Benjamin Franklin the source of the quote is given, “Well done is better than well said.”
For Rep. Scott Perry (R-10), his actions can speak louder than words.
A six-term Dillsburg, York County, official is facing renewed criticism for his actions leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol — this time for a speech he gave five years ago when he said that Americans should accept the election results as the will of the people and move forward.
Perry spoke at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, an annual gathering of public policy conservatives from the Keystone State, in Camp Hill in 2019 and spoke about a silky transition of power.
“One of the things we love about America, one of the things other countries love about America, is the smooth transition of power,” Perry said. “We’re not a third-world dictatorship. We’re not some country of paupers from somewhere else that changed the rules in the middle of an election. And even if someone got elected, they never really accepted it, and there’s a civil war in the streets.
“This is America,” Perry continued. “Even if someone you disagree with gets elected, you accept the will of the people and move on.
“You are a loyal opposition. Loyal to your country, but opposed to maybe some of the policies of someone who was elected, that you disagree with, and that’s OK. You’re going to enter the arena of ideas. We’ll talk about it, and I think we can change something, and we will change it next time.”
Perry criticized Democrats for their response to the 2000 election. George W. Bushsaying the transition “wasn’t that smooth because half the country didn’t accept it. They said he wasn’t elected, he was chosen. And they never recognized the legitimacy of his presidency.”
The retired U.S. Army National Guard brigadier general criticized Democrats for not being a loyal opposition because they were “solely focused on destroying his presidency, even if it meant bad things for their own country.”
Perry also told the audience that America is at the beginning of a period where half the country disagrees with the election result.
“I want you to realize that resistance is no longer loyal opposition, it is resistance against the will of the people,” he said.
He also drew battle lines between conservatives and the MAGA movement and Democrats.
“People are telling me, just be reasonable. People, we’ve gone beyond what’s reasonable and we can’t give any more,” Perry said. “We don’t want to be unreasonable, but people are depending on us.”
Then, referring to the Mueller report, Perry said it was “an example of one side not only refusing to accept the will of the people. They tried to destroy the presidency before it was established, and then after it was established and undermine the will of the people.
“That’s what dictators do.”
Two years earlier, Perry was asked during a controversial town hall meeting if he would stand up to a president who “uses lies and disinformation to advance his political career.”
Perry replied, “Yes.”
Perry chose not to stick to his own words after President Joe Biden the defeat of the former president Donald Trump in Pennsylvania by 80,000 votes in 2020.
He was among 138 House Republicans, or two-thirds of the caucus, who voted against Pennsylvania’s electoral votes, joining the Keystone State Mike’s representatives Kelly (R-16), Dan Meuser (R-09), Guy Reschenthaler (R-14), Fred Keller (R-12), John Joyce (R-13), Lloyd Smucker (R-11) and Glenn Thompson (R-15).
Perry argued that “when votes are accepted in an unconstitutional manner, without fair and equal protection for all, the only result can be an illegitimate result.”
Last November U.S. District Court Judge’s Opinion shed light on Perry’s actions in willingly becoming one of Trump’s key aides in his plan to stay in power.
Judge Beryl A. Powell wrote “if Rep. Perry were simply gathering information, he would not be attempting to influence the conduct of executive branch officials and encourage their efforts to undermine the legitimacy of the 2020 election.”
Perry’s communications with state lawmakers in Harrisburg, including state lawmakers Senator Doug Mastriano (R-Franklin), covered many issues.
- Potential legislative control of the vote.
- Connecting lawmakers with members of the Trump campaign team.
- A legislative hearing was scheduled – it ultimately never happened – at which Dominion Voting Systems representatives could have been questioned about the integrity of their voting systems.
- A resolution that was never actually brought to the attention of Republican Party leaders in Harrisburg declaring the Pennsylvania election results “disputed.”
- Encouraging a letter from lawmakers to Pence dated December 19, 2020, asking him to “consider the validity of the presumptive electors and electoral votes representing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
Perry declined to testify before the committee on January 6 and was referred to the House Ethics Committee for sanctions, which he never received.
