Give Participation Trophies to Hillary and the Dems

By Neely Archer 

[Neely.Archer @Gmail.com]

Lose a soccer game? Smile, accept the outcome with grace, and collect a participation trophy.

Lose a presidential election? Attack the voters as deplorable, blame the director of one of the nation’s most respected law enforcement agencies, resurrect our Cold War foe, and challenge the U. S. Constitution.

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander?! Let’s take a closer look.

In 2012, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney asserted that 47% of American voters did not pay income tax and were dependent on the government. They were, therefore, supporters of President Obama. That hurt Romney’s candidacy. Similarly, it is folly to dismiss Hillary Clinton’s labelling of a large segment of the population as deplorable. It, no doubt, came back to haunt her. Insulted Trump supporters cast their votes on November 8^th after remaining silent in order to evade liberal attacks labelling them Islamaphobes, homophobes, xenophobes, sexists, and misogynists.

After lauding FBI Director Comey’s announcement that he would not seek charges against Hillary Clinton, she and her political party switched to demanding his resignation.  They would have us believe that Director Comey’s letter to Congress at the end of October upended Hillary’s campaign. However, subsequent voter feedback consistently indicated that Comey’s October letter merely reinforced voters’ decisions without materially swaying voters. Plus, media outlets reminded us that a substantial portion of the electorate had already voted.

Hillary’s argument for Comey’s letter turning her fortunes is based on polls that, in late October, purportedly gave her large, double-digit leads among voters. It is significant to note that these are the very same polls that are now discredited for vastly under-estimating Trump voters. The argument can be made that, counter to prevailing wisdom now known to be based on faulty polling data, Trump had seized the momentum and was challenging for the lead before Comey’s letter.

It is no secret that the Russians are hacking into our public and private computer networks. So are the Chinese and many other nations. It is, also, well known that since the founding of the United States many countries have sought to influence U. S. elections or to take advantage of our political cycles. To ascribe material success in election tampering without proof irresponsibly weakens faith in our government.  Moreover, in leaking and politicizing intelligence reports, the democrats risk raising Putin’s stature by embellishing Russian influence.

It is exceptionally troubling that President Obama has, on the record, stated that he was fully aware of Russian hacking long before November.  He elected not to take action as he fully expected Hillary to succeed him in the White House.  Let us remember that he took no action against the Chinese comparable to the expulsion of Russian diplomats and levying of sanctions when Chinese hacking of millions of American citizens’ records came to light. That is, national security was presumably under attack; yet, the President took no action until it materially affected his legacy and his party’s political fortunes.

Hillary’s supporters tout her plurality of votes and decry the U. S. Constitution’s Electoral College. True, Hillary may have won the popular vote, but, many of those votes are highly concentrated in dense urban areas on both coasts. Never mind that American history records several US Presidents moving to the White House with less than 50% of the popular vote. In addition to winning the electoral vote by a significant margin, Trump won 30 states to include those in the heartland and those with coastlines. With Trump leading the ticket, republicans continue to retain the US Senate and the US House, hold 30 governorships, and preside over two thirds of state legislative chambers. All of this serves to affirm the wisdom of our nation’s founding fathers in establishing the Electoral College.

The bottom line is that Hillary was a weak candidate. The trove of leaked emails reveal collusion with party officials to undermine Bernie Sanders. Hillary’s health was questioned after she collapsed in New York City. She was outhustled by Trump in the campaign’s final weeks to include forgoing campaign stops in Wisconsin. Ironically, as the leader of the political party promulgating gender neutrality, Hillary’s platform was overly based on electing the first female President.

Hillary Clinton’s failed political campaign has the makings of a theatrical tragedy. Hillary has taken her final breath on the political stage seemingly surrounded by a host of deplorable villains and a sinister character lurking in the shadows holding a bloody hammer and sickle. However, as is the case with tragedies, Hillary is the victim of her own character flaws and actions.  Anagnorisis and hubris are her ultimate undoing. As the curtains close, let the orchestra play Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man as we give a heartfelt thank you to common Americans in our heartland.

Trump assumed the presidency on January 20^th. Despite the Democrats’ so-called Resistance, Trump is the legitimate President and they’re not.  Time to get over it and think in terms of the nation’s best interests.  In the meantime, Hillary and the Dems deserve participation trophies for trying. Perhaps, I have some old ones in my garage that I can dust off and send to them. Then again, an Oscar statuette for acting might be more appropriate.