January 6, the last chance of The Donald

Last updated on January 4th, 2021 at 05:58 am

The Donald: The sixth of January will be the last attempt to invalidate the American presidential election. A Republican senator announced today that he will oppose the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the US Congress on January 6. That day the Congress meets in joint session for the final count of the constituency. Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, will preside over the work by constitutional dictation. And Trump has long counted on the loyalists to make the last attempt on that occasion to overturn the result, contesting the count of the votes of the constituency. The outgoing president said last night on Twitter: “JANUARY SIXTH, SEE YOU IN DC!”.

However, there will be a margin of uncertainty until the end, at least to prolong the “spectacle” of the most contested election in American history. It is also a test to which Republicans are called: from Pence himself to Senatorial leader Mitch McConnell, that day they either betray the Constitution or they betray Trump.

The senator who announced the January 6 motion is Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri. “At the very least – Hawley said today – Congress must investigate allegations of electoral fraud and take measures to ensure the regularity of our elections.” Now that at least one Republican parliamentarian has come out into the open, announcing the offensive for the last day useful for this purpose, others will surely support him.

Suspense is guaranteed, but only in appearance. The objection that every parliamentarian has the right to raise against the count of the electoral college gives rise to a debate and a vote by the House and Senate. In this case, the two votes are separate and since it is necessary that both branches of Congress snitch the count of the electoral college, the democratic majority in the House is enough to make the reversal impossible.

It is even doubtful that the motion will win in the Senate: there the Republicans are in the majority but different from each other and have now recognized Biden’s victory. The January 6 appointment will be “hot” for another reason as well: it will take place only 24 hours after the vote in Georgia where two senatorial seats are up for grabs. Tuesday 5 January will be the queue or the rematch of Election Day. Only Georgia votes but it is all national politics that hangs on that result. Two senatorial seats can sway the upper house majority in Biden camp, or leave it to the Republicans.