With all the talk about “zero evidence,” there seems to be “zero evidence” that Americans will unite after the media collectively called Joe Biden the President-elect of the United States. Immediate claims of voter fraud were accepted as fact by some Trump supporters even with no actual evidence to support those claims. President Trump and other Republicans say they have evidence, but that will have to be presented to the courts, and rightfully so if there is evidence of fraud that could overturn the election.
Every American should be for a fair and honest election. If there was widespread cheating that could change the results of the election, then that evidence deserves its day in court.
There is, however, the insistence that evidence of voter fraud benefiting Joe Biden exists; and while one side rejoices - the other side rejects the results.
Here is how voters feel about the election results:
* 51% are hopeful
* 53% are uneasy
* 41% feel sad or scared by the results
* 31% are angry
How voters for the winning candidate feel:
* 96% feel hopeful
* 74% feel proud
How voters of the losing candidate feel:
* 7% feel hopeful
* 90% feel uneasy
How voters who voted for the winning candidate feel about a good 1st term:
* 97% predict a good 1st term
How voters who voted for the losing candidate feel about a good 1st term:
* 15% predict a good 1st term
The aforementioned statistics are how voters felt in 2016 when Donald Trump was declared President-elect of the United States of America.
*(statistics from Presidential reaction and expectations: Pew Research Center - November 21, 2016)
What I heard while I hosted a special on WWL Radio with reaction to the news that Joe Biden had won and what I have heard from a few family members and friends indicate there may be little difference in the way voters felt about Donald Trump in 2016 and how voters feel about Joe Biden in 2020.
In 2016, the shocking reality that Donald Trump had defeated Hillary Clinton inspired anti-Trump demonstrations in cities across the country. In downtown Portland, OR, nearly 4,000 protesters smashed store windows and set a dumpster on fire as police used pepper-spray in an attempt to control the crowd. The Associated Press reported that protesters were shouting “we reject the president-elect.” The sales manager of a car dealership in Northeast Portland reported that 19 cars were vandalized.
The majority of the protesters were protesting peacefully, but it was an anarchist group that infiltrated their ranks and caused problems.
As angry as Trump supporters are in the wake of Joe Biden being declared President-elect, there is not the immediate violence that erupted from an anarchist group in 2016. It is fair to recognize that a group sparked violence in 2016, but that should not reflect on the entire protest. However, it is also fair to point out that people in the streets following Biden being declared President-elect seem to have been peaceful celebrations.
The parallels between the reaction to Trump winning in 2016 and Biden being declared the winner in 2020 are impossible to ignore. As predicted on my talk show in New Orleans, the hypocrisy is ripe with one group that instinctively refuses to accept the outcome of an election. In 2016 it was the belief that the Trump campaign cheated, and 4 years later we see equal skepticism of election results.
Of course, each side will say their complaints are righteous, but it is human nature, especially in current-day America, to not consider that a majority of the country does not share your political ideology and the idea that your side is not shared by all is met with condemnation.
Let the actual evidence speak for itself. Regardless of the ultimate outcome - we should do a better job of coming together and acting like Americans - even if we don’t always get our way.
