Well, that was short lived. 

It looked like two Republicans on the four-person Wayne County, Michigan, Board of Canvassers were showing some spine, refusing to certify county election results after significant voting irregularities.

But that all changed hours later after pressure, some in the form of threats, caused the two to vote unanimously to certify the results.

Add to that Michigan State Senate Majority leader Mike Shirkey (R) who says Joe Biden is the president–elect and that the Republican Majority State Legislature will not award the state electors to President Donald Trump.

“Not Going to Happen,” Shirkey said on Tuesday.

I guess obvious signs of voter fraud are no big deal to these Michigan Republican election officials and legislators.  The same goes for the rule of law which does not state that the media can declare Joe Biden the president-elect. The Constitution says the presidential election results are certified by local and state election officials, not the media. 

Among every form of government, judicial and journalistic corruption revealed by the Trump presidency, none is more galling to the average conservative than the craven actions of GOP officeholders. It is the rare Republican who does not fold when the going gets tough, and that tradition continues on the part of those politicians who have come into the path of the Trump legal teams’ attempt expose this massive voting fraud.  Even Republicans on the periphery like Mitt Romney, Pat Toomey, Chris Christie and James Lankford seem to relish going in front of media cameras and figuratively sticking a shiv in Trump’s back while he undertakes this legal challenge.  If we had today’s Republican Party during the Civil War, African-Americans would still be in chains.  

I, along with thousands of fellow Christians, have been praying daily since Nov. 3, asking God, according to His will, that the perpetrators of this Election Day coup will be exposed and brought to justice. We have also been praying that all evil is uncovered in the process and that truth is revealed. 

It seems part of that evil being revealed is in the form of cowardice from those supposedly on our side.

Are there no statesmen willing to do the right thing for the good of the nation?  

There comes a time in every politician’s life where they have to ask themselves, “Will I stand for the law or will I go along with public opinion?”

Do these weak-kneed Republicans understand that if this election stands, that the electoral process will be tainted for decades and that millions of Americans will lose faith in our electoral system?  These are people smart enough (and possibly crooked enough) to get elected so I am sure they understand the stakes. With that said, I long ago ceased giving them the benefit of the doubt and judge them by their cowardly responses.

You can be sure that if Democrats were saying this election was fraudulent, Democrat-controlled state legislatures would be locked in unison against certification. Trump is right when he says Democrats stick together and Republicans lack toughness. 

While I hope that Republican-controlled legislatures in these battleground states stand with the president, I have been observing politics far too long to hold my breath expecting that. Frankly, I have little faith that these politicians in these contested states have the intestinal fortitude to resist the narrative of the leftist echo chamber. I am praying that we will be surprised. And I am also praying that Trump supporters from all over the country will mount a full court press with calls, letters and emails aimed at these critical Republican legislators. Maybe such efforts on the part of voters will steel the spines of these Republicans.

 It is my humble opinion this battle will go to the Supreme Court. If you are not doing so, pray that the constructionist justices resist the intense public pressure to bow to the conventional wisdom. Pray also that the activist judges on the court will stand for election integrity and not partisan interests. President Trump still has a chance of winning re-election, but it is becoming narrower.

Win or lose, it will be easy to keep track of the Republicans standing with the president. We’ll be able to count them on one, possibly two hands. Those brave men and women we will remember and support in future elections. As for the rest of you Republican cowards, just remember that 73 million people, possibly more, voted for Trump and they are keeping score.

Dex Bahr is the author of the book, No Christian Man is an Island. He is a freelance writer.

Image credit: Pixabay public domain