Green Party candidate Jill Stein, out of an abundance of concern about the electoral process in the country, launched a bid to force recounts in key states in the Rust Belt over the last fortnight. In the end, it was for naught, but it sure raised the hackles of quite a few people, both on the Left and the Right.
First of all, despite her avowed concern for the process, her actual motivation has been the subject of some speculation. She claimed, and continued to claim, that she wanted to ensure that the process was legitimate. Despite the fact that she received around one percent of the vote nationally and therefore had no vested interest in the outcome of the recounts -- which would have benefitted Cankles, only -- she persisted with her stance that the process had to be safeguarded, and that the best way to do that was to have recounts.
Critics were quick to point out flaws in the argument, beside the obvious one that there was no reason for her to ask for the recount given her placing in the national election. First, Ms. Stein only sought recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, three key battleground states that most pundits thought would go to Cankles. She didn't ask for recounts in any states that went to Cankles, nor did she ask for recounts in other states that went to Mr. Trump. Just those three.
Then she asked for hand counting of the ballots. Besides being an arduous task, it's also a time-consuming task, which cynics claimed was the real reason for seeking the recount. If the recount were to last past a particular date when results had to be certified by the Electoral College, then those states' votes wouldn't be counted, and in theory, that would reduce the amount of votes Mr. Trump received. Call it a political four-corner stall that aims to run out the clock, denying the American public the President it wants.
Another theory is that the fundraising being done by Ms. Stein really just lines the coffers of the Green Party, and erstwhile political entity more accurately described as a gadfly. Certainly, with the states ponying up the money to conduct the recounts, the funds raised aren't helping defray those costs. So there could be some merit to those charges.
Yet, the recounts were blocked in Michigan and Pennsylvania, while in Wisconsin an odd thing occurred: Probably against what Ms. Stein and her lackeys thought, Mr. Trump actually increased his lead against Cankles. And adding irony to the outcome, there are reports that irregularities have been identified with vote totals in the Cankles stronghold of Wayne County, where in some precincts the actual vote totals exceed the number of registered voters in the precinct. The Law of Unintended Consequences strikes again.
Meanwhile, the demand for a recount, although welcomed by the coastal elites who feel that it was impossible for Cankles to lose, has rankled those in the three states that are the focus of the recount because the bill for the recount reaches into the millions of dollars, money that could otherwise be spent more fruitfully on problems plaguing those states. This is having a negative impact even among those who voted for Cankles. Why, they ask, is Ms. Stein forcing us to pay for a recount that won't benefit her one bit?
Because, in all likelihood Ms. Stein is a proxy for Cankles who, having publicly stated that she would abide by whatever the results of the election were, has, according to some reports, been secretly looking for ways to contest the election since the results came in. By using Ms. Stein as her Charlie McCarthy and staying out of the limelight, she insulates herself from criticism as a hypocrite. And just as she did with Bernie Sanders, she's probably promised some sort of consideration to Ms. Stein for doing this for her.
Wags claim that the recount allows Cankles to be the first person to lose a presidential election twice.
Cynics claim this is business as usual.
But the cruel fact is that even if it confirms Mr. Trump's win, this does nothing for the process, or for the country, or for our democracy.
It's tawdry and selfish.
Cankles and her minions just need to go away.
I hear Cuba has some nice beaches...
(c) 2016 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
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