US elections: the disruptive maneuver of Trump candidate Josh Hawley

Objection to Biden’s victory: the Trump hopeful’s disruptive maneuver

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley plans to challenge Joe Biden’s election victory in Congress next week. You have no chance, but it should hurt your group.

Before being sworn in on January 20, US President-designate Joe Biden still has a hurdle to overcome. Next Wednesday, Congress must officially confirm his victory in the Electoral College on December 14. It is usually a mere formality, but in the time of Donald Trump, as is well known, nothing is normal in the United States.

The president-elect steadfastly refuses to admit defeat for Democrat Biden. He continues to rant on Twitter about the alleged electoral fraud, of which neither he nor his cronies could provide the slightest proof. Now he hopes Congress will keep him in power.

Because it is?

As a general rule, the certification of the presidential election in Congress is a ceremonial act, however, the parliamentarians can dispute the result in the individual states and force a debate and a vote. According to the electoral law of 1887, this requires at least one member of both houses.

Several Republicans in the House of Representatives are ready, but have so far lacked the necessary support from the Senate. On Wednesday, however, Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri announced that he would appeal against the result due to irregularities in several states, “especially in Pennsylvania.”

Is there a precedent?

Hawley cites 2005, when Democratic Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio and California Sen. Barbara Boxer challenged the outcome in Ohio. At that moment, after a one-hour countdown marathon, it was decisive for the reelection of President George W. Bush.

The two Democrats, however, did not want to question Bush’s victory over his party colleague John Kerry. They protested alleged inconsistencies in Ohio. In the run-up to the presidential elections, numerous eligible voters were removed from the registers. The objection was clearly rejected in both houses.

What is Hawley’s motive?

Ambition. Josh Hawley, 41 (his birthday is New Year’s Eve) has only been in the Senate since 2018 after defeating Democrat Claire McCaskill in Missouri. Yet he is already looking at the White House. He should run for office in 2024 if Donald Trump doesn’t run again. That’s why he ingratiates himself with his fan base.

Like other Republicans, the telegenic Hawley went from neo-liberal to economic populist under the influence of Trumpism. He attacks big tech companies and supports Trump’s demand to increase Corona aid to $ 2,000 per person. And he lashed out at the elite universities where he himself studied. In his case, it was Stanford and Yale.

What are the possibilities?

It is equal to zero. The approval of both houses in Congress is required for a successful objection to the election result. That’s useless because of the majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives. Even in the Senate, a no is predictable. Several Republicans told Politico that they would not support Hawley’s move.

Still, the party leadership is concerned. Mitch McConnell, the Republican Majority Leader in the Senate, is said to have asked members of his faction not to participate in this “circus.” He fears the party’s image will be damaged, but Josh Hawley’s solo career is an obstacle.

What is at risk?

Several Republican senators will run for re-election in 2022. If they vote for Biden’s election victory, the Trumpists could challenge them internally. One of them is John Thune from South Dakota, the number two of the faction. After speaking out against a challenge, Donald Trump asked on Twitter to vote for it.

But the greatest danger is once again for American democracy. The debate in Congress, absurd as it may be, will confirm many Trump supporters in their view that Joe Biden, despite his impeccable election victory, is not a legitimate president. It’s the perfect breeding ground for a Trump 2.0 like Josh Hawley.