This commentary is by Bob Stannard of Manchester, an author, musician and former state legislator and lobbyist. 

Donald Trump lost the 2020 elections fair and square. The one label this morally bankrupt man cannot handle is “loser.” He believes that he has to win at everything at all costs. The cost of his defeat might well be our democracy. 

Through his bank of attorneys, Trump filed 62 state and federal complaints in hopes of overturning the presidential election results. He failed at every attempt, thus making him a loser 63 times (including his loss to Joe Biden). 

Even though he did not win one challenge to the election, he continued to raise doubt about the legitimacy of the elections. The fact that the 2020 elections were probably the most scrutinized and fair elections in our history didn’t stop him from declaring that the presidency was stolen from him. It wasn’t, but he started saying that it was. 

He continued to push what has become known as “The Big Lie” to the point that his cult-like followers have come to believe that The Big Lie is true. He went so far as to incite an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, with the hopes of staging a coup and ironically stealing the election away from Joe Biden; the legitimately elected president. 

Did Trump really care if he won or was it little more than a distraction from another court loss — turning over his tax returns to Congress? It’s hard to say, but there’s a pretty good chance this is what he’s up to. This man has never cared for anyone or anything other than himself. 

He seems to have found his niche with the bombardment of endless emails begging and groveling for money (the only other thing he cares about). He has successfully raised tens of millions of dollars from fools more than willing to hand over their hard-earned money to a consummate conman.

Interestingly enough, as soon as election results were in, the Republican Party saw an opportunity. They made the decision to stick with the pony to which they had lashed their cart. They have bought into Trump hook, line and sinker either out of fear of reprisal or the chance to capitalize on his Big Lie. 

Seventeen Republican-controlled states have now implemented 22 laws designed to do one and only one thing: keep people from voting. Or to be more specific, keep minorities from voting, because they are more likely to vote Democratic. 

You might ask: Why would one political party want to disenfranchise voters? Only one Republican president, George W. Bush, has won the popular vote in America since 1988. That is only one Republican candidate in over 30 years who has won over the hearts and minds of Americans.

The only way Republicans can win is to cheat. They have demonstrated that they will stop at nothing to win the upcoming 2022 elections. They are restricting the vote, gerrymandering, shamelessly promoting “The Big Lie” and offering nothing more than propaganda versus solid ideas for the future of our country. 

We’ve heard little from them about what their plan is to make American’s life better. Instead, what they appear to stand for is more and more tax cuts for those who don’t need them, denying that our climate is changing, and claiming that Covid-19 is a hoax and Dr. Fauci is the enemy. 

I get it. Once you’ve made the decision to buy into a corrupt, morally bankrupt liar, there is no turning back. The GOP of today is not the party of Bob Stafford and Jim Jeffords. It is 100% the party of Donald Trump, a man who stiffs his subcontractors, has sex with porn stars while his wife is feeding his infant son, and lies as easily as you and I breathe. 

Many Americans have wondered what has happened to us and the answer is really quite simple. We’ve become complacent. Many Americans don’t vote. Many would prefer to believe lies than the truth. Many would believe the National Enquirer as gospel, yet decry The New York Times as fake news (another mantra created by the defeated, failed president). 

Many people believe propaganda being perpetrated on our nation by foreign adversaries versus our own free press. You may recall that when former President Trump met with Putin in Helsinki, Trump disavowed over a dozen American intelligence agencies and instead put his faith and trust in Putin. I have no doubt that there were some Republicans who were as mortified as the rest of us at his actions, but instead of speaking out, they sat in silence. 

And that silence is now deafening. It’s time for those who refuse to believe in lies to get loud and shatter the silence. 

The so-called “steal” that Trump and his followers have been screaming about is fake. The real steal is happening today in plain view and is being promulgated by the Republican Party and its leader, Donald Trump. The only hope for this country is for each and every one of us to vote and vote and vote until we can overcome the lies and restrictions being thrust upon us. Time to suit up and get in the game.