Post-election antics are simply amazing fodder for political cynics.  Karl Rove did an editorial a few weeks back wherein he stated the American public loves the underdog and dislikes a sore loser. While that has been said before, it is worth remembering.

Trump has every legal right to challenge the results of the election. Both political parties and their candidates have done that in the past. The difference is that past challenges were narrowed down to one or two issues and promptly resolved. Trump has taken the approach of throwing mud and hoping some of it sticks. The perception is that of a poor loser and that has political implications.

The person who should be most grateful for Trump’s political antics is Joe Biden. Yes, the Trump challenges take away from some of the positive press an incoming President receives. However, it also takes attention away from other issues.

The Hunter Biden financial issues were just starting to gain some traction in the press. Now all of that attention is going to Trump’s actions and the Biden finances will soon become old news and relegated to the back pages, if even addressed. The timing is perfect for the Biden family and they did not create the news cycle. Trump did.

Trump’s strongest political asset is his mouth of the “say it like it is persona”. Trump’s strongest political liability is his mouth, which is having trouble holding his foot as he inserts it into his mouth. Sometimes, a politician needs to know when to shut up. Remember Rove and his poor loser comment.

The public doesn’t fault a candidate who challenges an election that goes against him if they can understand the basis of the challenge. Trump, with a gracious loss, would have been in a position to run again in 2024 or be the king maker of any potential Republican candidate.

With the vitriol that Trump is voicing about his election loss, the public perceives a poor loser. The public doesn’t like a poor loser.

Yesterday was the Georgia Senate special elections. From a historical point of view the elections should have been won by the two Republicans. As I write this, one Democrat has been declared the winner and the other Democrat is leading in a very close race. Poor loser Trump may have may have energized his base and retained its voting power, but he certainly energized his opposition to a higher degree.

The Georgia Senate races were a referendum on Trump’s post-election temper tantrum and voter’s responded with a political rebuke. That rebuke will have significant political consequences if the Senate is tied and becomes a Democratically controlled body pursuant to the tie breaker vote of the Vice President. Whenever one party, regardless of which party, controls both the legislative and executive branches of government the checks and balances are weakened and bad things can happen.

The Georgia Senate races have emboldened Senator Sanders and Representative Ocasio-Cortez to now push a very deep left political agenda. At the same time, this country has always trended back to the center and hopefully will do so again.

The next two to four years will be very interesting. As Americans we need to accept election results and wish our new officials the best in governing the nation. At the same time, the public must always hold its elected official accountable.