American politics is a diner, not a white-tablecloth restaurant. The food can be hard to swallow.
New Mexico held a routine primary this month. And, as MSNBC reported, “the process was largely unremarkable. Candidates ran, voters participated, ballots were counted, and election results were announced. It couldn’t have been more routine.”
Except in Otero County, where “Republican commissioners refused to certify local results because they believed weird conspiracy theories about voting machines.”
Mind you, “They weren’t aware of any problems with the vote tallies or the local election equipment, but they refused to certify the results anyway because of their unsubstantiated feelings.”
That’s no way to run an election, so the state took them to court, and got an order directing them “to do their job by the end of the week.” (See story here.)
In the end, they did, by a 2-1 vote. The holdout was a convicted Capitol rioter who’s also an elected commissioner, which tells you everything you need to know about Otero County voters. I recommend against buying real estate there. You’ll have problems with the neighbors.
The holdout explained, “My vote to remain a ‘no’ isn’t based on any evidence. It’s not based on any facts.” No kidding, Sherlock. Every Big Lie theory has been thoroughly and repetitiously debunked, but that doesn’t stop these folks.
His attitude describes the vast majority of Republican voters and most current GOP party officials, in case you’re wondering whether it’s safe to vote Republicans now that Trump is out of office. (It’s not, as this case demonstrates.)
The MSNBC article proceeds to engage in “what if” hand-wringing, e.g. what if New Mexico’s secretary of state was a Republican? (She’s not.) I say, enough already; Otero county complied with the court order, the election got certified, and that’s all we care about.
We don’t care why they caved. We don’t care if they liked it, or think the cook served them an undercooked hamburger on a soggy bun with fries that came out of a microwave. When they were told to shut up and eat it, they did, and that’s all that matters.
Rule of law still exists in Otero County, and nothing else is worth worrying about. Politics in America isn’t fancy dining.