The coming storm
Leaders should lead. They should also set an example for those who take them at their word. The American people need to stop electing liars to office. Stop thinking about partisanship and think about what’s best for this country. After running Kevin McCarthy out of the speakership, the Republicans ended up with Mike Johnson, the absolute worst choice they could have made. If everyone on both sides of the aisle stopped fighting each other and figured out how to work together despite their differences, things in Washington would go much smoother. Now that Johnson is in power, however, he is doing everything he can to stir the proverbial pot. It is bad enough that he would not bring the House back to deal with two recent disasters, but now, he sounds like Donald Trump.
Johnson appeared on “Face the Nation” and said: “I think there is going to be some cheating in this election. I think non-citizens are going to vote.” Yet another Republican idiot. Not only do most states require identification, but it’s against the law to cast a vote in a federal election if you aren’t a legal U.S. citizen. Even though he understands this, Johnson said: “Of course it is, but here’s the problem. There’s a number of states that are not requiring proof of citizenship when illegals are noncitizens [and] register to vote. We know that’s happening.” We know no such thing. He is merely parroting Trump and trying to set up reasons to object if Trump loses the election.
To make matters even worse, Republican-led states are busily removing people from their rolls who they claim haven’t voted in recent years. The DOJ is involved, and voting rights groups are filing lawsuits. Just yesterday, the League of Women Voters in Virginia sued Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin for what they call “an illegal purge program” ahead of November. Their suit reads, in pertinent part: “Defendants’ Purge Program is far from … a well-designed, well-intended list maintenance effort. It is an illegal, discriminatory, and error-ridden program that has directed the cancelation of voter registrations of naturalized U.S. citizens and jeopardizes the rights of countless others.” According to AlterNet, this purging is part of Trump’s strategy. Some states, however, aren’t going for any nonsense about election fraud.
In Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp has made it clear that he and his election officials are “prepared for attempts to ‘find’ votes,” which is what Trump asked Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to do when he lost Georgia in 2020. According to USA Today, Kemp is among several Republican-led state leaders who said the votes will be counted and recorded as received. According to USA Today, several Republican leaders have already said they will not attempt to overturn the election no matter the outcome. In fact, Republican governors in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Virginia are all leaning toward Harris and said they will certify the results regardless of the winner. Any leader with half a brain is as sick of this nonsense as regular citizens. Just do your job, and if you can’t, find something else to do.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years