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Florida Electors Go For Trump Amid Protests
December 20, 2016
With more attention than usual — following the most-unusual presidential campaign in recent memory — Florida’s 29 electors met Monday to formally cast their votes to send Republican Donald Trump to the White House.
A last-ditch effort in Florida, and across the nation, tried to get members of the Electoral College to bolt from Trump and throw the election into the U.S. House, where supporters hoped that a more mainstream Republican could prevail.
But the effort largely fizzled, with only four defections reported Monday in Washington state and two in Texas. Three of the Washington electors voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and another voted for Native American leader Faith Spotted Eagle. One Texas elector voted for former Republican Congressman Ron Paul, while another voted for Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
In Florida, the votes for Trump and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, were never really in doubt. The slate of electors was made up of GOP stalwarts, from fundraisers to activists to elected officials.
None of them voiced any doubt about voting for Trump, despite the fact that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the popular vote nationally by more than 2.5 million votes. That, Trump’s supporters pointed out, is not how presidential elections are decided.
“The strategy was to spend all of your money in these truly swing states that decide the presidency,” said state House Appropriations Chairman Carlos Trujillo, a Miami Republican and elector. “That was the strategy that both sides invoked. Obviously, one was successful and one wasn’t.”
Outside the Senate chamber at the state Capitol, where the electors gathered, about 100 protesters asked Trump’s supporters to look elsewhere for a president. Signs referred to Trump as racist, sexist or xenophobic.
“Trump Has No Conscience. Do You?” read one poster. Another, alluding to Florida’s role in the disputed 2000 election that saw Republican George W. Bush elected despite losing the popular vote, said: “I can’t believe I have to protest this again.” As the electors voted, protesters chanted “Love Trumps Hate.”
In addition to the argument that Clinton won the popular vote, some protesters portrayed Trump as the kind of dangerous demagogue that the Electoral College was meant to prevent.
“This is the time,” said Anne Timoner, a self-described liberal Democrat who said she would join a movement against the Electoral College if Trump won. “And I’ll say another thing to them: If (the electors) don’t do it now, they do not deserve to exist. … I think this is their life-or-death moment.”
Some electors said they didn’t hear or didn’t pay attention to the chants of the protesters outside the chamber. But it was hard to ignore a torrent of messages leading up to the votes. Some of them were belligerent and included death threats.
Republican Party of Florida Chairman Blaise Ingoglia said he received about 55,000 emails, pieces of mail and Facebook messages asking him to change his vote.
Ingoglia, who is also a state representative from Spring Hill, thanked electors after the vote for persevering.
“I know it was a long, hard haul and I know over the past couple of months you have been inundated with a lot of sometimes harassing messages asking you to switch your vote,” Ingoglia said. “And I know that for many of you, if it was like me, it was an intrusion on your privacy, and it took away some family time.”
Others didn’t seem to mind. Senate President Joe Negron, a Stuart Republican who served as an elector, said he also heard from thousands of people inside and outside of Florida wanting him to back another candidate.
“I viewed the public input a little differently, as redress of grievances,” Negron said. “And so I didn’t really object to the vast majority of people that wrote or contacted us (who) were reasonable.”
He also shrugged off the less-tolerant messages.
“It was such a small percentage that I don’t think it’s worth noting,” Negron said.
Ingoglia said he believed that the protests would lead to a wider movement, of the sort described by Timoner.
“I think that this is a start of a narrative that the left wants to have from now up until the next election cycle and the election cycle after that for a push for a national popular vote, which obviously our government was never intended to do that,” he said. “We’re a constitutional republic; we’re not a democracy.”
The opponents made clear they want to have such a discussion.
“We’re here to say we don’t want that system anymore,” said Maxwell Frost, state organizer for Democracy Spring, which planned demonstrations against the electoral vote in all 50 states. “And we’re here to tell those electors that they should vote with the United States of America, which is against Trump.”
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Comments
12 Responses to “Florida Electors Go For Trump Amid Protests”
REGARDING:
“You are obviously a liberal and have no proper regard for scripture taking verses out of context and not using a sound hermeneutic, practicing eisegesis rather than exegesis.”
Obviously?
You cite a scripture.
I post that scripture.
I don’t eisegesis it at all, just ask how President Trump’s behavior stacks up to the standards given by the scripture you claim to live by.
You claim use of the scripture you cited proves my “liberal” status.
David for interesting people
REGARDING:
@David Huie Green
“I’m not researching the facts for you. You’re a columnist, you should be well equipped for that.”
So much for following the instruction to go the extra mile.
Obviously I have not been able to research as successfully as you have. When I searched for it, all I came up with was a fake news article at abcnews.com.co which is not from ABC News and is just a bunch of made up stories listed as authored by the same man — or boy, since most of these actually come from Macedonia, we are told, and not Columbia as the “.co” implies.
David for truth
@David Huie Green
I’m not researching the facts for you. You’re a columnist, you should be well equipped for that. You are obviously a liberal and have no proper regard for scripture taking verses out of context and not using a sound hermeneutic, practicing eisegesis rather than exegesis. Of course being a liberal columnist you’ll have a knack for spinning a story. Trump’s in, the full term baby murder supporter is out, good enough. God bless.
REGARDING:
1 Corinthians 5:11
“But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.”
Admittedly you probably haven’t kept company or eaten with such, but consider how this might be applied and to whom.
Fornicator
Covetous
Idolator
Railer
Drunkard (I’ll give you that one, don’t think he drinks.)
Extortioner
David for clarity regarding Brother Donald
REGARDING:
@David Huie Green
“Maybe, but I bet you can’t find any real proof.”
“It has already been proven do your research.”
So you can’t?
Go ahead, cite sources, could be true but I have simply read so many lies that I get distrustful in my late youth. (Lies are still bad, right?)
AND
“what would/could have happened had Pres Elect Trump after winning the Republican nomination decided to change directions and run as an Independent? His early cabinet choices seem more “Independent” than Party dependent”
If he announced he was leaving the party, they would have been free to nominate someone else. He could leave the party NOW and there is little they could do about it other than refuse to work with him and reject his nominations and proposals.
AND
“You’ve done well in cherry-picking items in this discussion line.”
Thank you.
It would be silly to comment on everything, even for me.
AND
“I treat everyone well, until I see they are not on a righteous path ”
Sometimes even after since you should realize some few things President Trump has done don’t qualify as righteous. You have judged his sins less important than those of others. (I don’t know she was ever drunk although she seemed crazy a few times.)
AND
“Colossians 2:14″
Probably better to go with 16:
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:”
But it is up to you.
David for better
@David Huie Green
“Maybe, but I bet you can’t find any real proof.”
It has already been proven do your research.
AND
“You mean like not working on Saturdays and no paying others to work for you on the Sabbath?”
I am a New Testament Christian and the Sabbath is no longer observed under the New Testament.
(Colossians 2:14, Hebrews 8:13, Acts 20:28)
AND
“Or the “Love your neighbor as yourself” part?”
I love my neighbors, just ask them.
AND
“The “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” part?”
I treat everyone well, until I see they are not on a righteous path and will not obey the Gospel. Then I separate myself from those individuals.
(1 Corinthians 5:11, 2 Corinthians 6:14, John 7:24)
AND
“We even elected a known (bragged) adulterer who doesn’t pay his bills.”
Yeah, much better than supporting a full term baby killing, murderer and drunk. Trump is most definitely the lesser of two evils.
(Romans 13:1)
molinoman supporting Love, Peace and Kindness
While Celebrating the birth of Jesus, THE Lamb of God
and for not cherry-picking Old Testament scripture.
David Huie Green : Good to see you commenting again ☺️ You’ve
done well in cherry-picking items in this discussion line. I’m sure however
you’re in full awareness of the ameturishness of many of us and our posts.
Now for a subject you could really sink your teeth into……what would/could
have happened had Pres Elect Trump after winning the Republican nomination
decided to change directions and run as an Independent ? His early cabinet
choices seem more “Independent” than Party dependent……might take several
days of consideration/ reflection to write such a piece but would sure be great
reading ( if the PNJ ) would allow such . Knowing the Liberal bent ( PNJ )
I’m thinking a piece on this subject matter might be a “home-run” even for the
Likes of the Liberal Press !
You can find proof that some of the protesters were paid. There are organizations backed by big money. One is People for the American Way. I believe the electors in the electoral college should push that these assaults and harassment and death threats toward them find the perpetrators and prosecute them. There is a difference between free speech, peaceful protest, intimidation and riot,
We have been under a vary dangerous agenda and administration, and many are recognizing that. I believe they will not relent.
REGARDING:
“obama was shoved down our throats for 8 years”
By people called “voters”
Voters picked him over other nominees.
They get to do that.
AND
“the protesters are paid by the far left, maybe not every single protester but the ones organizing the protests.”
Maybe, but I bet you can’t find any real proof.
Similar claims were made up by some kids in Macedonia this past year.
They filed false stories for the money they got from advertisers who knew some people will believe anything bad on certain people.
AND
“The libs ( Hilliary) are insisting they won the popular vote”
To the best of my knowledge, she simply acknowledged she lost; her followers have been the ones griping about the fact that the excess popular vote for her in California would have won her the election if they were spread out in other states.
On the other hand, aren’t you glad they aren’t?
AND
“I don’t even need a TV with all its liberal slanted shows brainwashing everyone into thinking it is okay to go against God’s commands.”
You mean like not working on Saturdays and no paying others to work for you on the Sabbath?
Or the “Love your neighbor as yourself” part?
The “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” part?
Yep, things are not as they should be.
We even elected a known (bragged) adulterer who doesn’t pay his bills.
David for love, peace and kindness
as we celebrate the birth of Jesus,
the Lamb of God
It’s all a big ruse, the protesters are paid by the far left, maybe not every single protester but the ones organizing the protests. We live in a country full of sheep blindly following the media and being incited by them. I no longer watch any news station, or read anything other than NE.com to see what is going on around me locally. I don’t even need a TV with all its liberal slanted shows brainwashing everyone into thinking it is okay to go against God’s commands. If this nation continues to decay or not I trust God’s revelation to man above everything else. Work toward an eternal reward in glory.
All the time and effort to protest and scream foul. obama was shoved down our throats for 8 years running this country into the ground. Focus your efforts on what you can do for this country instead of being part of the problem. Our enemies are cheering you all on.
Nothing could be finer….than to be in Carolina…..almost all of the U.S. from the
Virginia border @ the Atlantic…to the Pacific Ocean …..then south to the 29th
paralell was once called “Carolina”. But boy have the losers shown their true
colors. The libs ( Hilliary) are insisting they won the popular vote…..but are
California’s voters supposed to control our whole election with their extremely
lax rules ????? Hilliary had at least four (4) Million more votes ( in California)
than Trump . Should California and New York control who wins ? Well that’s
the main reason for the” Electoral College “. Our system works,,,,,,,and we all
just got to see it up close. Now I say to Michelle O……I’m really proud of “We the
People “. We stood-up to everything imaginable and defended our “Line in the
sand” and won…”.hopefully it’s just the beginning”.