On Monday, electors from each state meet to choose the next president and vice president. They alone decide. Voters have no say.
Virtually always they pick the ticket winning their state’s popular vote. Never in US history did more than one elector defect.
In most, not all states, they can legally go the other way, each elector choosing his or her preferred candidate. No constitutional or US statute law prevents it.
Trump won 306 electoral votes to Hillary’s 232, a decisive margin, what should assure his election as America’s next president – whether this year in the chaotic aftermath of his triumph remains to be seen, heavy pressure put on electors in states he won to defect.
If successful in convincing 37 or more pledged to him, House members will choose Obama’s successor, each state getting one vote. Trump won 30 to Hillary’s 20.
On Fox News Sunday, RNC chairman, incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus said “(w)e expect everything to fall in line…(W)e’re very confident that everything is going to be very smooth.”
Responding to reports of elector harassment and intimidation, Trump tweeted “(i)f my many supporters acted and threatened people like those who lost the election are doing, they would be scorned & called terrible names!”
AP News tried reaching all 538 electors. They canvassed 330, finding only one pledged to trump in Texas defecting.
What to expect on Monday? In all likelihood, Trump will be formally elected to succeed Obama, efforts to deny him failing – phony claims of Russian election hacking the main tactic.
On January 6, a joint congressional session will certify the results, Trump’s inauguration to follow on January 20.
At the same time, nothing is certain given an underhanded campaign to deny him the office he legitimately won, the likes of which never occurred in America before – government agencies and media scoundrels behind it, a coup d’etat attempt to change the election result.
Most important is what happens next. A month remains before Trump’s inauguration. January 20 protests are planned to block his peaceful transition.
Vilifying him without letup continues. A previous article said presidential inaugurations are usually dull affairs. Not this year if mass disruption happens like dark forces intend.
Once empowered as president, impeachment and removal from office could follow, the first time in US history if it happens.
House representatives impeached Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Senate members acquitted them. Richard Nixon resigned ahead of expected impeachment.
Trump’s presidency appears likely to be tumultuous, relentless bashing continuing, assassination possible, four previous presidents succumbing this way – Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Jack Kennedy.
Failed assassination attempts targeted Andrew Jackson, Lincoln, Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan.
Trump could be targeted like a dozen former presidents, four assassination attempts successful.
Since its 1947 establishment, CIA elements were behind hundreds of successful and unsuccessful assassination attempts – 634 failed ones against Fidel Castro alone, according to Cuban intelligence, along with dozens of coup attempts to topple independent foreign leaders.
The agency is part of a coup plot to deny Trump the office he won. Failure in the Electoral College may be followed by trying to remove him another way.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected].
His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.” http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
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