Jello Biafra Quote on 2020 Election & Trump Declaration of Victory

A couple of days ago, one day after Election Day, Jello Biafra, one of the most political non-politicians whom I know of, and the former frontman for punk group the Dead Kennedys, had some thoughts about the election, and Trump's obviously staged, premature victory speech. 

Here is what Biafra said:

"Shit, I ever thought times would get so scary, even I find myself rooting desperately for a coelacanth like Biden. And I know his gruesome details well. When I finally went to bed, the one flicker of light I saw was that Trump's blither wasn't a victory gloat at all, he was clearly panicking.  So now that he's filing his pre-written lawsuits, the Bidenoids MUST do the same! In NC, GA, TX and even Florida. All notorious dumpster fires of vote stealing , and he may be ahead. Even more important is accurate counts there could tip at least TWO Senate seats!! State legislatures too, just in time for a non-gerrymandered leg to redraw all those House and statehouse districts fairly. Calling Michigan!! Calling Wisconsin!!"  

- Jello Biafra   11/04/2020

When I first heard snippets of Trump's speech, despite knowing that he was going to declare victory prematurely, I was worried. He sounded somehow calmer than normal, and it began to feel like maybe it was curtains. Working the overnight shift, I worked the remainder of the night without speaking much, being annoyed by too many little things, and being impatient to leave. Went home, went to bed, feeling depressed about the next four years, and the overall state of the country.

Then, when I woke up, it seemed that everything had changed. Wisconsin was now seemingly a state that Biden virtually had locked up, and he had a lead in Michigan. Also, he was nursing leads in Arizona and Nevada. The projections seemed to be that Biden was going to be the 46th President of the United States.

Since then, of course, Trump has had even more to say. He claimed that he clearly won the "legal votes" and that "illegal votes" should not be counted. He alleged widespread election fraud. He said that a reversal of the sort that we have now seen in Pennsylvania, where Trump seemed to hold a 12-point lead on election night, but is now trailing, is not possible.

On the one hand, I understand the misgivings that many Republicans feel. After all, again, on election night, it sure appeared that Trump was on his way to a second term. As I mentioned days ago, my main job is split almost evenly between Trump supporters and detractors, but the pro-Trump guys were clearly giddy, barely able to hold back their enthusiasm, almost betraying their seeming need to gloat. Then, in the past couple of nights since, they have seemed much quieter and more glum than usual, as the fuller results have clearly gone the other way. If I was pulling strongly for a candidate, and it seemed like he had won on election night, only to see his lead in the most important remaining battleground states seemingly disappear slowly but surely over an agonizing few days, I probably would feel angry, and possibly cheated, as well. Probably, although again, it is not like they were not warned. Everyone said that this was what was going to happen, that it would take days. Also, since Trump insisted that his supporters not send in votes by mail, then obviously, the vast majority of those votes would be in favor of the other guy. You could see it coming.

In any case, this election was, in a different way, kind of strange, as well. You could see this scenario coming, playing out, but it is somehow different when it actually happens, even if you predicted it. Like Bush's election victory in 2004, or Trump's election win in 2016, this one was predictable, in some ways. And everything is happening more or less the way that many people expected it to. Trump seemed to have the early lead, and gave his premature victory speech. Then the voting turned against him, and it seemed to favor Biden. Biden, for his part, was cautious, and emphasized that all votes needed to be counted. And Trump, even more predictably, claimed to be the victim of some gigantic conspiracy, and is alleging massive voter fraud, even while offering not a shred of real proof that would hold up in a court of law. 

Yes, it is all very predictable. But even then, once it actually happens, it feels like a punch to the gut. In fact, it kind of feels like we are watching yet another episode in the series about how America's democracy is eroding, possibly even effectively ending. Trump fans are on the streets protesting, some threatening widespread violence. Some of them clearly want a fight, want a civil war.

All I know is that right now, if Joe Biden is apparently the winner - and he is leading in the most important battleground states remaining, and also owns a lead of over four million in the overall national popular vote - then law enforcement and the military will be on the side of the law of the land, and they will make sure that the rightful president will be inaugurated and in power on January 20th. 

Let us hope that Trump himself simply goes away then. And let us also hope that the Trump family finally goes away from the public view for good, also. My suspicion is that it won't, that Donald Jr, and possibly Trump himself, will have a lot more to say, and make another run at the White House. Maybe. But also maybe not. Hopefully not. We shall see.

One thing, though, that I am certain of: what we now know as Trumpism is not about to go away. It is extremism, to be sure. But it is likely here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. And that will be to the detriment of this country, as it has been for four years now.