How many ways could Trump mount a coup?
At first, we all thought there were just one or two!
But no, there were many as it turns out.
Number One was the Big Lie. Repeat in a shout,
"The election was stolen by Dems in the night!
Because it was stolen, we’re going to fight."
Number Two: Mount a challenge in every court.
Forget about evidence, just file the tort.
Sixty cases presented, sixty cases just died.
By even the Roberts Court, these were denied!
Number Three: Pressure officials of note —
Raffensburger in Georgia, "Just find me the votes!"
Number Four: DOJ has to quickly declare
That fraud made election counts very unfair!
Number Five: Establish Alternate Slates
Of Electors in all of the Battleground states.
Number Six: Have Hill allies — Hawley, Jordan and Cruz,
Dispute valid ballots, no need for excuses.
Number Seven was key: Mike Pence had the Card.
If he played it just right, it shouldn’t be hard
To throw everything into utmost confusion,
Upend the election, create the illusion
That Trump was indeed the president elected.
But Pence foiled the coup because he defected.
Number Eight: Too bad, they’d have to call in Their Mob.
Just a messier way to handle the job.
Seize the ballots or burn them, thus postponing the count.
So many great ways an insurrection to mount.
Though he failed in these efforts, it clearly is true
He’d have done anything to accomplish his coup!
Now he plots and he plans in his various towers
How to use every means to regain and hold power!
Jack Smith and his team, with luck, may have the key
To preserving/maintaining our democracy!
Carolyn McGiffert Ekedahl is the former deputy inspector general for inspections at the Central Intelligence Agency and co-author of “The Wars of Eduard Shevardnadze.”
