Donald Trump made history when he said at the third debate that he might not accept the will of the electorate on November 8th. It was an unprecedented show of disrespect for the principles the country was built upon.
It also was completely irrelevant to the operations of democracy.
Trump doubled down on the statement at a campaign rally the next day: “I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States, that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election – if I win.“
Here is a news flash for Mr. Trump: Democracy does not require your approval. It operates based on “the will of the people,” not any one person. The collective decision making of the country is called “free elections” and your views on it are wholly irrelevant.
You seem to have confused this system with one where a single person makes all of the decisions for the nation regardless of what the public wants. That is called a dictatorship. (Your pal Vladimir can fill you in on the details of how that operates). Your misunderstanding isn’t a surprise, as you have failed to show any understanding of how our nation actually works.
You apparently believe that Hillary Clinton as First lady had the authority to stop people (like you) from importing Chinese Steel into the USA to construct office towers; or that as one of 100 Senators, she had the power to change the tax code to stop you from writing off the billion dollar business losses; or that as a member of the legislative branch of government she controlled how the United States prosecuted the war in Iraq.
This goes beyond a slip of the tongue; it leads people to believe you have a fundamental misunderstanding of how the US government works and are wholly unfamiliar with the U.S. Constitution, American history — or even how a bill becomes a law.
Here’s how we roll in America: On November 8th, voting will come to an end, and the tally will be added up. The various Secretaries of State or other suitable election official will certify the election for their state or territory; electoral college votes will be tallied, and the next president of the United States will be determined. (You may find the graphic below helpful).
Here is the thing: Your personal opinion on this election is wholly irrelevant to its outcome.
As some of your advisors have fruitlessly tried to explain to you, this is the fundamental difference between a democratic system of self-rule (our democracy) and a dictatorship. Your opinion, indeed, any one persons opinion, is meaningless to the outcome.
The only thing your opinion will affect is how the country, indeed, the world, perceives you. Your opinion as to the outcome of this election is something that will be between you and your shrink, but no one else will give a flying fig about it.
You may wish to keep us in suspense, but — spoiler alert! — we already know how this story ends: The villain, punished by his own hubris, having wildly overreached his own grasp, lives out the rest of his final days in ignominy.
click for ginormous graphic
Source: USA.gov
