://www.businessinsider.com/romney-toomey-murkowski-oppose-gop-effort-to-contest-election-results-2021-1
Senator Ben Sasse (R. Neb.) has warned these efforts are a “loaded gun pointed at the heart of legitimate self-government”. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2021/01/01/ben-sasse-denounces-dangerous-ploy-overturn-election/4106964001/ Representative Adam Kinzinger (R. Ill.) called the effort a scam and a grift designed to deceive the American people to donating to Trump and his allies. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/27/kinzinger-trump-election-defeat-republicans-450826 Senator John Thune (R. SD) warned that the Trump efforts were futile and would go down like a shot dog. https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/531227-no-2-gop-senator-efforts-to-overturn-election-would-go-down-like-a-shot-dog Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has warned his Republican Senatorial colleagues of the political dangers of seeking to overthrow the democratic decision of the American voters. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/12/15/us/joe-biden-trump
An ex-Republican staffer to Mike Pence on national security is warning that Trump is inciting violence among his followers. https://www.businessinsider.com/ex-pence-aide-olivia-troye-fears-violence-january-trump-rally-2020-12 Trump is encouraging a large turnout of his most violent supporters on January 6. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1377172/trump-backers-look-to-last-stand-protest-on-january-6 Trump supporters like General Flynn and his attorney Sydney Powell have been meeting with the President and his staff in the White House, and Flynn is encouraging Trump to declare martial law to reverse the election results. https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/20/media/stelter-trump-martial-law/index.html And the military leadership is discussing what it would do and how it would respond if Trump tried to use martial law to stay in power. https://news.yahoo.com/military-alert-over-trump-martial-230200241.html All ten living Secretaries of Defense today warned against the use of the military to overturn the election of Joe Biden. https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/03/politics/trump-election-defense-secretaries-public-letter/index.html
I think this is a clown game that is discrediting Trump and his most loyal acolytes as they exit power. There is however a not insignificant danger of violence and bloodshed this week. We must all remember the names of those complicit in this dangerous game and assure that they live in shame, dishonor and obloquy for the remainder of their hopefully short tenures in the public life of our nation. We must honor and appreciate those who have stood up for our democratic values against Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the election.
Prepared by: Lucien Wulsin
Dated: 1/2/21