Donald Trump keeps confirming his place in history: the most divisive, destructive U.S. President ever.

Don’t take our word for it. A November Monmouth University poll revealed 70% of Americans believe we are more divided since Trump took office.

Trump’s divisiveness has been on full display since Election Day. Like a teenager with anger issues who cannot accept losing, Trump has flailed around with unsubstantiated charges of massive voter fraud.

Must have been massive fraud, indeed, since President-Elect Biden won a lopsided victory: roughly the same electoral-vote margin as Trump’s in 2016 (which he declared a landslide), and over 7 MILLION MORE popular votes than Trump – who received nearly 3 million LESS than Hillary Clinton.

Come on, Man, as Biden would say. How many people – Democrats, Republicans and Independents – would have to be complicit to throw an election like that? How many states’ authorities, with knowledge, access, and willingness required, would have to join the conspiracies? How many would have to keep the schemes secret – to the point Trumpers can’t find enough evidence to satisfy any court?

Democrats (more accurately, Biden’s campaign) won this election. But historically, the Democratic Party hasn’t been able to organize effective resistance to Republicans’ governmental take-over – much less a massive election theft.

Trump’s shysters, led by Shyster-In-Chief Rudy Giuliani, have filed multiple lawsuits in multiple states, the vast majority withdrawn or rejected by judges (including Supreme Court justices) – many Trump appointees. Even Attorney General William Barr, normally a reliable Trump lackey, stated the Justice Department found no evidence of widespread fraud. Soon after, Barr resigned. Mere coincidence?

Texas’ Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton had the gall to sue four other states (GA, MI, PA, and WI), trying to invalidate their elections. TX is a big state, and Paxton’s ego even bigger – almost as big as Trump’s. Sadly, 19 other states’ GOP attorneys general, and 126 House Republicans (including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy), supported the frivolous lawsuit. So frivolous the Supreme Court, even with its conservative majority, dismissed it.

This native Georgia Moderate is outraged Paxton would butt into our business, declaring we don’t know how to manage our elections as well as him. ALL Georgians (and Michiganders, Pennsylvanians, and Wisconsinites) should be outraged, too – and stand up for our sovereignty.

So much for Federalism, the once-sacred GOP ideal: that states have the right to manage their own affairs, without interference from the federal – or other states’ – governments. But nowadays, nothing stops Trumpers from sacrificing EVERYTHING (principles, respect for law; i.e. patriotism) at the altar of Trump.

Thankfully, some Republicans had the backbone to resist this dangerous coddling of Trump’s fragile ego.

Georgia’s top officials, for example: Governor Brian Kemp, AG Chris Carr, Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, SOS Brad Raffensperger, and Voting System Implementation Manager Gabriel Sterling – all Republicans. Failures on other issues notwithstanding, here they displayed integrity under tremendous pressure.

All steadfastly defended Georgia’s election results as fair and accurate, and all were attacked by Trump and followers.

Raffensperger, lifelong Republican, received graphic death threats, because he ensured Georgians’ votes were counted fairly and accurately – three times, with recounts demanded by Trump. Many Trumpers in trucks, honking horns and yelling insults, paraded past Raffensperger’s home, trying to intimidate him.

Sterling, also Republican, received similar treatment, dismissing it as part of a “high-profile job”. But when a young voting systems technician was warned he “should be hung for treason”, Sterling bravely spoke out – condemning Trump and other Republicans, especially incumbent Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, for not speaking out against threats and overheated rhetoric.

Perdue and Loeffler, locked in tight run-off races for both GA senate seats, are pandering shamelessly to Trumpers. Both demanded Raffensperger’s resignation, since he wasn’t willing to sacrifice everything – his honor, integrity, and reputation – for Trump, like many Republicans are.

 

Kemp, surprisingly to many, was unwilling to do that, either. He defended Raffensperger and Georgia’s elections, then received death threats. At a “Stop the Steal” rally headlined by Trump, Perdue and Loeffler, a mob in MAGA hats chanted “lock him up”, their trademark insult – threatening Kemp.

A warning to all Republicans: no matter how long you’ve been GOP loyalists – it’s not enough to save you. Trumpers will turn on you, viciously, if you aren’t willing to sacrifice everything to prove your loyalty to him.

Sadly, threatening the innocent wasn’t the craziest tantrum among Trump fanatics. Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn (recently pardoned by Trump for lying to the FBI), among others, called for him to declare martial law and order the military to take over elections – and redo this one.

With some White House insiders leaking concerns over Trump’s “delusional behavior”, America holds its collective breath, hoping and praying a vindictive Trump doesn’t destroy our beloved country on his way out.

Dangerous stuff, Moderates. Trump and his henchmen are trying to undo the will of the American people, who elected Biden in a free, fair election. We must remain vigilant, strong and united – until our will is honored and the duly-elected president sworn in.

 

 

Images: Google Images

Kemp and Trump: Wall Street Journal

Trump: slate.com

Trump and Biden: Fox News

Giuliani and Trump: USA Today

Barr and Trump: CNBC.com

Trump and Paxton: San Antonio Current

Raffensperger: Detroit News

Sterling: The New York Times

GA Senate Candidates: CBS News

Perdue, Trump, Loeffler: Yahoo Finance/AP

Trump and Flynn: USA Today