Don't trust the pollsters, senator says

Americans will overcome the pandemic and survive Tuesday’s election no matter who wins — because this is America.

That’s the gospel according to U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, who met Thursday with The Press editorial board.

Risch, the former Idaho legislator, lieutenant governor and governor now participating in his 36th election, said that even if President Donald Trump loses, chaos in the capital won’t ensue.

“He’s going to be unhappy … but this is America,” said Risch, who’s seeking his fourth term in the Senate. “I don't buy the argument we’re going to have a civil war or he’ll refuse to leave.”

Risch noted that after the assassination of her husband, Mary Lincoln refused to leave the White House for five weeks while the nation — and Lincoln’s successor — waited patiently. That’s the only time in U.S. history a presidential transition has been delayed, and Risch is counting on the winner of this election to be inaugurated Jan. 20.

While he wouldn’t make a prediction on who that will be, Risch strongly suggested that people shouldn’t put their faith in pollsters’ prognostications, which show Vice President Joe Biden with a substantial lead.

He explained some methods pollsters use that aren’t statistically sound, noting: “Now you’re going ouija board. They were off 10 points last time … I think it’s worse this time.”

For the good of the country, he said he’s hopeful the presidential election isn’t close.

“I hope whoever wins, wins in a landslide,” he said. “Then we turn the page.”

Risch also addressed an issue on everybody’s mind: COVID-19 and the route to getting back to whatever the new normal will be.

“This thing’s not going to go away until we get a vaccine,” he said, but predicted that day might come sooner than some people expect. “I’m convinced we’ll have a vaccine before the first of the year.”

Risch said five companies are in final testing stages, and that in fact, vaccines are being mass-produced even now so demand will be met as quickly as possible. He said mass-producing vaccines that might not ever be approved is still far cheaper than having the American economy nosedive.

“When it’s go time, they’re gonna go,” he said.

Looking ahead, Risch made several observations.

For one, he predicts the country will avoid the recession that so many thought was inevitable when COVID-19 struck the U.S. in February and March. The economy, Risch said, is one vaccine away from really taking off.

“I think when we come out of this, whoever’s president is going to look like a genius,” he said.

Even if Biden wins, Risch does not expect a sweeping wave of socialism to capture the country. However, the possibility of a slow shift in that direction would be enhanced if Democrats win the presidency, hold the House and take the Senate — the Senate being a real challenge because Democrats would need to win the presidency and flip four seats. They’d need to flip five if Alabama’s Tommy Tuberville beats Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, as Risch fully expects.

“If we (the GOP) win North Carolina, I think we keep the Senate,” Risch said.

With so much focus on the virus and the election, Risch acknowledged that other big issues haven’t been getting a lot of attention. One of the biggest is China.

Risch said he and his wife, Vicki, visited China in 1983 and “they’ve come centuries in the past few decades.” They’ve come so far by stealing from innovative, free-market countries like the U.S., he said.

Risch emphasized that China isn’t an enemy, but they are a competitor — an exceedingly challenging one because they don’t play by democracies’ rules.

“China is going to be our issue for the rest of this century,” said Risch, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and member of the Select Committee on Intelligence. “We’ve got to learn to compete with them better.”