To The Eagle:

Local conservative reactionaries can be relied upon to rant that a national health care program (socialist medicine!) and tax laws that would impel the hyper-rich to pay their fair share ( Marxist redistribution of wealth!) will “turn us into another Venezuela,” but what’s really making us look like a banana republic lately is the President of the United States using the power of his office to try to overturn, by any means necessary, the fair and democratic election that will remove him from office.

The integrity of this nation’s electoral system has made possible 44 peaceful transfers of power over 231 years. Now, El Presidente, aided and abetted by Trump-fearing, spineless state and federal legislators are attempting to stage a coup against the electorate. Republicans have been too willing to go too far in putting party over nation. Having failed to gerrymander and otherwise suppress enough Democratic votes to achieve victory, Republican quislings and their minions are now trying to throw the baby out with the bath water. If 2020 is teaching us anything, it’s that we need both stronger laws and a renewal of democratic ethics to ensure that every legal vote counts. How do we make sure this never happens again? Put civil servants instead of political hacks in charge of counting the votes and certifying the results. Strengthen state and federal election laws or amend the Constitution so there’s no possibility that a state legislature could override the vote count and appoint electors to the Electoral College, or just get rid of that outdated and increasingly absurd institution.

If what Trump, Sen. Graham and other top Republicans are doing isn’t felony election tampering, then rewrite the criminal code to make it so. Trump is clearly abusing his power as president. Impeach him. Again. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Eighty million citizens have stepped up and done something. The right thing.

JB Bouchard

Puget Island