The 2017 U.S. Presidential Inauguration Riots: Who’s Responsible?

Never in the modern history of America has there ever been rioting in the streets over the election of a United States President like the election of Donald J. Trump as the 45th President of the United States of America. Since the election and inauguration, there is rioting, marching and protests in the streets of Washington, D.C., in cities across America and in foreign countries worldwide in protest of the 45th U.S. President. How could this happen and who is responsible?

Hillary Rodham Clinton won the popular vote of the people for the 2016 Presidential election, but lost the Electoral College vote, which gave the U.S. Presidency to Donald J. Trump. The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President. If you are confused about this process, please note there are plenty of places across the internet that can better explain this constitutional process for you, but let me suffice it to say, had it not been for the Electoral College process being in place, Hillary Clinton would have been the 45th President of the United States, having won the majority of people’s vote.

In the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “a riot is the voice of the unheard.” The reason people are rioting in the streets of America and abroad, is because the people’s voice was not heard concerning this election. The founding fathers wanted to guard the best interest of the American people by formulating the Electoral College. The Electoral College refused to hear the people of America after the 2016 Presidential election. The people spoke through riots and asked the Electoral College not to vote for Donald J. Trump. Under the U.S. Constitution, the Electoral College had the opportunity to vote differently, casting their vote for someone other than Donald J. Trump. But, they ignored the voices of the people and cast their majority Electoral College votes for Donald J. Trump as America’s 45th President.

Given that the majority of the people in the United States voted to elect Hillary Clinton, and given the suspicions and proof from America’s intelligence agencies of voter influencing by Russia, and the various risks to our nation’s interests in having such a politically inexperienced and conflict of interests individual as President, the Electoral College which was put in place precisely to protect the American people against such things, set aside all these things, including the people’s majority voice for Hillary Clinton, and instead chose to cast their majority Electoral College votes to elect Donald J. Trump as America’s 45th President.

Moving forward after the protests and marches so that the American people’s voices can no longer be ignored concerning the 45th Presidential election, we the American people would be remiss not to complete an analysis of the Electoral College and the constitutionality surrounding it as a point of protest and to determine its relevancy today. The American people must clearly understand through analysis how relevant is the use of the Electoral College today by comparison to its original intent of the forefather, Alexander Hamilton, who proposed the Electoral College and that it be adopted into the Presidential election process.

The American government is founded upon a democracy that every vote counts. “We the people . . . by the people.” The electoral college was put into place to safeguard the American people and this nation. Both are legitimate concerns in the presidential election process. Nevertheless, the question before us now is, should the American people revisit the electoral college process for presidential elections in America? If the people’s majority vote, the popular vote, for the 2016 Presidential election would have stood, just as we do in State and local elections in America, we would not be having the consequences and repercussions we are witnessing today in riots, marches and protests at home in America and abroad.

www.alicebelcher.com

Photo: CNBC.com