I can't say I have much fear about a civil war "as Trump term ends."
But what level of worry I have is because of the Democratic term beginning. My worry is the Democratic over-reaction. Much like their gross distortion of the president's speech before the Capitol Hill riot. Show me on the transcript where the Bad Orange Man incited violence. I see him calling for peaceful protests to demonstrate support. Some language was fiery. But in my adult life, Democrats did that all the time without complaint from the press.
Trump seems to be wrong about massive voter fraud. I conclude that from the lack of evidence as opposed to a list of apparently odd things that happened.
But was it outlandish to think that? Democrats spent four years claiming Trump was Orange Hitler who would rig the election. Yet Democrats would never ever commit voter fraud to stop a literal Hitler? So yeah, I thought it was possible the Democrats cheated on a large scale. Instead, with Biden's win Democrats say we had the most honest election ever. That's what I'm now to believe? Without question or doubt lest I be labeled a traitor?
I'm disappointed Trump didn't make the case for fraud in courts. But Democrats are wrong to say courts proved the election was clean. Cases were basically dismissed. But Trump's team did not prove fraud in
the time he had available. Game over.
The election process bears further scrutiny and
legislation is needed to close opportunities for fraud. Both sides should want to make the vote visibly secure. Right now, the losing side believes there was fraud. Both sides. That is not healthy. Mass voting by mail is a potential problem, most
obviously.
And as I said from the beginning,
Pence did not have the power to effectively declare Trump the winner. Trump is wrong about that (Unless I got that issue wrong, but I'm not convinced.)
Trump's legacy is tarnished. But I don't think he bears the majority of the fault over the last month or so.
The Democrats over-reacted to Trump taking advantage of means of contesting the election. In retrospect it was futile. But it was no coup attempt.
And recall four years of 24/7 turn-it-to-11 Resistance. Depressingly, the real election fraud may have been the relentless media and Democratic campaign to Resist Trump. Since 2016 they accused him of being Orange Hitler and his supporters of being Nazis. It's tough to overcome that kind of relentless propaganda.
That is what has really tarnished Trump. Without that Democratic campaign, the weeks after the election would have consisted of boring and failed efforts to prove fraud. And it would have ended with an orderly transfer of power. But as they have for four years, Democrats saved Trump from being the worst actor on the political stage.
The "new normal" could be gruesome and heighten our divisions. We have trying times ahead. And danger. But we should get through it with time.
I don't want to fall into the trap of the Resistance and their addled four-year fear of a Trumptatorship, search for hate "dog whistles," and mind reading. That said, the assault on conservative free speech is beyond anything liberals faced under Trump's verbal barrages. Yet the anti-conservative wave may very well ease off once liberal Trump Hysteria Condition fever breaks. It bears watching and keeping figurative powder dry just in case it doesn't.
We'll see. Rather than talk of "unity" from the new administration I'd rather here talk of "tolerance" of different political views. Unity can be compelled by force, after all. Or simply simulated by suppressing dissenting views by declaring dissent no longer celebrated or even allowed.
I will say blogging will be easier without having to defend Trump against constant asinine allegations from the left. Unless impeachment is an annual fundraising event for Pelosi.
