Around 2:30 in the morning on November 9, 2016, Hillary Clinton called Donald Trump to congratulate him and concede the election.
Later that same day, with her husband Bill behind her, and a crowd of her campaign staff and supporters in the audience, she publicly did the same thing. Eyes welling up with tears, she stood there and showed the nation what it’s like to be a patriot. This is how we do it in the United States of America:
“Last night, I congratulated Donald Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of our country. I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans. This is not the outcome we wanted or we worked so hard for, and I’m sorry that we did not win this election for the values we share and the vision we hold for our country.”
You battle and fight hard to win, but in the end, if the votes don’t end up in your favor, you do the right thing for the country. Of course, it’s not easy. Nobody likes to lose, especially when you’re trying to win the presidency, the highest office in the land, and the rest of the world. But when it’s time, it’s time.
In those immediate hours after it was clear that Hillary had lost, there were some over at the Fox News far-right echo chamber ridiculing her for waiting too long to concede. She’s a sore loser, some of them said. What’s she waiting for? Give it up, Hillary. You lost! It’s time to move on.
Let’s flash forward now to 2020. Here we are, nearly two weeks since major media outlets declared that Joe Biden is the apparent winner and President-elect. And the current White House occupant has still not conceded.
Why? What’s the reason? Is he hurt? Is he angry and distraught? Emotional? What is he, some kind of snowflake? Please, Fox News, and the rest of the radical right media world, why are you not calling on this dangerous and lunatic man to do the right thing and concede? Just as you did when the ‘female candidate’ took a few hours to do the same four years ago.
We all know the answer. It’s called hypocrisy. The right-wing crowd has the market cornered when it comes to the double-standard. And, in true Republican Party fashion, when it comes to winning and losing, rubbing someone’s nose in a loss is the preferred method of how things are done these days. Maybe you’ve heard the term “spiking the football?”
That’s what they did in 2016. Now, though, when it’s their cult leader who’s on the losing end, he has every right, according to them, to use the courts to make sure every vote was legally cast. I’m sure they would have stood by Hillary if she had done the same.
Yeah, sure they would have. Seriously, though, the vote was much closer in 2016, and by the far-right standard, she would have been well within her rights to challenge the results.
But Hillary chose not to. Because she believes a peaceful transition preceded by a gracious concession is a hallmark of the norms and traditions our democracy depends on — since the beginning of our republic.
Until now, of course.
Because now, we have, as Eugene Robinson of The Washington Post referred to in an article a couple of days ago, The Mad King in charge. That’s an apt description for sure. He thinks he’s a king, and he’s undoubtedly mad – literally, as well as figuratively.
To the far-right loonies, it’s okay. To the current spineless Republicans in Congress, we need to give him some space to blow off steam. Eventually, this will all end; some of them are saying. The election will be certified, and we’ll have a nice peaceful transition.
Bullshit.
The incoming administration can’t even get intelligence briefings due to the Trump stooge over at the General Services Administration (GSA) not ‘ascertaining’ that Biden is the winner.
And even more troubling, they aren’t receiving any information about plans surrounding the Covid-19 vaccine distribution, which the new administration will be in charge of implementing.
It’s a dereliction of duty and honor to this country, the likes of which we’ve never seen before. Well, that’s not true, to be honest. We’ve seen it over and over since the Mad King’s been in charge since 2017.
Now when we need members of Congress to grow a spine the most, they sit on their asses and head home for the holiday – not before confirming another unqualified far-right judge, of course. Once again, shame on them for letting this charade continue.
Let’s be honest, folks, the biggest snowflake in the world isn’t a liberal. It’s the Mad King himself, barricaded in the White House – settling scores, spewing conspiracy theories, and scorching everything he can to screw over the incoming administration.
Enough, please, with the kid-glove treatment of the petulant little man. He lost – handily. Get over it, GOP, and do your job for the American people and the Constitution you swore to protect and honor. Eighty million of us have had enough.
On The Fence Voters 
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