The Asterisk Presidency

In 2001, 37-year-old Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs, beating Mark McGwire’s single-season record of 70 set three years earlier. Since then, there has been controversy that still lingers. The era of steroids in baseball leaves a mark that many feel soils the record, others say it is what it is and we need to accept that is the record. The concept of an asterisk for the record was widely accepted by the public as means of affirming the record but the means by which it was achieved deserves a mark. I'm not a big baseball fan, but I know how much real fans care about this sort of thing.

I wish the American voting public cared as much about their own constitutional processes. As I have discussed many times before, the crimes related to the Capitol Riot and Insurrection of 2021 are serious. Even years later, after an uneventful January 6th, 2025, the public still knows the previous certification disruption was a bad moment in American history. From a recent Marist Poll:

• 62% of Americans disapprove of Trump pardoning people who were convicted of attacking the Capitol on January 6, 2021. 35% approve of the pardons.
• 89% of Democrats, 62% of independents, and even 30% of Republicans disapprove of pardoning individuals convicted for their actions in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. 64% of Republicans approve of the pardons. Notably, women (69%) are more likely than men (55%) to disapprove of pardoning these individuals.
• 59% of Americans, including 84% of Democrats and 61% of independents, believe the events of January 6, 2021 were an insurrection meant to overthrow a free and fair election. 38% of U.S. residents, including 61% of Republicans, believe the events of the day were protests by patriots to stop a stolen election.

We see similar results from a recent CBS/YouGov poll:

Even earlier during the year, while Trump was polling even with Biden while he was still running, the public was against the actions taken by the mob.

• A Washington Post-University of Maryland poll from January said most Americans (55%) believe the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol was an attack on democracy that should never be forgotten.
• A CBS News/YouGov survey from the same month found 78% disapprove of the actions of those who forced their way into the Capitol.
• ABC News/Ipsos in August found 52% of Americans think Donald Trump should have been charged with a crime for his connection to the riot.

Yet, most Americans voted on immigration and the economy. Many decided that their own personal feelings were more important than holding Trump accountable. Recent Fox News polling indicates a majority does not view his election win as a mandate, and more think it was a rejection of the outgoing administration rather than an endorsement of Trump.?Millions who voted for Biden in 2020 just didn't vote in 2024.

Yet, I suspect Trump will give mass pardons and probably give awards and jobs to those involved in the insurrection. The fact that Donald Trump is guilty of insurrection is not a question to me. In Anderson et al v. Trump in Illinois, he was disqualified for the ballot. A similar case in Colorado ended up at the Supreme Court Trump v. Anderson, which ruled that only Congress could enforce a federal ban on candidates running, not states.

Trump is an insurrectionist who beat the clock on charges. The final report of Special Counsel Jack Smith makes clear that had this case gone to trial, he would have secured a conviction. The states that are pursuing charges against fake electors in their states will face pressure to drop charges. They should press forward and should they be found guilty, press for the maximum punishment.

Since November, there has been a dishonest push for "reconciliation" by those who spread lies about the 2020 election. Countless election workers were harrased for doing their jobs and left. To this day, in confirmation hearings, Trumps lackies refuse to say Biden was the legitimate winner of the 2020 election. It's a sad reminder that plenty of adults will fail to live up to their responsibilities. This is all seperate from the fact that Trump is a convicted felon for crimes related to the 2016 election.

While the public overwhelmingly disapproves of the insurrectionists, I'm not sure how much of a public backlash will occur should Trump give a free pass to all those involved. If it wasn't enough to stop him from being elected again, it's not crazy to think voters will disapprove of pardons but support Trump anway. I refuse to let it go. I will never let it go. Thousands of people like myself who were involved in elections and have faced harassments deserve better. The police who fought to defend the Capitol deserve the plaque that by law should be on display in the Capitol.

The same way that election deniers say "Biden was certified as the winner and is President" dishonestly is the way we should refer to Trump's election. When someone says Trump won the popular vote (77,303,573 votes {49.9%} to Harris's 75,019,257 votes {48.4%}) that does not mean his election is without controversy. We cannot live in a world where one party (my former party) only accepts results when they win. I accept the result of the 2024 election. I can still say it was a mistake.

The same way fans rightfully want an asterisk on Barry Bonds home run record, the America public should treat the 47th Presidency of the United States the same way. It will hold, but we know it stands because those who could have done something about chose to look the other way. I will not. I will never let Trump or his foot soldiers off the hook for what they did. His election to the Presidency does not change what happened, and no amount of spin or white-washing will make it go away. It is a stain that forever taints the 47th Presidency. I love the United States of America. I took an oath to defend the Constitution. I will not bend the knee to insurrectionists and I never will.

Come monday, we live under The Asterisk Presidency. That does not mean you have to give it legitimacy. Be prepared to fight.