Fresno Republicans should give up their baseless fight and admit Joe Biden is president
California’s Assembly consists of 60 Democrats, 19 Republicans and one independent. In the state Senate, Democrats outnumber the GOP members 30-9 (with one vacancy).
Even with some unexpected GOP wins in the state’s congressional balloting last month, the Republican party in California holds little relevance in political terms.
So what was Fresno County’s official GOP leadership doing last weekend? Holding a rally in support of President Trump’s baseless attempts to overturn the Nov. 3 victory of Democrat Joe Biden.
“The Fresno County Republican Party fully supports President Trump,” said GOP committee chair Fred Vanderhoof, to cheers from a crowd of a couple of hundred people at Sierra Meadows Park in Clovis. “You know what, it’s not over. ... There are still things that can happen.”
Something did happen on Monday: The Electoral College gave a resounding win to Biden over Trump.
That follows the Nov. 3 popular vote, in which Biden beat Trump by about 7 million votes on his way to getting more votes than any presidential candidate in American history.
In percentage terms, Biden beat Trump 51.3% to 46.9% — a healthy margin.
There is another place Biden defeated the president: Fresno County. In the local balloting, Biden got 52.9% of the votes to Trump’s 45.07%.
Trump also lost Fresno County to Hillary Clinton in 2016. So much for the red state in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley.
But such reality seemed to matter little to the Trump-adoring local Republicans who gathered over the weekend. The event gave them a chance to once again fly their Trump flags along with Old Glory, listen to some speeches and then conduct a car-and-truck parade. All of which holds little significance for anything.
The sooner the Fresno GOP realizes the truth and accepts Biden’s victory, the better. What does real patriotism look like? Gracious losing and the peaceful transition of power. For the nation to move forward, that must occur, one county at a time.
Claims vs. facts
Asked by The Bee Editorial Board to defend his rally comments, Vanderhoof offered this summation:
▪ Hundreds of citizens swore in affidavits that they saw voter fraud;
▪ Lawsuits are still progressing in battleground states;
▪ The reliability of voting machines is being investigated;
▪ Nevada will conduct a hearing into evidence of dead people used as voters, and cases of voters having their ballots counted multiple times.
Fact checking shows:
▪ After the election, The New York Times contacted election officials in every state about possible fraud. The conclusion: The election officials, both Republicans and Democrats, did not report any major issues;
▪ Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Department found no evidence of widespread fraud such as to overturn the election, as Trump wants;
▪ Alleged voting machine problems in states like Michigan and Georgia actually involved human error or different software than the Dominion Voting Machines programs targeted by conservatives;
▪ A Nevada judge issued a ruling Dec. 4 that there was no clear or convincing proof to overturn the result that Biden won the state. The state Supreme Court upheld that decision four days later.
Recognize the victor
Some GOP members, such as Northern California congressman Doug LaMalfa, say they are prepared to go as long as Jan. 20, Inauguration Day, before they will accept Biden as the next president.
Vanderhoof said certification of the Electoral College result will happen on Jan. 6, allowing more time to get answers to the issues he raised.
It is useful remember that four years ago, when Clinton lost to Trump in the Electoral College, Democratic party leadership congratulated the Republican on his victory, and then-President Barack Obama ordered his administration to make a smooth transition of power.
It is that very tradition of the transition of power that has made American democracy the envy of the world, and given the United States its economic stability.
Fresno County GOP leaders, stop the dangerous nonsense, which only leads to ongoing uncertainty and acrimony. Donald Trump lost. Joe Biden is America’s new president. Accept the election result. Build back your party and become relevant in state politics once again.