“No more BS”; “Had enough?”

Those two campaign slogans alone made a good case for voting for Joe Biden. And yet, without any hint of irony, Republicans displayed and advertised both of them in their support for Trump.

Hypocrisy is another concept Republicans do not recognize. After Trump won in 2016, Fox News commentators demanded that Democratic nominee Hilary Clinton concede at once, saying “there is absolutely no way to rig a national election.”

They also have short memories. After the 2018 midterm election, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh, then spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, went on Fox News to criticize Democrats for refusing to concede. “Democrats are being sore losers, and they refuse to acknowledge they lost the election, so what do they do?” she asked. “They cry malfeasance, wrongdoing, criminality, fraud.” You can find video clips of other Republicans making similar pronouncements at https://theweek.com/speedreads/949019/daily-show-compiled-reel-trump-allies-calling-democrats-sore-losers-not-conceding-losing-races.

Republicans talk about freedom and democracy, but they disenfranchised as many voters as possible in as many states as possible, suppressed the vote as much as they could, and dismantled the United States Post Office to interfere with voting by mail. In spite of their best efforts – and their clever slogans – Joe Biden was elected 46th president of the United States.

The Justice Department’s top election crimes prosecutor resigned last week in protest after Attorney General Barr told federal prosecutors that they should investigate allegations of voting irregularities before the states move to certify the results of the presidential election in the next few weeks. The purpose of Barr’s action is unclear, since prosecutors already know they have the authority to investigate allegations of voting irregularities. Barr did not indicate that the Justice Department has any evidence to support Trump’s claim of massive fraud in the November 3 election.

Richard Pilger, director of the elections crimes branch in the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, told colleagues in an email that the attorney general was issuing “an important new policy abrogating the forty-year-old Non-Interference Policy for ballot fraud investigations in the period prior to elections becoming certified and uncontested.”

While Trump is not the only one-term president since 1992, he may be the only loser –and a sore loser at that – not to graciously accept defeat. There’s no law that says he has to concede, but if he does not, he will be the first presidential candidate in modern times to ignore a tradition that has marked peaceful transitions throughout American history. Laryngitis prevented Gerald Ford from delivering a concession speech, so his wife Betty said, “The president asked me to tell you that he telephoned president-elect Carter a short time ago and congratulated him on his victory…The president asks all Americans in giving your united support to president-elect Carter.”

Jimmy Carter said, “‘The people of the United States have made their choice and of course I accept their decision,...I have a deep appreciation, however, of the system that allows the people to make their decision…I look forward to working closely with [president-elect Reagan] in the next few weeks ... we will have a very close transition period.”

George W. Bush said, “Here’s the way we see it and the country should see it – that the people have spoken and we respect the majesty of the democratic system…And I want the country to know that our entire Administration will work closely with [Clinton’s] team to ensure the smooth transition of power. There is important work to be done, and America must always come first. So we will get behind this new president and wish him well.”

The non-partisan Partnership for Public Service’s Center for Presidential Transition is tasked with helping presidential candidates and their teams lay the groundwork for a new administration. In a statement, the Partnership said, “The transition process must now begin…To build an effective government ready to address the urgent needs of our great country, the new president will have to recruit 4,000 political appointees, including 1,250 who require Senate confirmation; prepare a $4.7 trillion budget; implement a strong policy agenda; and assume leadership of a workforce of 2 million civilian employees and 2 million active duty and reserve troops. We urge the Trump administration to immediately begin the post-election transition process and the Biden team to take full advantage of the resources available under the Presidential Transition Act.”

“Drain the swamp” has in fact hollowed out the federal government, resulting in a loss of expertise, of institutional memory. Joe Biden is probably the most experienced legislator to become president in American history. The failure to begin the transition poses grave danger by keeping Biden from building his administration, including rebuilding the national security apparatus which requires security clearances where necessary, and access to the President’s Daily Brief.

Even if Trump decides not to attend the inauguration ceremony and remains in the White House on January 20, 2021, he will cease to be the president at noon that day. His presidential authority will no longer be accepted by the military, members of Congress, and the heads of executive branch departments and agencies the moment Biden is sworn in. If he refuses to leave, he will be ushered out.

Mark Berg is a community activist in Adams County and a proud Liberal. His email address is MABerg175@Comcast.net.