To those who voted to acquit and those who are cheering the news,
You may not have been part of the riotous mob who lay siege to our sacred capital, but we see and hear you and will forever know you stand with and up for the scourge of America. It will continue to be our mission of democracy to prevent your destruction of our great experiment.
I’ve thought about this since the senate voted Saturday. Now, on this Monday that happens to also be Presidents’ Day I can’t escape the thoughts. The thoughts of how a President of The United States could get away with inciting the insurrection. How 43 senators chose to excuse an attack on the institution they are part of. How a party can be beholden to a man over itself or the country as a whole. How that same party will cannibalize itself out of loyalty to that man, the man who mocked and attacked so many of them to advance himself to the position he held. And, now to see how a Republican Congressman is being publicly shunned by his own family because he voted to impeach.
Where does this all lead?
Is it about sustaining a base for 2022 or 2024?
Is it about shifting the entire platform of the Republican Party?
Is it about rooting out moderate voices for those that echo the most radical among them?
Just after the election was called for President Biden, I was speaking with a close friend about how things may eventually play out. He feared a bloodbath could be possible. I thought you would see an abandonment where Republican members would jump to say how they never truly supported the former President. What scares me now is how few are willing, still, to make that leap even after the bloodbath my friend feared. They still aren’t willing to distance themselves. Does their lust for power truly blind them from the destruction they are partaking in? Do they desire the ability to orchestrate a similar attack on their behalf?
Time will only tell how this will continue to unfold. For the people of that party that chose country over a single man, thank you. You may have sealed your fate inside your own party. But, you also may have sealed your fate in the pages of history. The Adam Kinzinger’s and Ben Sasses’s of the Republican party may be few. They are also the ones who if the party continues, will be the cornerstones of maintaining that party. Their voices of resolve will be necessary to keep the movement that is trump (or boebert or taylor greene) from being a continuous scar on our country. When our great-grandchildren travel through the land will they be faced with flags of the man and movement that the senate failed to punish? Much like the flags of racism flown today that are Confederate Battle Flags, failure of accountability has meant viability. If those voices that sought accountability in this instance are silenced and sidelined the answer to that question will be- yes.
Presidents’ Day is a day for all that have held the office of President of The United States. For most Americans it is the day that is attributed to the Presidents who we see as our greatest. We spend so much time learning about Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and the like. We must spend equal time learning from Johnson, Buchanan, Pierce, and now Trump. The lessons are there if we are willing to listen. When we listen we have to also face the reality that destructive intentions still exist at the highest levels of our government. It is up to each one of us to learn those lessons and hold those leaders to account. Failure to do so, brings about the next and eventually the destruction will win.
Some of those Presidents that we often forget may also be greats. But, not everyone that is remembered is for their greatness. As much as it pains me to say this- we must never forget trump. If we do, we will never learn the lessons from his time that are necessary to prevent his movement from continuing.
Changed So Much! 