Opinion: The real reason you need to worry about Hawley's objection on Biden victory

[riversedge]

I have to admit--this still makes me nervous. And I probably will be so until Biden is actually sworn in.








Opinion: The real reason you need to worry about Hawley's objection on Biden victory

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/opinion-the-real-reason-you-need-to-worry-about-hawley-s-objection-on-biden-victory/ar-BB1cmHeZ

Opinion by Joshua A. Douglas 2 hrs ago





Don't be too nervous about Republican Sen. Josh Hawley's announcement that he will object to the certification of Joe Biden as President when Congress meets on Jan. 6. His ploy won't stop Biden from taking the oath of office on Jan. 20. But it should make everyone concerned about the long-term health of our democracy.


According to federal law, if at least one senator and one House member submit written objections to a state's Electoral College votes, the House and the Senate must retire to their separate chambers for two hours of debate. Each chamber then votes on whether to count that state's votes. The 1887 law that dictates this process -- the Electoral Count Act -- is confusing and convoluted, but the bottom line is that Congress must count a state's Electoral College votes unless both the House and the Senate vote to reject them.

Hawley's objection -- which will join a planned objection from Alabama Representative Mo Brooks in the House -- has zero chance of succeeding. The Democrats who control the House surely will not go along, and it is likely that a number of Senate Republicans, such as Mitt Romney, will also reject this blatant attempt at overruling the will of the voters.

What is more concerning is that the delusional Republican gambit is happening at all. There has been zero evidence of meaningful voter fraud or a compromised presidential election. Elections officials from both parties have said that the 2020 election was one of the most secure ever. Senator Hawley opined on Twitter that that "millions of voters" are concerned about election integrity, but that's only because President Donald Trump and his followers keep making baseless assertions. Just saying there was voter fraud does not make it real.

In a statement posted on social media, Hawley claimed that states such as Pennsylvania "failed to follow their own state election laws." This is false: the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which is the authority on Pennsylvania law, rejected numerous Republican-backed lawsuits both before and after the election. The US Supreme Court also refused to consider a challenge from Pennsylvania Republicans to block the certification of the results.

..............

[exboyfil]

1. Every state has some insane challenge that is politically damaging

to Trump and his supporters.

For example the attempt to kick off servicemen and woman in Arizona because of their mailing address and the fact they are stationed elsewhere.

The crazy woman that testified in Michigan (the one that the committee actually let another witness, Guiliani, question her.

Use these as weapons in the two hours of debate.

[mrsv]

2. Our vigilance does not end

on Jan 20th. The republicans have shown they want to destroy democracy. Traitors don't stop on a given date.
Now we know with certainity that democracy most dangerous adversary is the GOP.

[RicROC]

3. lasting damage to the Republic

While I have no doubt that Joe Biden will be our next President, I fear the challenge to the electors which results in voting on both houses, it will be forever noted in history that x# of Senators and House Representatives voted that Joe is not legitimate.

It will not be interpreted that they object to individual state voting laws but rather that Joe stole the election. ( I guess that's what the objective is.)

Therefore, it gives them cover when they refuse to endorse any of Joe's new programs.

(On the other hand, it might give Dems an incentive to require all states to adopt Federal uniform voting standards)