{"id":165328,"date":"2026-10-20T07:45:44","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T15:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/10\/20\/pitchforks-to-the-barricades\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T07:45:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T15:45:44","slug":"pitchforks-to-the-barricades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/10\/20\/pitchforks-to-the-barricades\/","title":{"rendered":"Pitchforks To The Barricades!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Unlike most people, I was proud of America in the year 2000, when George Bush and Al Gore played the presidential election to a tie.<\/p>\n

I told folks at the time:\u00a0\u201cIn most countries, if an election were a tie, competing mobs would take to the streets.\u00a0Not in America.\u00a0We figure that \u2018boys will be boys.\u2019\u00a0These political morons will work it out somehow.\u00a0Someone will be sworn in on January 20, and life will go on.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

An event that would have triggered panic elsewhere triggered only yawns in the United States.<\/p>\n

Good for us.<\/p>\n

I have a \u201cboys will be boys\u201d approach to many political things.\u00a0For example:\u00a0Hunter Biden profited on his father\u2019s name?\u00a0Boys will be boys.<\/p>\n

Trump was a little more flagrant than Hunter and extracted billions for himself and his children?<\/p>\n

The Democrats pioneered this bullshit.\u00a0Or at least the Democrats went along with it. Trump was just a little more exuberant about his profiteering.<\/p>\n

Biden cancelled a few billion in student debt just before the 2024 elections?\u00a0Boys will be boys.<\/p>\n

Trump sent out Medicare Part B and ObamaCare \u201crefund\u201d checks in anticipation of this year\u2019s election?<\/p>\n

The Democrats were the trailblazers.\u00a0Trump\u2019s gasoline just turned the smoldering trail into a conflagration.<\/p>\n

Now, when I hear about the various way that Republicans may try to overturn the results of the midterm elections, I feel the same.<\/p>\n

Trump will cause the Postal Service to screw around with mail-in ballots?\u00a0Boys will be boys.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll send out ICE agents to deter voting by immigrants?\u00a0Boys will be boys.\u00a0Federal troops?\u00a0Eh.<\/p>\n

Pressure officials to change election results?\u00a0Seize voting machines?\u00a0Have \u201celection monitors\u201d interfere with voting?\u00a0I assume that lawsuits, or energized voters, or bipartisan objections by all Democrats and all Republican patriots (who aren\u2019t running for reelection) will overcome that.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s one stunt that even I won\u2019t stomach.<\/p>\n

The idea is that<\/a>, before January 3, 2027,\u00a0House Speaker Mike Johnson replaces the clerk of the House of Representatives with a Trump loyalist.\u00a0That loyalist clerk, charged with preparing the roll of members-elect for use on January 3, leaves a bunch of Democrats off the roll (because of election irregularities, or whatever).<\/p>\n

Without\u00a0those\u00a0Democrats\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0roll,\u00a0the\u00a0listed\u00a0members-elect\u00a0\u2014 a majority of whom are Republican \u2014 elect a Republican\u00a0Speaker of the House.\u00a0That Republican Speaker, supported by lickspittle Republican members of the House (or do I repeat myself?), then\u00a0organize\u00a0the\u00a0House\u00a0and\u00a0use\u00a0the\u00a0power\u00a0of the majority to refuse to seat the omitted members \u2014 preserving\u00a0a\u00a0Republican\u00a0majority for the next two years.<\/p>\n

Even for me \u2014 a person who\u2019s \u201cboys will be boys\u201d to the core \u2014 that would be a bridge too far.<\/p>\n

If that happens, join me in grabbing your pitchforks and heading to the barricades.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re off to the Bastille.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Mark\u00a0Herrmann\u00a0spent 17 years as a partner at a leading international law firm and later oversaw litigation, compliance and employment matters at a large international company. He is the author of\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>The Curmudgeon\u2019s Guide to Practicing Law<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Drug and Device Product Liability Litigation Strategy<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(affiliate links). You can reach him by email at\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>inhouse@abovethelaw.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

The post Pitchforks To The Barricades!<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Unlike most people, I was proud of America in the year 2000, when George Bush and Al Gore played the presidential election to a tie.<\/p>\n

I told folks at the time:\u00a0\u201cIn most countries, if an election were a tie, competing mobs would take to the streets.\u00a0Not in America.\u00a0We figure that \u2018boys will be boys.\u2019\u00a0These political morons will work it out somehow.\u00a0Someone will be sworn in on January 20, and life will go on.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

An event that would have triggered panic elsewhere triggered only yawns in the United States.<\/p>\n

Good for us.<\/p>\n

I have a \u201cboys will be boys\u201d approach to many political things.\u00a0For example:\u00a0Hunter Biden profited on his father\u2019s name?\u00a0Boys will be boys.<\/p>\n

Trump was a little more flagrant than Hunter and extracted billions for himself and his children?<\/p>\n

The Democrats pioneered this bullshit.\u00a0Or at least the Democrats went along with it. Trump was just a little more exuberant about his profiteering.<\/p>\n

Biden cancelled a few billion in student debt just before the 2024 elections?\u00a0Boys will be boys.<\/p>\n

Trump sent out Medicare Part B and ObamaCare \u201crefund\u201d checks in anticipation of this year\u2019s election?<\/p>\n

The Democrats were the trailblazers.\u00a0Trump\u2019s gasoline just turned the smoldering trail into a conflagration.<\/p>\n

Now, when I hear about the various way that Republicans may try to overturn the results of the midterm elections, I feel the same.<\/p>\n

Trump will cause the Postal Service to screw around with mail-in ballots?\u00a0Boys will be boys.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll send out ICE agents to deter voting by immigrants?\u00a0Boys will be boys.\u00a0Federal troops?\u00a0Eh.<\/p>\n

Pressure officials to change election results?\u00a0Seize voting machines?\u00a0Have \u201celection monitors\u201d interfere with voting?\u00a0I assume that lawsuits, or energized voters, or bipartisan objections by all Democrats and all Republican patriots (who aren\u2019t running for reelection) will overcome that.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s one stunt that even I won\u2019t stomach.<\/p>\n

The idea is that<\/a>, before January 3, 2027,\u00a0House Speaker Mike Johnson replaces the clerk of the House of Representatives with a Trump loyalist.\u00a0That loyalist clerk, charged with preparing the roll of members-elect for use on January 3, leaves a bunch of Democrats off the roll (because of election irregularities, or whatever).<\/p>\n

Without\u00a0those\u00a0Democrats\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0roll,\u00a0the\u00a0listed\u00a0members-elect\u00a0\u2014 a majority of whom are Republican \u2014 elect a Republican\u00a0Speaker of the House.\u00a0That Republican Speaker, supported by lickspittle Republican members of the House (or do I repeat myself?), then\u00a0organize\u00a0the\u00a0House\u00a0and\u00a0use\u00a0the\u00a0power\u00a0of the majority to refuse to seat the omitted members \u2014 preserving\u00a0a\u00a0Republican\u00a0majority for the next two years.<\/p>\n

Even for me \u2014 a person who\u2019s \u201cboys will be boys\u201d to the core \u2014 that would be a bridge too far.<\/p>\n

If that happens, join me in grabbing your pitchforks and heading to the barricades.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re off to the Bastille.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Mark\u00a0Herrmann\u00a0spent 17 years as a partner at a leading international law firm and later oversaw litigation, compliance and employment matters at a large international company. He is the author of\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>The Curmudgeon\u2019s Guide to Practicing Law<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Drug and Device Product Liability Litigation Strategy<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(affiliate links). You can reach him by email at\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>inhouse@abovethelaw.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

The post Pitchforks To The Barricades!<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unlike most people, I was proud of America in the year 2000, when George Bush and Al Gore played the presidential election to a tie. I told folks at the time:\u00a0\u201cIn most countries, if an election were a tie, competing mobs would take to the streets.\u00a0Not in America.\u00a0We figure that \u2018boys will be boys.\u2019\u00a0These political […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":165305,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-165328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165328"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165328\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/165305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}