The Electors’ responses, and why it’s time to take to the streets

In this article, we will relay to you the response we’ve been getting from some Electors, and why additional pressure is required.

Let’s repeat some basics. The President has unfettered access to 1900 active nuclear weapons, and protocols provide him (or her) with as little as 90 seconds to decide whether to use them. This responsibility should not be in the hands of someone who thousands of mental health professionals have assessed to have Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Sociopathic tendencies. Further, the next greatest threat to human existence is global warming, which Trump believes doesn’t exist. Therefore, Trump assuming the Presidency is a threat to all of our lives. According to Lawrence Lessig and Alexander Hamilton, Electors were constitutionally designed to prevent such a man from assuming the Presidency.

Thousands of people who read our article emailed their Electors. In light of the severity and sincerity of their many concerns, the response from some electors is particularly jarring:

John Haggard, from Michigan, responded: “On Beaver Island Deer Hunting hope to kill 3 deer. Please hold all emails. Thanks. GO TRUMP”

Alex Kim, from Texas, wrote: “I reject the Democratic Party principles and I reject Hillary Clinton. I will not do anything that will open a path for HRC to become our next President. [T]he political opinions of non-Texas voters means nothing to me. I do not vote or get involved in your state, I am not sure why you are trying to interfere in mine. I encourage you to be more active in the political process where your vote matters.”

Both of these Electors aren’t aware of the constitutional requirements of their job. Alexander Hamilton explains it best: “[Electors should be] men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to [the Presidency].” They should act “under circumstances favorable to deliberation, and to a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their choice.” They should “possess the information and discernment requisite to such complicated investigations.”

Consequently, someone who ignores feedback, like Mr. Haggard, does not demonstrate the mindset required by his position. Someone like Mr. Kim, who announces that his decision is made on a purely Partisan basis and that the views of non-Texans are irrelevant to him, is likewise shirking his precious responsibilities.

A more hopeful (if condescending) response came from L. Scott Mann, also of Texas.

“You have every right to lobby an elector… I am delighted that many are reading the Federalist Papers. I’ve been reading them for twenty years. Yes, I agree with Hamilton in Federalist 68. No, I do not believe that the election of Donald Trump rises to that level.”

So, if Mr. Mann is to be believed, then he needs to be convinced that Donald Trump is unfit for the Presidency. We need use no other words to do so, than those of his fellow Republican Texan Elector – Christopher Suprun, a former 911 fireman — who writes why he is choosing to change his vote:

[Donald Trump] shows daily he is not qualified for the office. Federalist 68 argued that an Electoral College should determine if candidates are qualified, not engaged in demagogy, and independent from foreign influence. Mr. Trump shows us again and again that he does not meet these standards.

I have poured countless hours into serving the party of Lincoln and electing its candidates… But I owe no debt to a party. I owe a debt to my children to leave them a nation they can trust.

Mr. Trump lacks the foreign policy experience and demeanor needed to be commander in chief. During the campaign more than 50 Republican former national security officials and foreign policy experts co-signed a letter opposing him. In their words, “he would be a dangerous president.” During the campaign Mr. Trump even said Russia should hack Hillary Clinton’s emails.

Hamilton also reminded us that a president cannot be a demagogue. Mr. Trump urged violence against protesters at his rallies during the campaign. He speaks of retribution against his critics. He has surrounded himself with advisers such as Stephen K. Bannon, who claims to be a Leninist and lauds villains and their thirst for power.

Finally, Mr. Trump does not understand that the Constitution expressly forbids a president to receive payments or gifts from foreign governments. We have reports that Mr. Trump’s organization has business dealings in Argentina, Bahrain, Taiwan and elsewhere…. [Trump] has played fast and loose with the law for years. He may have violated the Cuban embargo, and there are reports of improprieties involving his foundation and actions he took against minority tenants in New York.

But even Mr. Suprun remains on the Partisan bandwagon, and needs encouragement to stick to his principles as an American first, a Republican second. He wants Electors to unite behind a Republican alternative to Trump. What he and others don’t understand is, the Republican Party didn’t win the Electoral College. An unfit man did. The duty of the Electors is to install as President the winner of the Popular Vote.

We are currently searching for opportunities for peaceable protest in every state. Please share them with us if you know of any; please share with your friends. We will tweet locations to anyone who follows us at @roger_wolfson. Our national and worldwide safety lies in the Electors actually doing the job they were chosen to perform. Our voices must be heard. Loud and clear, often and with passion.

This is not about party. It’s about survival.