Presidential vs. Educator Lessons for Young Americans

Over seven million extra folks selected the opposite candidate. Solely 46.9 % of voters forged their ballots for you. Refuse to just accept this outcome within the days, weeks and years following the election. Two months after the competition ends, name an election official and say you want him to search out you 11,780 votes. Collect your supporters on the day the election outcomes are being licensed—inform them how you’ve got been robbed and urge them to battle. Do nothing as they erupt in violence instantly thereafter.

Waste a number of taxpayers’ time and cash recounting ballots (in lots of cases by hand) to make completely sure that you simply didn’t win. Have one among your most dependable media supporters make baseless claims concerning the voting machines, an misguided accusation that in the end ends in them paying a $787 million authorized settlement to the corporate that manufactures the gadgets. It doesn’t matter what the proof repeatedly confirms, preserve insisting for years that you simply gained the election.

Enter the following race a couple of years later. This time, over two million extra folks vote for you rather than your opponent. You win. However nonetheless preserve declaring that you simply have been wronged within the election that preceded this one. A yr into your time period, with a lot else that requires severe management, have your administration seize and resurrect ballots from greater than 5 years previous to attempt to show that the election was rigged towards you.

Pre-emptively forged doubt on an election later that yr by which you aren’t a candidate, and acknowledge that the end result has doubtlessly destructive implications for the rest of your presidency. Say explicitly that if the opposite get together turns into the bulk following that election, they’ll impeach you. Do all you’ll be able to to make sure that will not be the electoral final result. Use “the massive lie” that you’ve clung to for all these years—possibly it’s going to lastly be disproven and work for you this time.

Once you lose an election, by no means settle for the outcomes. Pout. Hold saying you gained. Ignore all of the proof that constantly exhibits you weren’t the winner. Completely disregard what elections officers, legal professionals and judges say. That is the lesson to college students in America’s Okay–12 colleges, schools and universities. They’re being taught that elections are solely honest and bonafide in the event that they win.

Because it seems, I’ve fairly a little bit of expertise in elections. Listed here are the outcomes of contests by which I’ve been a candidate:

Accordingly, I’ve misplaced just one election. However had I been unsuccessful in additional of them, I’m sure that I might have had sufficient integrity, maturity (at the same time as an eighth grader) and dignity to just accept the outcomes except there was clear proof of election fraud.

Noteworthy is that greater than 60 % of those have been pupil contests, after I was a a lot youthful chief. The message from my lecturers, professors, membership advisers and campus directors was all the time the identical to the opposite candidates and me: Considered one of you’ll win, shedding doesn’t make the others losers, however regardless, we should all settle for the election outcomes. That had all the time been the lesson and the postelection norms in my colleges. Equally, coaches advise younger athletes to be good sports activities and settle for the outcomes of athletic contests when their opponents win.

Hopefully, good educators are nonetheless speaking this identical message to candidates and voters in pupil authorities, homecoming king, promenade queen and different contests. Moreover, I hope that the Okay–12 lecturers and school professors of the following technology of metropolis council members, mayors, state legislators, governors, congresspersons and U.S. presidents are insisting that they not cry foul with out proof in the event that they sometime lose elections. Sadly, younger Americans are being taught a really totally different lesson from their present president, which undermines and threatens the way forward for our democracy.