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The Take:The election actually will be called today and why we should worry about right wing violence after Trump's abhorrent presser
Yesterday, I said the election would be called. If Philly didn't lose an hour counting votes because of a Trump lawsuit and Allegheny County would have counted votes yesterday we would have had a winner. We will have a winner declared today and it will be Joe Biden. The question is what happens next? Most have been concerned about whether Trump would cede power in any type of normal way or whether he would foment violence and civil strife. It was clear from his bonkers presser yesterday, that there is reason for concern.
We have seen lots of acts of violence from right wing Trump supporters over the last few months and years:
The armed militia Covid/anti-masks protests have involved armed folks storming state houses in Michigan, Kentucky and elsewhere
The plot to kidnap the MI governor
The shooting and killing two peaceful protestors in Wisconsin
The running over of peaceful protestors (https://slate.com/business/2020/06/george-floyd-protests-cars-ramming-racism.amp)
Running over Heather Heyer in Charlottesville
Trying to run a Biden campaign bus off the road.
Steve Brannon, one of Trumps former staffers and fomenter of right wing protest, was banned from Twitter yesterday for saying we should behead Dr. Fauci and Chris Wray.
Lou Dobbs said Republicans should surround Philadelphia which yielded a hilarious response from Philly: https://www.inquirer.com/news/fox-news-republicans-philadelphia-haters-twitter-20201105.html
Other examples cited: https://kevinjshay44.medium.com/right-wing-provocateurs-likely-inflaming-protest-violence-bcf1c48e1d40
There have been lots of other cases and they aren't leftist radicals according the the AP: https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-race-and-ethnicity-suburbs-health-racial-injustice-7edf9027af1878283f3818d96c54f748
Let's be clear that past dangerous rhetoric from Trump has led his supporters into violence to the point of wanting to create an insurrection against a duly elected governor. Trump will lie and steam and the good news is that most of the country has ignored his pleas to undermine democracy. We need to stay vigilant, appeal to the better angels, and proceed with the norms in our democratic institutions about the peaceful transfer of power.
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- · Stephen Rockwell
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