Did Mike Pence “Follow the Constitution”?
On stage at the first Republican debate the other night the anti-Trumpers sided with Mike Pence with lines like,
“Mike followed the Constitution” and “Mike did his duty.” In my opinion, whether he did or not is nuanced, not black or white.
Why is it that the Democrats can bend (and BREAK) and interpret laws, regulations and the Constitution itself with impunity but Republicans can’t?
Why do you think Trump’s opponents for the 2024 nomination are coming down on the side of “Mike did the right thing?” when if you pressed them in a sidebar conversation, each would either willingly or be forced to admit that there is ambiguity in the process by which electoral college votes are processed. (Should you wish to read a thorough analysis of just how ambiguous and problematic this issue is, I refer you to the Hoover Institute’s excellent analysis on the subject entitled: “Who Counts?: The Twelfth Amendment, the Vice President, and the Electoral Count” available here.)
The bottom line of Hoover’s argument is: 1) Indeed, the Vice President has the authority to resolve disputes concerning electoral votes; 2) The Electoral Count Act of 1887 is unconstitutional but 3) the fact that the states certified the election results (hastily, improperly and unconstitutionally) and thus the electors themselves, the presentation of alternative slates of electors by numerous states was moot.
In short, the governors (e.g. Brian Kemp of Georgia) who allowed the results and electors to be certified out of fear, coercion, cowardice, or whatever…THEY are to blame for not exerting their authority to thwart the illegal election processes. THEY are to blame for allowing their fear of COVID to alter constitutional and legal processes for conducting the elections in their states.
Thus, Mike Pence may not, according to Hoover, have had the authority to do anything but count the votes as he received them.
BUT IF HE HAD HAD REAL COURAGE, IF HE HAD NOT COW-TOWED TO THE VOICES DEMANDING HE DO NOTHING ELSE BUT COUNT THE VOTES….HAD HE SAID, AT THE RISK OF BRINGING DOWN OVERWHELMING LEFTIST IRE ON HIMSELF, “WAIT A MINUTE! THERE ARE LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS REGARDING THE LEGITIMACY OF THIS ELECTION. LET’S PAUSE AND TAKE A FEW DAYS TO REVIEW WHAT HAS HAPPENED HERE”, the result might have been the same, i.e. the LEFT/DEMOCRATS would have still prevailed because the damage had already been done and there was no putting the toothpaste back into the tube. And due to our processes of adjudicating disputes small and large, the painstaking and foot-dragging processes that the Democrats count on would have meant we really would have a Constitutional crisis. But at least he wouldn’t like so many other political weaklings, have bent over backwards around and up his own posterior end to “just move on”.
And we have a constitutional crisis ANYWAY!!! If you don’t think we’re in crisis now, your head is buried in the sand or you’ve been asleep for the last 6 years!
The Democrats will not hesitate for an instant to lie, cheat, steal, deflect, demean, digress, dissemble, distract, bludgeon, shout-down, unitedly marshal their forces in the pursuit of power, money and advancing their warped and destructive ideologies.
So when Trump’s opponents buy into the anti-Trump rhetoric in order to be more likeable to the independents, they demonstrate why politics is such a dirty, disgusting enterprise. Exhibit A: Chris Christie is the archetype of the political swamp rat…he is our Al Sharpton, our Jesse Jackson, our Sheila Jackson Lee, our Stacy Abrams. Except that he’s willing to eat his own in order to gain power and money. They, on the other hand, clearly reflected the views of their lemming Leftist followers and had no need to contravene their leaders. But the act is the same. Shrill, disjointed, lacking basis in fact, but with great production (i.e. sound-bite) values!
So where does this leave us? I honestly can’t predict what will happen between now and November 2024 but I can almost certainly guarantee that A LOT WILL!
Keep those seat belts fastened.
