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The period between an incumbent's defeat and the new president's inauguration is always awkward. At the end of this lame duckship the outgoing president traditionally welcomes the new first family to the White House for a social visit and then accompanies the new president to the inauguration ceremony. This can hardly be enjoyable for anyone who just lost an election, and for Donald Trump it might be intolerable.

To avoid all this unpleasantness, President Trump should retire immediately and let Mike Pence concede the election, occupy the White House, and handle the transition.

COVID-19 remains a terrible problem. Pence has generally been credited with doing a decent job within limits imposed by Trump of chairing efforts to cope with this problem. He could continue doing so as president. He and his wife Karen could host the Bidens cordially on inauguration day and participate gracefully when Joe Biden is sworn in.

A few months in, the White House could give Pence a head start on securing the Republican nomination in 2024. Giving him this opportunity would be a gracious reward for his undivided loyalty to Trump during the last three and a half years.

As a former member of Congress, Pence has frequently negotiated with members of both parties. He probably found himself grinding his teeth, given Trump's frequent changes of mind about legislation. But he would be in a good position to work effectively with congressional Republicans and Democrats during the transition period.

Pence's political enemies might claim that he is damaged goods because of his close association with Trump. Trump's personal life was certainly not what Pence as a born-again Christian could have admired. As Benjamin Franklin supposedly said, "If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas." But this argument assumes the worst about Pence's motives for agreeing to run with Trump in 2016.

Pence as an undergraduate supposedly told fellow students at Hanover College that God intended to make him president. So he may simply have let his political ambition override all questions of propriety or prudence. But it is also possible that he felt that his advice, based on long political experience, might help Trump avoid doing something dangerous.

Whether you see Pence as an unscrupulous opportunist or as a sincere idealist doing an unpleasant but necessary job, there can be no doubt that he is well-prepared to fill in as president.

Pence's ability to work with both parties could pave the way for the bipartisanship promised by President Elect Joe Biden. Biden, probably facing a Republican-controlled Senate, will need to work closely with leaders of both parties, and Pence could get this process going during his occupancy of the White House. If he is successful at this, Biden might find it useful to find a place for Pence as well as other Republicans in his own administration.

Of course Pence has his critics. Conservative columnist George Will once described him as "America's most repulsive figure." Michael D'Antonio and Peter Eisner noted that "The vice president reached the nadir of his toady ways ... when he spent three minutes extolling Trump at a Cabinet meeting and managed to work in one note of praise every 12 seconds."

But as D'Antonio and Eisner concluded, he "believes God has a plan for him, and if that plan requires him to abandon his principles as well as his dignity, so be it."

Perhaps Pence overdid in praising Donald Trump, but we can't evaluate him with any certainty until we see him in action as his own man. For the good of the country, his own state of mind, the Republican Party, and a smooth administrative transition, Trump should give Pence this chance.

Paul F. deLespinasse is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Computer Science at Adrian College. He received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1966, and has been a National Merit Scholar, an NDEA Fellow, a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, and a Fellow in Law and Political Science at the Harvard Law School. His college textbook, "Thinking About Politics: American Government in Associational Perspective," was published in 1981 and his most recent book is "Beyond Capitalism: A Classless Society With (Mostly) Free Markets." His columns have appeared in newspapers in Michigan oregon, and a number of other states. Read Prof. Paul F. deLespinasse's Reports More Here.

2020 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

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Let Mike Pence Handle the Transition - Newsmax

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Graphic shows scenario in which a presidential candidate can win the popular vote but lose the election.;

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Graphic shows scenario in which a presidential candidate can win the popular vote but lose the election.;

WASHINGTON (AP) This years election was not the last step in selecting Joe Biden as the next American president. Under a system thats been tweaked over two centuries, there is still a weeks-long timeline during which the 538-member Electoral College formally selects the president.

A look at the key steps:

When American citizens voted for Biden or President Donald Trump, they really were voting for electors in their state. Those electors in most cases are committed to support the winning candidate in the state. The number of electors is equal to the number of electoral votes held by each state. State laws vary on how electors are selected, but, generally, a slate of electors for each partys candidate is chosen by state party leaders.

States are still counting and certifying the results of the popular vote. When the count is completed, each governor is required by law to prepare as soon as practicable documents known as Certificates of Ascertainment of the vote. The certificates list the electors names and the number of votes cast for the winner and loser. The certificates, carrying the seal of each state, are sent to the archivist of the United States.

Dec. 8 is the deadline for resolving election disputes at the state level. All state recounts and court contests over presidential election results are to be completed by this date. Trumps campaign is contesting the vote count in several states through legal challenges, but none of those efforts are expected to alter the outcome.

Dec. 14: Electors vote by paper ballot in their respective states and the District of Columbia. Thirty-three states and D.C. have laws or party regulations requiring electors to vote the same way the popular vote goes in the state. In some states, rogue electors can be replaced or subjected to penalties, according to the Congressional Research Service. The votes for president and vice president are counted and the electors sign six Certificates of the Vote. The certificates, along with other official papers, are sent by registered mail to various officials, including the president of the Senate.

Dec. 23: The certificates must be delivered to the designated officials. If they are not delivered, the law provides alternative avenues for getting the results to Washington.

Jan. 6: The House and Senate hold a joint session to count the electoral votes. If one ticket has received 270 or more electoral votes, the president of the Senate, currently Vice President Mike Pence, announces the results. With the verdict in some states still to come, Biden already has won enough states to be awarded more than 270 electoral votes.

Members of Congress may object to returns from any state as they are announced. Objections must be made in writing by at least one member of the House and one in the Senate. If the objection meets certain requirements, each chamber meets separately to debate the objection for a maximum of two hours. Afterward, each chamber votes to accept or reject the objection. Back in joint session, the results of the respective votes are announced. Any objection to a states electoral vote has to be approved by both houses in order for any contested votes to be excluded.

If neither presidential candidate got at least 270 electoral votes, the House would decide the election, based on the 12th Amendment to the Constitution. If required, the House would elect the president. Each state delegation has one vote and it takes 26 votes to win.

Jan. 20: Biden takes the oath of office on Inauguration Day.

Continue reading here:
US voters have spoken: What's next to make it official? - Associated Press

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Goodby, Mike Pence: The vice president furthered a lot of ...

As youve probably heard by now, over the weekend Donald Trump was projected as having lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, in part due to his disgraceful response to the COVID-19 pandemic, wherein he effectively just let the virus spiral out of control, leading to the deaths of nearly 238,000 in the U.S. Because hes mortifyingly delusional, though, he believes that (1) he still has a chance at being reelected, hence the refusal to concede, and (2) the news that Pfizers vaccine is more than 90% effective in early trials and may be available by the end of the year is somehow a credit to him.

Taking a break from tweeting clips about election fraud that were immediately flagged for spreading false information, a.k.a. the only kind of information he spreads, Trump tweeted: STOCK MARKET UP BIG, VACCINE COMING SOON. REPORT 90% EFFECTIVE. SUCH GREAT NEWS! Later Mike Pence took things a step further:

And because virtually everything out of this administrations collective mouth is a lie, and an entire cottage industry of fact-checking has necessarily cropped up around it, Pences statement was immediately debunkedby Pfizer itself. Speaking to the New York Times, Dr. Kathrin Jansen, a senior vice president and the head of vaccine research and development at the company, said, We were never part of the Warp Speed, referring to the governments effort to rapidly develop a vaccine. We have never taken any money from the U.S. government, or from anyone. As the Washington Post notes, back in July, the drugmaker agreed to partner with the government to distribute a vaccine, leveraging what will be a massive, complicated effort run by the federal government to ensure that as many people as possible can be immunized. But the actual developmental efforts had nothing to do with the Trump administration.

Of course, Trump & Co. arent ones for details or facts, so theyll presumably be deploying people to take credit for the breakthrough throughout the week. If we were betting peoplewhich we, of course, are notwed probably put a significant amount of money on first son-in-law Jared Kushner appearing on TV to call Pfizers success a testament to Donald Trump. (When and if he does, remember that a former volunteer on Kushners COVID-19 task force described the administrations response effort as like a family office meets organized crime, melded with Lord of the Flies. It was a government of chaos. And also that in April, he crowed, as only the poster child for nepotism could, about taking back control of the public health crisis from medical professionals, and claimed that the country was at the beginning of its comeback.) Naturally, Ivanka has already taken to Twitter to credit the news to President Daddy:

Meanwhile, in the even dumber branch of the family, Don Jr. took a quick break from spreading conspiracy theories about voter fraud to weigh in on the vaccine news:

As Jansen also told the New York Times, she learned of the drug-trial results from an outside panel of experts just after 1 p.m. on Sundaytiming that had absolutely nothing to do with the election. We have always said that science is driving how we conduct ourselvesno politics, she said. Of course, if one were Don Jr., one would respond that thats exactly what they want us to think and that its clear Pfizer is in bed with the Lamestream Media and other assorted figures hell-bent on taking down his father. Thankfully, there is only one Don Jr.can you imagine if he were multiplying??and none of us are him.

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Mike Pence Falsely Takes Credit for Pfizer Vaccine, Is ...

As soon as this bald-faced lie came out on Twitter, Pfizer officials were asked what Pence was talking about, as they hadn't taken any government money to work on a vaccine. Pfizer, rightly, refused to work with the Trump administration.

Source: Alternet

Vice President Mike Pence, the Coronavirus Task Force chief, and former Trump UN Ambassador Nikki Haley are under fire for trying to give credit for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to President Donald Trump and the White House's "Operation War Speed."

Pfizer announced Monday morning its coronavirus vaccine is 90% effective. The pharmaceutical giant refused to partner with the Trump administration to develop the drug, instead it worked with a German group.

And a reminder from Pfizer's CEO about why they refused the Trump administration's "help".

Nikki Haley also tried to claim credit for the Trump administration.

It's not just that lie so brazenly, but that they're so stupid about it.

Immediate jeers all around for this bunch of know-nothings.

See the article here:
Mike Pence Lies About Pfizer Vaccine, Claims Credit For ...