Presidents Day is upon us in the U.S., and what a way to celebrate it—by the cowardly betrayal by Senate Republicans (with a few notable exceptions) to hold their seditious and insurrectionist president accountable for actions that took lives and endangered the democratic process. In the face of the most appalling desecrations of truth and decency by their party leader, forty-three Senate Republicans, apparently ruled by fear, abandoned their duty to defend the Constitution. They should all be turned out of office, every single one of them.
First to go should be Mitch McConnell, who—immediately after voting to acquit Trump—declared, “There is no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of that day,” and called his actions “a disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty.” He further acknowledged that months of Trump’s false claims about the elections set the stage for the event.
But where was this good Senator for all those months when Trump was whining and spinning lies to persuade a shocking fraction of the population that he’d been wronged? What was Mitch McConnell doing? He could have taken steps to at least stem the anti-democratic tide in the Senate. He did not. He could have acknowledged the outcome of the election when it became clear. He did not. He abandoned his responsibility to the republic, and instead, hid in fear of disfavor from the Trump base.
It is often said that “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.” That assertion has rarely been demonstrated as clearly as by the failure of currently sitting Republican Representatives and Senators to hold their own party’s leader accountable for sedition, insurrection, and wholesale dishonesty.
I know you already know all this. I just felt a need to put exactly where I stand on the record. For Presidents Day. May the coming year prove a good civics lesson for all of us.
Juergen Kreuels
Well said.
There should be more people speaking up in this way. Unfortunately more then 70 million amricans did still re-elect this ex-president and are still following him.
My 2ct from Germany
Juergen Kreuels
David a Oliphant
Jeff….you and your racist Democrats are soooo out of touch and anti American are you all wearing white sheets and hoods like you used too? Stick to writing great sf Jeff.
Sincerely David
Jeffrey A. Carver
David, are you defining attempted coup as “pro America”? If you don’t see attempts to overthrow a legal election as a danger to democracy, you aren’t paying attention.
Reg Caton
The senate voted to accept the fact that they had jurisdiction to try Trump’s impeachment. This was further confimed this by all 100
participating in the trial. They also swore an oath to be impartial. The final decision of the trial was a binary choice viz guilty or not guilty. It was not a multiple choice question. Senators who voted not guilty then subsequently said they thought he was guilty broke their oath for an impartial, fair trial. Their excuse for their vote was they did not believe they had jurisdiction to try the case, If they truly believed that they should have recused themselves from the proceedings.
What is the penalty for them for dishonoring the oath they took? At the minimum there was a mistrial. I don’t know how it is handled but there must be sanctions for their actions. We the people should demand it.
Reg
annette
Yes for the Republicans it was cowardly. But Time will tell how others remember this period in history. For the brave leaders in the congress that took a stand against the attack on democracy – they need our support. A few have been censored by their local political parties and others have received nasty letters from family.