After six long months, the day has finally come. Hell has frozen over. Jefferson Griffin has conceded his loss to Allison Riggs in the North Carolina Supreme Court Race.
This ends one of the most pathetic and embarrassing chapters for any public servant in the history of our state and country.
Seldom before has one man so thoroughly ruined his reputation in the pursuit of power. We can only hope that his humiliation will deter future wannabee autocrats from going down the same dark path that he chose.
Because you see, there is nothing more patriotic and small-D democratic than gracefully conceding an election that you lost and willfully participating in the peaceful transfer of power. This is how a strong democracy functions. Indeed, there is no democracy when the loser of a race refuses to concede. I was once a proud member of the Republican party before Donald Trump took complete control of the party. Now sadly the GOP has become the party of election denialism, where candidates are praised for trying to steal an election by any means necessary. It is a damn shame, and they are taking the country down a dark path.
What Jefferson Griffin has done the last few months is also a disgrace to anyone that has ever worn the military uniform and fought for this country and its ideals. I believe that some of the greatest and most inspirational political speeches in American history have been concession speeches. John McCain in 2008 comes to mind.
But perhaps the best and most American speech of my lifetime was Vice President Al Gore’s concession speech after the 2000 election. This was one of the closest and most hotly contested elections in American history, and after the Supreme Court made its final decision, Gore gracefully conceded to George W. Bush. He didn’t try and change the rules after the game was played, and he certainly didn’t instigate an insurrection at the Capitol, or act like a manchild because he didn’t get his way.
Instead, he decided to act like a man with honor and a leader with integrity. He put principles over power and country over party and said the following:
“I say to President-elect Bush that what remains of partisan rancor must now be put aside, and may God bless his stewardship of this country. Neither he nor I anticipated this long and difficult road. Certainly, neither of us wanted it to happen. Yet it came, and now it has ended, resolved, as it must be resolved, through the honored institutions of our democracy.”
These are the words of a true patriot. It is hard to fathom such words ever coming from such empty and hollow men as Jefferson Griffin and Donald Trump.
Let us also not forget that Griffin could have followed the lead of what former Chief Justice Cheri Beasley did after her defeat in the 2020 state Supreme Court election. She lost by an even slimmer margin of 401 votes compared to the 734 votes that Jefferson Griffin lost by. She asked for audits and recounts which was in her right after such a close election. But after the recounts confirmed her loss, she conceded like a person of character would and went about her life serving the public in other ways. She left with her dignity and her head held high and history will remember fondly for that.
Jefferson Griffin had that same opportunity but instead chose the path of raw power. He decided to forfeit his dignity and self-respect and now history will remember him as a coward and a fool, if it even remembers him at all. In a world full of Jefferson Griffins, teach your kids to be an Allison Riggs or a Cheri Beasley.
All of this leads me to my main point, which is that now that Griffin has finally conceded his election loss, he should also resign his Army commission as an officer in the Army National Guard.
As an Army veteran myself, the thing that enraged me so much about all of this is that he has worn and still wears the uniform of an Army Officer. He knows better. The fact that he would willingly try to throw out the votes of thousands of military absentee ballots just because they came from “blue” districts is unforgiveable. Men and women who wear that uniform are supposed to represent America’s best. The uniform represents duty, integrity, and moral courage. And what Jefferson Griffin has done these last six months has brought great shame and dishonor to the uniform. The right to vote is sacred and if men that swear an oath to the Constitution are willing to break it in pursuit of political power, then you should give up that precious uniform so someone that actually loves this country and what it stands for can take your place.
Jefferson – if you have even a shred of dignity and decency left, then you will call your commanding officer tomorrow and formally resign your commission. Your unit, your state, and your country deserve so much better than you.
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