1 min read

I am concerned that our country may face an unprecedented danger this Nov. 4 — worse than Jan. 6, 2021. President Trump is obsessed with voter fraud, which we know is rare. It is easy for me to imagine Republicans losing Congress and Trump urging his heavily armed loyalists to violence.

I would hope that Sen. Susan Collins will reach out to her fellow senators now. Trump should be told before Nov. 3 that if Republicans lose in our free and fair elections, he must accept the results. He should be told that if he claims fraud without evidence and urges violence, he will be impeached again and this time convicted. 

That means having Republican senators defy him. That should be easy for those whose careers he’s destroyed, like Thom Tillis, John Cornyn and Bill Cassidy. But how about some who occasionally disagree with him — Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, John Kennedy, Dan Sullivan, Todd Young, Josh Hawley and a few more?

Give Trump a choice between starting another civil war or admitting that he lost and he will choose war. We’ve seen this movie. Without every effort being made to ensure a peaceful transition, there is a grave danger that our country could descend into massive violence. 

Collins has named Margaret Chase Smith among her role models. I can only hope that she shows some of Smith’s courage and sense of responsibility.

Dan Kravitz
Harpswell