Supporters of Democrat Hillary Clinton are still hoping against hope that what unfolded Tuesday night through the early hours of Wednesday is a NIGHTMARE. At some point, they hope to wake up to the news that Clinton broke the glass ceiling after all, and America finally has a female president. They are dying to be told that the news of Trump winning ain’t so, after all.
At this point, Donald Trump’s supporters have only two powerful words: Dream on! Only in America can an openly divisive, hate-filled candidate like Donald J. Trump run over an experienced, inclusive candidate like Hillary Clinton. Trump did not just blow Clinton out of the ballot box, he also made pollsters, pundits, political journalists and almost everyone with a rational mindset look stupid, including me. (Thank God I’ve had all my documents for decades.
Otherwise, I would be worried about the Deportation Force that Trump promised during his campaign to come after me.) I mean never since Mike Tyson destroyed Michael Spinks in 91 seconds have I been so wrong about an outcome of a major event, sports or politics. As an astute student of the sweet science (boxing) in my early days at Vanguard in the mid 1980s, I was so confident that Michael Spinks’ unconventional style that saw him outbox the legendary Larry Holmes will help him outpoint the young human machine a.k.a. Mike Tyson.
I was totally embarrassed when Tyson took out Spinks before many people even took their seats. I later got my redemption by correctly predicting that Evander Holyfield will beat Tyson. Just like I correctly predicted that Barack Obama will defeat John McCain and later Mitt Romney. Going by all the polls and all the crazy (sometimes unbelievable) things Trump said and did throughout his campaign,
I was so sure that he had very little or no path to the magic 270 Electoral College votes needed to be the next president of the United States of America. Boy, did the outcome of the election make me look stupid! And am I in good company? You betcha! On Election Day, there was no national poll that predicted a Trump victory; there was no Republican, Democrat or Independent pundit that publicly predicted that Trump would triumph. Many ardent Trump supporters, including some in his inner circle, did not believe he could win and many openly said it would take a miracle for that to happen.
Yes, the most hopeful supporters were hanging their hope on a miracle. Some reports even had it that some militias were gearing up to take up arms in anticipation of a Clinton victory. In Nigeria, even Prophet T. B. Joshua said God showed him in a vision 10 days earlier that the woman candidate narrowly won. Like him or loathe him, T. B. Joshua usually got this kind of predictions right, but the Trump victory defied even spiritual prognostication?
On election night, Virginia was the first sign of trouble for Clinton. A comfortable bet for Democrats and home of V/P Candidate Sen. Tim Kaine, the fact that Trump was leading in Virginia after 90 percent of the votes were counted was enough trouble even after Clinton narrowly secured Virginia. By the time Trump won Florida, Ohio and North Carolina, Democrats were hoping that Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Minnesota and New Hampshire would all be spared. Once Trump took Pennsylvania, it was game over. The rest of the results were formalities.
No doubt, the Trump win was a major blow to Clinton, women, Obama, Democrats, minorities, immigrants, and even Republicans (many openly refused to support Trump) and a host of others. The biggest losers, though, were the pollsters. Perhaps never again will any American (or anyone for that matter) give a hoot about so-called polls, which previously were mostly reliable regarding the mindset of the voters and potential outcome of the elections.
The Trump win could ultimately put pollsters out of business. I mean, why bother about polls if all the polls could be so wrong? Who were they polling? Why bother with polls if people will tell them one thing and then do otherwise? Except for the L.A. Times poll, which consistently had Trump leading Clinton until about a week before the election when it leaned toward Clinton, all others were flat out wrong. Good grief!
Can you spell Destiny?
There is only one word to describe the Trump win: DESTINY. Rather than spell “This game is over,” as I did weeks ago, the puzzle should have been Destiny. From all indications, Hillary must not have been destined to be president. Despite the email leaks and FBI investigations, and her weak campaign skills, everything appeared to be working in her favor and she was on track to break the glass ceiling and become the first American female president.
Alas, it now appears that she is not destined to be American president, after all. With Trump, despite all his shortcomings as a person and a politician – hateful rhetoric and divisive campaign that seriously offended immigrants, women, veterans, politicians from both parties – so divisive and offensive was Trump that even many members of his Republican party distanced themselves from him, and his unprecedented disrespect for a sitting American president.
Despite being outspent in campaign ads and being outmatched in campaign staff, field workers and the ground game; despite all that was wrong and unthinkable about his campaign right from day one, Trump still won. If that’s not destiny, I wonder what is?
December 19 Surprise? Hillary can still win!
Don’t get it twisted, I didn’t write the U.S. Constitution. But do you know that although the American voters have elected Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton, it’s not over yet? Going by the U.S. Constitution, Clinton can still be president if majority of the electors in the Electoral College prefer her to Trump. How? Well, forget the outcome of the presidential election in the U.S., the U.S. Constitution requires that 538 members of the Electoral College actually decide who becomes president.
The number represents 435 members in the House of Reps, 100 Senators and three electors from the District of Columbia, which has no Senator and no vote in Congress, despite having one Congressional seat. On the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, members of the Electoral College, at least 270 electors (yes, that magic number again!) must still vote to decide the President and Vice President of the union.
Although it never happened, if a majority of the electors in each state and the District of Columbia prefer Hillary to Trump and at least a total of 270 electors vote for her, she could still become the next president of the United States, despite the general electorate choosing Trump. There are a few exceptions, though. Although federal law does not require the electors to vote for the candidate that won their state (they are free to vote their conscience), 27 states in the union have laws that require the electors to vote for the candidate that won the majority of the popular votes in those states.
Other states do not impose any candidate on the electors. That means should electors in the other 23 states and D.C. deviate from common practice of voting for the candidate that won the election, this election may still not be over. My advice, though: Don’t bet on the Electoral College overturning the will of the people. If I’m wrong, I’ll again be in good company. At this point, considering the toll covering this election took on us, notwithstanding who won or lost this crazy U.S. presidential election, I have one more thing to say: Thank God it’s over!
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