So, I’m the last person to tell someone not to express themselves. Far be it from me to suggest that anyone should be kept from pursuing their free speech rights, or from seeking election to political office. But…seriously?
First, some context. In the 2016 Presidential Election, here are some indisputable facts:
Pennsylvania (20 Electoral votes): Trump–2,970,733 votes. Clinton–2,926,441 votes, a difference of 44,292 votes. But, Gary Johnson received 146,715 votes, and Jill Stein received 49,941 votes, a total of 196,656 votes…more than four times as many votes as Trump won the state by!
Michigan (16 Electoral votes): Trump–2,279,543 votes. Clinton–2,268,839 votes. A difference of 10,704 votes. Johnson got 172,136 votes. Stein got 51,463 votes. A total of 223,599 votes, more than 20 times the margin of victory.
Wisconsin (10 Electoral votes): Trump–1,405,284 votes. Clinton–1,382,536 votes. A difference of 22,748 votes. Johnson–106,674 votes. Stein–31,072 votes.
And of course, Florida (29 Electoral votes): Trump–4,617,886 votes. Clinton–4,504,975 votes. A difference of 112,911 votes. Johnson–207,043. Stein–64,399.
That’s a total of 75 Electoral College votes decided by 190,655 votes. The final Electoral College tallies were: Trump 306, Clinton 232. Clearly those 75 Electoral College votes were the difference in the election–much like Ralph Nader’s 97,000-odd votes in Florida cost Al Gore the 2000 election (he officially lost Florida, and with it, the White House, by 537 votes).
Now, obviously, no one can say unequivocally/for certain who the Johnson & Stein voters would have voted for if those two candidates were not on the ballot. (Maybe they would have stayed home!) But in each of these four states, they accumulated well over the number of votes that Clinton lost by.
Why is that important? And what does the title, “The Wicked Witch of the (Kanye) West” refer to?
The Republican Party knows that its Presidential candidate is trailing miserably in the polls. In a head-to-head contest against the Democratic candidate, it’s not looking good. But what if it were a three-way race? What if there was another candidate siphoning off from the Democratic candidate? Enter Kanye West.
Clearly Kanye is not going to win the election. His “candidacy” is a joke, except that it’s not funny! Because which voter demographics do you think just might vote for him? Young people &/or Black people. Not many, mind you. In fact…damned few will vote for him. But how many votes did it take to swing Michigan into Trump’s column? Just over 10,000! And a margin of just under 23,000 votes gave him Wisconsin. Do you think there might be 25,000 young people in the entire state of Wisconsin who can be convinced that a vote for Kanye is a “harmless expression of their displeasure with the system?” I do. And it scares the crap out of me!
And before you start thinking, “Well that’s just a crazy conspiracy theory–no one is going to vote for Kanye!” consider this: The lawyer who hand-walked Kanye’s paperwork in, right at the Tuesday, 5:00pm deadline, so his name would appear on the Wisconsin ballot, is a woman named Lane Ruhland. Recognize her name? Of course you don’t (unless you watch Rachel as much as I do!) But Lane Ruhland is a name you should know. Because although she is seen on camera walking Kanye’s paperwork (petitions, etc) in so that he can run for President…she also happens to be the lawyer who is representing Donald Trump in his lawsuit against a small TV station in…wait for it…Wisconsin. Trump is suing that TV station for airing campaign ads (way back in April) that portrayed Trump in a negative light with regard to his “handling” of the CoVid crisis.
More importantly, though, why is Lane Ruhland representing two “opposing” candidates in the same election?!
Because they are NOT two opposing candidates. They are a team, seeking to undercut Biden’s support from among voters who in no way, shape or form will be voting for Trump anyway. But if enough of them vote for Kanye instead of Biden, in a close election like Wisconsin was 4 years ago…well, you do the math.
So, we need to call out the Wicked Witch for what (s)he is…early and often, so that there is no misunderstanding of this fiendish ploy. Frankly, I couldn’t name a single Kanye song (I’m dead serious). And I could care less who he’s married to, or what he does with his time and money. But I am not gonna sit by and watch him undermine this election, not when I can call attention to it and hopefully help prevent it from happening.
From where I sit, that seems like the least we can all do, doncha think? So, pass it on. Ding-dong…the witch is dead! (or at least the Witch’s plan is…)
[*The following is an excerpt from an article published by Wisconsin’s NPR station: the URL is: w p r dot org /kanye-west-files-wisconsin-ballot-help-republican-attorney]
“Kanye West Files For Wisconsin Ballot With Help From Republican Attorney
Lane Ruhland Is Currently Representing President Donald Trump’s CampaignBy Shawn JohnsonPublished:
- Wednesday, August 5, 2020, 5:05pm
When rap superstar Kanye West filed paperwork Tuesday to run for president in Wisconsin, he got an assist from a lawyer with deep Republican ties.
Attorney Lane Ruhland, who hand-delivered West’s nomination papers at the Wisconsin Elections Commission, has worked for a long list of GOP heavyweights in Wisconsin, and she’s currently representing the campaign of President Donald Trump.
West announced he was running for president over Twitter on July 4, but getting on the ballot is a state-by-state process. In Wisconsin, it requires a minimum of 2,000 valid signatures from Wisconsin electors.
The deadline for those signatures was Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. According to WISN-TV in Milwaukee, Ruhland delivered the petitions shortly after 5:00.
Ruhland is currently representing Trump’s campaign in a lawsuit against a Northwoods TV station for running an ad produced by Priorities U.S.A., a liberal advocacy group.
She was previously the campaign treasurer for former Republican Gov. Scott Walker and a deputy chief of staff for former Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel.
Ruhland has also been a lawyer for the Republican Party of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s largest business group and a major supporter of Republican campaigns.”