A brief history of presidential elections this century includes several in which the winner did not score a majority but claimed the prize anyway.
In 2000 with Vice-President Al Gore running against George W. Bush, Gore stupidly did not want to be linked with the most popular president in our lifetime, Bill Clinton. You may recall that the count went on forever in Florida with the race yet undecided. Bush's brother was governor, the Florida Secretary of State was Republican and they pulled the plug on the count in West Palm Beach County which was heavily democratic. Guess who the lead attorney was for the Republicans? Bill Barr, the current Attorney General. The courts upheld the stopping of the count and Gore conceded rather than drag the country through a constitutional crisis. But think of how things could have been different. The Bush administration disregarded the warnings from the Clinton Administration regarding Al Qaeda and the September 11th and we were at war. A Gore administration would have carried on the policy of the Clinton administration and there is a high likelihood that 9/11 would not have happened. No Afghanistan, no Iraq.
In '04 Bush took on John Kerry who was leading nearing the election when a scurrilous group launched a series of commercials alleging that Kerry had failed in his duty and that his military record was false. This of the man who commanded a Swift Boat and earned the Bronze Star but it was enough to tip the scales.
Hallelujah, the world became aware of Barack Obama over the next eight years but our own Senator Mitch McConnell thwarted most of Obama's legislation and refused confirmation of hundreds of federal judges. See where we are now?
Then in '16 Hillary Rodham Clinton took on Donald Trump. HRC is likely the most qualified person to run for president in our lives. She was leading up until the time the FBI director announced they were reopening the investigation into her e-mails 10 days before the election. She won the popular vote but lost the electoral college. The difference was in 3 rust belt states with a total vote difference of 80,000 votes over 3 states.
This makes 3 elections since 2000 where Republicans have used nefarious means to win an election. I call them stolen. This is the difference in our country now. We must take nothing for granted this time. If they can steal the election you can bet they will.
