Kudos to Clapper, But a Tainted Election is a Tainted Election!

We listened today to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper say this about Donald Trump’s trashing of the U.S. intelligence community:

“I think there is an important distinction here between healthy skepticism, which policymakers … should always have for intelligence, but I think there’s a difference between skepticism and disparagement.”

He also said this:

“Our assessment now is even more resolute than it was” on Oct. 7 when the government first publicly accused Russia, Clapper told a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

He said he is apolitical, so he doesn’t want to speculate about whether Russian influence gave the election to Trump.

While a lot of us are still recovering from James Comey’s effort to finish off Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid, I can appreciate Clapper’s position.  But I’m not him.  I don’t have his restraints.  And, frankly, when an election is hacked and damaged by another country determined to put its favorite candidate into the White House, it doesn’t matter whether the extent of influence is known.  The election was tainted — sufficiently so for 17 intelligence agencies to agree and for President Obama to impose significant sanctions on Russia.

So, why are we falling for the view that the election results are final?  Why are we stuck with this man who lies daily and offends anyone who isn’t getting something from him —  a man who prefers Putin’s views to those of his own country’s intelligence community?

This election is not over.  Call your senator and congressional representative.  We don’t have to suck it up or get over it.  If another country’s election had been tampered with in this way, the U.S. would be advising them to do it over. When a well is poisoned, it’s poisoned.  Putting Trump in office demeans democracy and American values.  The election needs to be challenged.   Otherwise, all this back-and-forth about Russian tampering with the election is posturing and noise — pure and simple.