Sedition. That is the legal word for the crime against democracy that Donald Trump and his knock-kneed co-conspirators in Congress appear to be staging in a desperate grasp at control of the White House.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were duly elected last week, as were most Republicans who sought re-election to Congress. But, Trump insists — with no evidence— that the presidential balloting was a fraud and that “illegal” votes must be discarded. The president is engaged in behavior that is beyond reckless and preposterous. It’s dangerous and — if it persists— it is treasonous.

Nov 4, 2020

The agonizing wait for resolution in the presidential contest dragged on as the Reporter went to press on Wednesday morning. As of this hour, it remains unclear if Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will prevail over Donald Trump and Mike Pence. Several swing states— Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina— still have millions of votes to count.

They must be allowed to count them.

Former Vice-President Joe Biden is shown at the second inauguration of Boston Mayor Martin Walsh in Jan. 2018. Chris Lovett photo

The choice could not be clearer: I’ll cast my vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris next Tuesday. A lopsided proportion of my neighbors, if they haven’t already, will do the same.

This is not wishful thinking. In 2016, the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won 80.5 percent of the vote in Boston. Trump-Pence finished the day with 13.8 percent of the vote citywide.