Republicans must vote for Biden in November. Keep Trump out of the Oval Office.

My buddy says, “Well, you can’t trust what Liz Cheney says.” And I am thinking, “Wait a minute. Liz Cheney, the consummate conservative Reagan Republican, daughter of the former vice president of the United States, knowing that if she serves on the January 6 Select Committee she will be ostracized by her fellow Republicans and will lose her seat in Congress. Why would you not trust Liz Cheney? But you trust Donald Trump?”

A recent Wall Street Journal poll shows that one-third of Americans do not believe Joe Biden was elected legitimately. Two-thirds of Republicans who voted in caucuses and primaries believe Trump’s claims of a “stolen election.” If you say something enough times to enough people, does it suddenly become the truth?

The people in America who actually conduct our elections are our neighbors, regular people who in many cases volunteer their time in cities and counties at the polls to make sure the process is done properly. These folks are patriotic Republicans, Democrats, independents and just plain old honest people who take pride in what they are doing for their country. I believe in these people. Instead, Trump insults them every day.

Trump is obsessed with himself

Trump is obsessed with himself. He is addicted to the attention he gets from his supporters. He loves to stand in front of large groups of loyal people, say outrageous things and hear the cheers and applause. He loves to threaten, criticize and demean those who disagree with him.

I voted for Trump – twice. Liz Cheney's book and DOJ Jan. 6 indictment changed my mind | Opinion

Trump knew by Dec. 14, 2020, that he had lost the election. He knew because his supporters, lawyers and staff members told him over and over again that he lost. Judges, many of whom he appointed, ruled that there was no evidence that the election was stolen by anyone. However, he just couldn’t accept the truth. Instead, he chose to align himself with Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and others who would tell him what he wanted to hear and concoct amazing conspiracy theories. Fox News helped promote these people’s stories and ended up paying a $700 million settlement for their bad judgment.

Trump's tweets invited his supporters to D.C. on Jan. 6

Then Trump doubled down. He started sending tweets to his supporters, inviting them to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, saying, “It’s going to be wild.” He arranged for certain people in selected states to create fraudulent electoral certificates and had them sent to Washington in an outrageous scheme to overturn the electoral vote count. He cajoled, harassed and threatened his own loyal Vice President Mike Pence to get him to illegally use his position to overturn the election results.

Then came the ultimate debacle, the unthinkable attack on the U.S. Capitol by extreme Trump loyalists who thought they were doing the right thing for their leader. And while these people terrorized, Trump sat in his dining room and enjoyed the show. God bless Pence for having the courage to stand up to the threats and do his duty according to the Constitution.

Oklahoma columnist on MSNBC: 'I had my mind made up about Trump' after reading Liz Cheney

To my fellow Republicans, I ask: Who are you going to trust? The irony of Trump’s stolen election lie is that the only person who even attempted to steal an election was Trump. He is the only president in our 250-year history who failed to live up to his constitutional duty and peacefully relinquish his position to a duly elected opponent.

As a 50+ year conservative Republican, I am going to have a difficult time when voting day comes. I am not a fan of several policy actions by President Biden, specifically immigration, budget deficits, etc. However, I believe our mission is to do everything in our power to make sure Trump does not come near the Oval Office again. We really have only one rational choice, and that is to take a deep breath and vote for Biden in November.

Jim Young is retired from a 42-year career as a senior banking executive and community leader in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Republicans, vote for Joe Biden. Don't put Donald Trump back in office