Careful what you wish for: Petition demands do-over of presidential election

Careful what you wish for: Petition demands do-over of presidential election

The people have spoken — again; 76,333 of them anyway as of this writing. All of them have affixed their signatures to a petition on Change.org by Myra Slotnick of Provincetown, Mass., who writes:

In light of recent evidence reported by the CIA, that the United States 2016 Presidential Election has been infiltrated and tampered with by the Russian government to elect Donald J. Trump, in collusion with the FBI, and abetted by widespread voting malfeasance and suppression, We The People of the United States demand a new vote on the 2016 Presidential election, to take place in Federal buildings, and overseen by the Federal Government.

Before we can proceed with a reaction, Ms. Slotnick’s “facts” need a little tidying up. First, the CIA has not “reported evidence.” As noted here, Republicans are asking for hard evidence, but so far none has been furnished. Second, the claim of “collusion with the FBI” is pure speculation, and — third — her suggestion of “widespread voting malfeasance and suppression” is wholly unsubstantiated. (There is some pretty compelling evidence that the DNC colluded with certain broadcast and cable networks to enable the Democratic candidate to receive debate questions in advance, but that doesn’t further Slotnick’s cause, so we’ll set that aside.)

In short, there are no grounds for the precedent-shattering demand for a re-vote, but even if there were, I don’t think Slotnick et. al. be pleased with the outcome. If you take the recount in Wisconsin as a microcosm of a national “revote,” it’s instructive to consider how little the result has changed now that the process has drawn to a close. If anything, Donald Trump added 162 additional popular votes to his total.

Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?

In addition, closer scrutiny of “infiltration and tampering” by foreign nations might disadvantage team Clinton. Political comedian and author Tim Young has compiled a database of foreign gvernments that interfered on Clinton’s behalf in the election:

(h/t Sara Gonzales, TheBlaze)

Ben Bowles

Ben Bowles

Ben Bowles is a freelance writer and regular contributor to "Liberty Unyielding."

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