The story of American democracy over two centuries and more has been graceful concession speeches by the losers of Presidential elections. Despite vehement and emotional feelings on both sides of an election, being a “good sport” and conceding in a proper manner is an American tradition!
The only time there was, in effect, no concession speeches was when South Carolina, and eventually ten other Southern states, eventually refused to accept that Abraham Lincoln had won the Presidency in 1860, and began the civil insurrection known to history as the American Civil War!
Other than that one time, losers of Presidential elections have always been gracious and patriotic in their acceptance of the victory of their rivals, until 2020 when Donald Trump refused to concede and provoked the US Capitol Insurrection of January 6, 2021!
Some elections have been very close, as in 1876, when Rutherford B. Hayes defeated Samuel Tilden, in an election which dragged on to final determination until just before Inauguration Day in 1877, with Tilden accepting his loss.
The same situation occurred in 1884, when the Republican Party lost the Presidency for the first time in a generation to Democrat Grover Cleveland by very small margins, but James G. Blaine accepted defeat graciously.
In 1916, we had the second closest Electoral Vote margin after 1876, until later in the year 2000, with loser Charles Evans Hughes being gracious in defeat to President Woodrow Wilson.
The upset election victory of President Harry Truman over New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey in 1948 was accepted in a proper way by Dewey. And later, Truman had Dewey visit the White House!
Richard Nixon in 1960 had advisers suggest he challenge John F. Kennedy over the close Illinois vote, but Nixon, outgoing Vice President, refused to drag out the matter, and accepted defeat in a gracious manner.
President Gerald Ford was heartbroken in 1976, when he lost to Jimmy Carter, but was very gracious in concession, read by his wife Betty Ford, because the President had developed laryngitis. And the Fords and the Carters became fast friends in later years, a closer friendship than anyone since John Adams and Thomas Jefferson!
Michael Dukakis was way ahead of George H. W. Bush at one point of the 1988 Presidential campaign, but was very appropriate in his concession speech.
President George H.W. Bush was devastated by his loss to Bill Clinton in 1992, as was Bob Dole in 1996, but both were proper in their concessions.
Al Gore fought the good fight in 2000, contesting the result for 36 days, but then conceding, when the Supreme Court intervened, and as outgoing Vice President, rejected any further battle over the Electoral College vote count on January 6, 2001.
Senator John McCain was totally decent and proper in his gracious concession speech, congratulating the nation in 2008, on the election of the first African American President, Barack Obama.
Mitt Romney had the same decency when he lost to Obama in 2012, and Hillary Clinton conceded the morning after the 2016 election to Donald Trump, although totally stunned by the loss.
So there was no excuse, and still there is none today, for any candidate for the Presidency who loses the election to refuse to concede, and instead to cause chaos, disarray, and literal violence, as that provoked by Donald Trump against Joe Biden’s victory in 2020.
So the time has come for Donald Trump to pay the price for the bloodshed and violence he provoked, and to be convicted and sentenced to federal prison.
And his decision to continue to provoke violence and what he calls “retribution” should lead to his incarceration BEFORE trial, as an example to the American people what happens, when anyone, even a former President, chooses to promote undermining of American democracy and the rule of law!
"""Hadithi ya demokrasia ya Marekani kwa zaidi ya karne mbili imekuwa ni hotuba za heshima za wavuvi wa uchaguzi wa urais." Licha ya hisia kali na za kihisia-moyo katika pande zote mbili za uchaguzi, kuwa "mchezo mzuri" na kukubali kwa njia sahihi ni utamaduni wa Amerika! "Mara moja tu ambapo hakukuwa na hotuba za kuachana na sheria ilikuwa wakati South Carolina, na hatimaye majimbo mengine kumi ya Kusini, hatimaye walikataa kukubali kwamba Abraham Lincoln alikuwa ameshinda urais mwaka 1860, na kuanza uasi wa kiraia unaojulikana katika historia kama ""Vita vya Wenyewe kwa Wenyewe vya Marekani.""" "Isipokuwa mara moja, washindwa wa uchaguzi wa urais wamekuwa na fadhili na uzalendo katika kukubali ushindi wa wapinzani wao, hadi 2020 wakati Donald Trump alikataa kukubali na kusababisha ""Uasi wa Capitol"" wa Januari 6, 2021." Katika uchaguzi wa 1876 Rutherford B. Hayes alishinda Samuel Tilden, na uchaguzi huo ulichukua muda mrefu kabla ya siku ya kuapishwa. Mwaka 1884 chama cha Republican kilishindwa kwa mara ya kwanza katika kipindi cha kizazi kimoja na Democrat Grover Cleveland kwa kura ndogo sana, lakini James G. Blaine alikubali kushindwa. Mwaka 1916 alipata kura ya pili kwa karibu zaidi baada ya 1876 na baadaye mwaka 2000, Charles Evans Hughes alipoteza kura ya kwanza kwa ushindi dhidi ya Rais Woodrow Wilson. Ushindi wa Rais Harry Truman dhidi ya Gavana Thomas E. Dewey wa New York katika uchaguzi wa 1948 ulikubaliwa na Dewey. Na baadaye, Truman alimfanya Dewey atembelee Ikulu ya White House! Mwaka 1960 Richard Nixon alipendekeza kwa washauri wake kumshinda John F. Kennedy katika uchaguzi wa Illinois, lakini Nixon, aliyekuwa Makamu wa Rais, alikataa kuuchelewesha suala hilo na kukubali kushindwa kwa njia ya kiburi. Rais Gerald Ford alipoteza kura yake ya kura dhidi ya Jimmy Carter mwaka 1976, lakini alitoa msamaha kwa mkewe Betty Ford kwa sababu ya ugonjwa wa laryngitis. Familia ya Ford na Carter ilifikia urafiki wa karibu sana tangu wakati wa John Adams na Thomas Jefferson. Michael Dukakis alikuwa na nafasi ya kwanza katika kampeni ya urais ya Marekani ya mwaka 1988 na alikuwa na nafasi ya kwanza katika kampeni ya urais ya Marekani ya mwaka 1988. Rais George H.W. Bush alishindwa na Bill Clinton mwaka 1992, na vilevile Bob Dole mwaka 1996, lakini wote wawili walifanya maridhiano mazuri. Gore alipigana vita vyema mwaka 2000, akipinga matokeo kwa siku 36, lakini kisha akakubali, wakati Mahakama Kuu ilipingilia kati, na kama Makamu wa Rais wa kuondoka, alikataa mapambano zaidi juu ya hesabu ya kura ya Chuo cha Uchaguzi mnamo Januari 6, 2001. Seneta John McCain alikuwa na heshima na heshima katika hotuba yake ya kuwahurumia wananchi wa Marekani kwa kuachiliwa kwake katika uchaguzi wa Rais wa kwanza wa Afrika Marekani, Barack Obama. Mitt Romney alikuwa na heshima sawa aliposhindwa na Obama mwaka 2012, na Hillary Clinton alishindwa na Donald Trump asubuhi baada ya uchaguzi wa 2016, ingawa alishtuka kabisa na hasara hiyo. """Hakuna udhuru, na bado hakuna leo, kwa mgombea yeyote wa urais ambaye anashindwa uchaguzi kukataa kukubali, na badala yake kusababisha machafuko, machafuko, na vurugu halisi, kama ile iliyotokezwa na Donald Trump dhidi ya ushindi wa Joe Biden mnamo 2020." """Wakati umefika kwa Donald Trump kulipa gharama ya umwagaji damu na vurugu alizoanzisha na kuhukumiwa na kuhukumiwa kifungo cha jela ya shirikisho." "Na uamuzi wake wa kuendelea kuchochea vurugu na kile anachokiita ""kujilipiza kisasi"" unapaswa kumwongoza kwenye kifungo chake kabla ya kesi, kama mfano kwa watu wa Marekani kile kinachotokea, wakati mtu yeyote, hata Rais wa zamani, anapochagua kukuza udhibiti wa demokrasia ya Marekani na utawala wa sheria."