AndyO Blog

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Winners know when to concede

Trump’s inability to accept defeat in the 2020 election is a national embarrassment. It’s true that there’s an American ideal to keep fighting, but there’s a point when the battle is over. We’re way past that point now, and all the lies Trump and his team continue to tell are damaging to our democracy.

One trait that defines real leadership is the ability to accept defeat. And if you’re someone who has any experience, you’ve probably experienced more losses than wins. In the political arena, all you have to do is look at Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Al Gore—hell, even Richard Nixon. They all knew when it was time to concede, because it was about more than them or their campaigns. 

Someone like Trump doesn’t understand this, because he’s always lied, cheated, and bullied to get his way. And for the most part, it’s worked for him. Despite all the bankruptcies, not paying contractors, and paying off adult film stars for their silence, he became President of the United States. Someone forgot to tell him that a president is not a king.

Fortunately, even when we see the president trying to overturn an election without any proof, we see our system of checks and balances working correctly—we see people standing up election integrity. The rule of law is what separates the United States from authoritarian governments. It’s not about whether you’re a Republican or Democrat; when it comes to elections, we need to honor the will of the people. Especially when it doesn’t go your way.

I never expected Trump would be gracious in defeat, but I did expect him to show modicum of decency for the office. I still remember his victory speech in 2016, how there was an inkling of hope that he could be presidential. If only he could show a degree of maturity now, instead of riling up all the people who believe him because he’s the president.   
posted by AndyO @ 11:03 PM   0 comments

Monday, November 23, 2020

Thanksgiving: The Perfect Storm

I just read COVID-19 cases increased 14% week over week—just before many people ignore the CDC’s warning about large Thanksgiving gatherings. The sense of calm that we had is about to be annihilated. I fear the exponential increase in the virus is going to feel like a nuclear bomb going off, as health care workers can no longer cope with the influx of patients. 

People who ignored the warnings won’t understand why they can’t get the care they need: people who did heed the warnings will be just as confused. And a lot of people are going to die who didn’t need to. But that’s been going on for a while now. Even if this is some new proof of Darwin’s theory of natural selection (“survival of the fittest”), it’s still going to be sad and devastating.

It also seems to be a reverse example of mass hysteria. In this case, people don’t believe the virus is that bad—or that it even exists. Just like how Trump said he won the election.

Speaking of which, Trump still hasn’t conceded. But he’s running out of options to continue the charade.




posted by AndyO @ 12:08 AM   0 comments

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Apocalypse Trump

It’s been nearly three weeks since the election, and still Trump hasn’t conceded. His legal challenges have all been thrown out, so now he’s trying to overturn state results by pressuring officials. His lawyer Giuliani is traveling around filing lawsuits, and giving press conferences that border on psychotic.

Rudy Giuliani melting under the lights

 

While I expected this of Trump, I didn’t think he’d be so blatantly authoritarian in his pursuits. The Republicans who have enabled him need to step up and put an end to this. Because this is extremely dangerous to our democracy—an attempted coup. And those who don’t take this seriously need to look at history, because this is how dictatorships start.

As if this isn’t stressful enough, COVID-19 is back. Big time. 250,000 deaths and more on the way. No Thanksgiving. No Christmas. No New Year’s celebrations. Except for the MAGA true believers.

But at least two vaccines look promising.
posted by AndyO @ 9:58 PM   0 comments

Monday, November 09, 2020

Biden elected 46th President

We had the election last Tuesday, and as expected, it took a while to get the results. Republicans and Democrats alike were on edge, as poll workers counted votes, and TV networks didn’t know what to do. It came down to the swing states again: Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, Nevada, and Arizona. Trump won Florida and Ohio; Biden won the rest. Georgia and North Carolina are still a toss up. But Biden has 279 Electoral votes vs. Trump’s 214. The election has been called.

 
 Except nobody told Trump. 
 
He’s contesting the results. The problem is his rhetoric about a “rigged” election is dangerous. People listen to the president—or at least 70 million Americans do. The peaceful transfer of power is dependent upon both parties agreeing with the results. But Trump can’t see himself as a loser, and has turned to litigation to air his conspiracy theories.

Meanwhile, Biden is acting as the president-elect, even if Trump continues to throw tantrums until he’s asked to leave. 

That Republicans continue to enable and normalize Trump’s behavior is what’s especially shocking. Things won’t get better until they stop indulging him in this sad game. 
posted by AndyO @ 11:59 PM   0 comments