Our View: Coal to sore losers trying to reverse election

Diamonds to Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, who has acknowledged Joe Biden’s election victory and defended Pennsylvania’s elections systems as valid and accurate. As the Associated Press reports, Biden spoke up on a conference call with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other senators on Thursday, objecting to those challenging Pennsylvania’s results and making clear he disagrees with a plan by Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri to contest the result, Toomey’s office said in a statement.

Coal to Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, and all those who are following Hawley’s dishonest and irresponsible lead in this shameful endeavor to subvert the will of millions of voters because they don’t like the outcome of the election. There’s no evidence to support their outrageous voter fraud fantasies and they know it. Judges — some appointed by Trump — have affirmed this over and over. There’s also little chance their charade will derail confirmation of Biden’s Electoral College victory in Congress. Long after Donald Trump is gone from office, the divisive and damaging actions being taken now by Hawley, Meuser and other delusional politicians will only serve to divide this country further and undermine confidence in an electoral system that worked as it was supposed to. These people are a disgrace to Congress and to the country they are pledged to serve.

Diamonds to Luzerne County Manager C. David Pedri, who said former county Election Director Shelby Watchilla should pursue a reward for detecting voter fraud offered by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

In case you have forgotten, Republican Patrick had announced in November he would pay rewards of at least $25,000 and up to $1 million from his campaign fund to those who successfully report evidence of voter fraud connected with the 2020 presidential election.

Watchilla did exactly that.

Watchilla, who resigned as county election director effective Christmas Day to accept a private-sector position, had investigated and reported a case in October that led to the arrest of Robert Richard Lynn, a 67-year-old registered Republican from Forty Fort.

Lynn was charged with forging the name of his deceased mother on an application for an absentee ballot that was sent to the county election bureau in September. Lynn’s preliminary hearing is scheduled on Jan. 14.

Doubtlessly Patrick was hoping for someone to find evidence of the ongoing Trumpist fantasy that Philadelphia, that den of iniquity where “bad things happen,” cost the president Pennsylvania and a second term through voter fraud.

Interestingly, the only documented case of Philadelphia-area voter fraud we have read about in the 2020 election concerns Bruce Bartman, 70, a Delaware County man who — wait for it — allegedly requested mail-in ballots for his dead mother and dead mother-in-law.

Prosecutors said Bartman confessed he intended to vote for Donald Trump on his dead relatives’ behalf.

Paging Dan Patrick: Get your checkbook out, cowboy, because you owe Pennsylvania some cold, hard cash.

Diamonds, finally to Watchilla herself. She spent just over a year heading the county’s election office, and what a year it was. From what we can see, she successfully steered the office through one of the most complicated and controversial election years in American history, while fending off outright abuse from politicians and other partisans who sought to undermine trust in the process at every turn, especially once their candidate lost. Watchilla, a Republican, also was diligent and transparent in reporting the discarding of ballots by a temp worker, which led to their recovery. Best of luck in the new position, and thank you for your service.

— Times Leader