Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed. ― Friedrich Nietzsche

Welcome to another exciting edition of Caught My Eye (CME).

CME is the once a week column that is posted here every Friday morning. This is when I take a look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week. There may be some sarcasm and pointed independent commentary so be warned!

Here are the topics that “Caught My Eye” this week:

• Transition of Power
• Nine Discarded Ballots
• Electoral College
• One More Thing

TRANSITION OF POWER:

In a press conference Wednesday, President Donald Trump was asked:

Win, lose, or draw in this election, will you commit here, today, for a peaceful transferal of power after the election? And there has been rioting in Louisville. There’s been rioting in many cities across this country — red and — your so-called red and blue states. Will you commit to making sure that there is a peaceful transferal of power after the election?

Trump responded with a couple of lines that shocked the country:

Well, we’re going to have to see what happens. You know that. I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots. And the ballots are a disaster. And — and — 

Then there was some back and forth between Trump and the reporter:

Question: I understand that, but people are rioting. Do you commit to making sure that —
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, I know. I know. Yeah, no, we want —
Question — there’s a peaceful transferal of power?
THE PRESIDENT: We want to have — get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a very trans- — we’ll have a very peaceful — there won’t be a transfer, frankly; there’ll be a continuation.
The ballots are out of control. You know it. And you know who knows it better than — 

Source: White House Transcript

All Trump is doing is stoking the fire. He knows he’s losing and wants to have an excuse when he does.

Trump’s comments were so explosive that the U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution reaffirming its commitment to a peaceful transition of power in the wake of President Donald Trump’s refusal to do so if he loses the election. (ABC News)

The three members of the Montana delegation chimed in with Republicans Steve Daines and Greg Gianforte saying there have always been peaceful transitions. (NBC Montana)

Democrat Jon Tester said a little more in a press release received here at The Western Word:

“President Trump’s horrifying refusal to commit to a peaceful transition of power if he loses the election are comments that have no place in a democracy. My Republican colleagues need to join me in strongly denouncing the President’s statement and pledging to ensure a peaceful transition—all three branches of government must be united in protecting our democratic institutions.”

It appears the President will do anything to keep from losing – including trying to start a civil war.

NINE DISCARDED BALLOTS:

NPR is reporting that the FBI and the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania said Thursday that they are investigating “potential issues” with nine military ballots in one county. They believe the ballots were opened improperly — though they have not yet filed any charges or taken official action.

It did not take Trump long to seize on the discovery:

President Trump also appeared to cite the case, telling reporters at the White House that ballots had been found “in a wastepaper basket in some location. . . . We want to make sure that the election is honest, and I’m not sure that it can be.”

Trump’s press secretary also talked about it during the Thursday press briefing.

The Washington Post reported that Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said the timing of the announcement alone raises many questions.

“It is the vital duty of government not to announce partial facts and ‘potential issues’ in pending investigations,” Levitt said in an email interview. “Indeed, it’s quite improper to announce the fact of an inquiry. And grotesquely improper to announce whom the ballots were cast for, as if that mattered in the investigation.”

If the ballots had been cast for Joe Biden, I would bet that would not be disclosed.

The bottom line is those nine ballots have given Trump and his supporters ammo to say the election is rigged if he loses.

ELECTORAL COLLEGE:

Gallup Polling is reporting that heading into the 2020 presidential election, three in five Americans (61%) favor amending the U.S. Constitution to replace the Electoral College with a popular vote system, marking a six-percentage point uptick since April 2019.

I am not in favor of changing the Electoral College.

Gallup says that Presidential candidates have only won the electoral vote and lost the popular vote four times in U.S. history, and two of these occurrences have been in the last five presidential elections (2000 and 2016). I can see why this might be something popular with Democrats who were on the losing end of those elections.

Does anyone know if the Electoral College football team (I think they are called the Ballot Bandits) is playing this season?

Check out the full report from Gallup HERE.

ONE MORE THING:

In case you missed it, President Donald Trump endorsed Republican Greg Gianforte, who is running for Montana Governor.

Trump reportedly said to Gianforte when he decided to endorse him, “Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me.”

I was kidding in that last graph.

Trump tweeted:

Congressman Greg Gianforte (@GregForMontana) will be a tremendous Governor of Montana! A successful Businessman, he will Cut your Taxes, Defend your #2A, and protect Montana’s Beautiful Public Lands. Greg has my Complete and Total Endorsement!

Then he provided a link to donate to Gianforte’s campaign.

## VOTE ##