Michigan vote shows local Republicans have backbone that national leaders lack
A handful of once-obscure state officials have shown the country that they have something that too many national Republican leaders lack: A backbone.
As they go about what’s usually the routine business of certifying election results, these officials have been thrust into the position of guarding our democracy from President Donald Trump’s schemes to ignore the votes of nearly 80 million Americans who voted for Joe Biden and snatch the election from the former vice president.
While the vast majority of national Republican leaders have stood by silently — some even encouraging Trump in his dangerous pursuits — these locals have shown what leadership is all about.
On Monday, one of two Republicans on Michigan’s voter canvassing board, Aaron Van Langevelde, defied his own party by joining with Democrats to certify Biden’s victory in Michigan. His vote thwarted plans by Trump and his minions to delay this key step — a ploy to gain time to persuade the state’s Republican lawmakers to ignore Biden’s 150,000-vote Michigan victory and award the state’s 16 electoral votes to Trump. [Continue reading…]