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Once upon a time, prior to the last three years, it was accepted that the candidate that got the most votes would serve their term. In the case of the president, it was the most electoral votes. Most were happy while some were disappointed that their candidate did not win. Those of us who have some gray hair understand that sometimes you are on the winning side. Other times it goes the other way. Either way, both sides understood that the election was the end and the fight would move to the next election.

However, that has not been the result of the election of Donald Trump. Some have tried everything they could think of to override the vote of the people. For three years, dating back before his election, insiders did all they could to impeach him. The appointment of Robert Mueller with a special investigative team and limitless money and resources from the FBI could find nothing that rose to the level that he should be impeached. You would believe with unlimited access to well trained professional agents that, if there was something to find, it would have been found. As we sat riveted to the news, most were smart enough to give up on that theory. However, the Democrat Congressional leadership just left that effort and jumped to the next best option on which they could grab hold.

The Democrat leaders in Congress next decided to impeach President Trump on the issue of our dealings with Ukraine. They conducted secret hearings until they found some insiders who had a bone to pick with the president and then picked and chose those who they believed would say things that would most damage the president. One such person was the former ambassador to Ukraine that had been appointed by President Obama. She was miffed that President Trump had replaced her. When she testified, she admitted that the president had that right. Likewise, she testified that she knew of nothing that the president had done wrong.

As expected, the Democrat leaders in Congress continue to push for impeachment, fully understanding there is no legitimate reason to override the voters. Their only goal is apparently to simply politically wound the president prior to the 2020 election. One of those leaders openly admitted that if they did not impeach him there is no way that any of the two dozen candidates running against him next November could win.

Meantime, a group of Democrats believe that another tactic to take power is to do away with the Election College. For those who don’t remember their history, this was the one way that the smaller colonies were willing to join the United States. They were concerned that the big states would dominate them. The Election College gave them a seat at the table. This is still true today.

IT DOES NOT JUST HAPPEN IN WASHINGTON 

Thanks to the money of George Soros and the work of Eric Holder, President Obama’s attorney general, states that did the last re-districting under Republican majorities have been taken to court, accused of being unfair. (Somehow, they have not sued any Democrat controlled states). Those states, such as Virginia, redistricted following the Obama era Justice Department guidelines and found no problems.

Finding friendly federal judges in some states, those judges ordered new district lines drawn. In the case of Virginia, the judges brought in a Democrat from California to draw new lines. Interestingly, those new lines assisted the Democrats in gaining some seats needed to control the House of Delegates.

In most other states that were sued, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the court had no role in redistricting. However, in Virginia, because the Republican House of Delegates was the entity that fought the court order, the U.S. Supreme Court said that they would not overrule the lower court’s map. Ignoring the fact that the Republicans had to fight the case because Virginia’s attorney general refused to uphold the law as it was written and signed into law by the governor.

So now, representation is in the courts and congressional hearings. Is this really where our founders wanted the power to be rather than the people?

Frank Ruff Jr. represents Charlotte in the state Senate. His email address is Sen.Ruff@ verizon.net.