Our Imperiled Democracy
Watching the entire impeachment process, and especially since the beginning of the actual trial in the Senate , truly makes my heart ache for my country. Watching the people that are supposed to be our leaders, especially (but not only) those on the Republican side, makes me me truly fear for our country.
The visionary men that created our democratic republic did so with truly deep and long-considered thought, debate, and compromise. They were passionate men with strong convictions that they had already shown they were willing to die for. They were probably no less partisan to the parties of their own time, but in them still burned the overriding partisanship of being a newly minted American. Together they forged one of the most unique and enduring platforms for their new country, the Constitution of the United States of America.
It is difficult to see today's political leadership agreeing where to have lunch.
Our founders foresaw the critical dangers that might undermine and destroy the democracy they created: Interference by foreign powers; a corrupt executive (President); ultimate partisanship. We are attacked on all of these fronts today.
Over the past two years, the party in power (the Republicans) have created a paradoxical net in which a corrupt President simply can't be removed from office. We happen to have one of those in power now, and he needs to be held to account.
We're in a carefully contrived trap right now.
At the conclusion of the Mueller report, William Barr well established the position of the Trump administration that the President can't be indicted (charged with a crime). No crime, of any kind. Mueller went along with this - which was a stark reminder to me that he too is a Republican. The only driving force behind this no-indictment policy is a Justice Department memo written after Watergate. This memo is neither law for a part of the Constitution, but it is treated as scared by Trump Justice Department and our congress won't even challenge it.
So: We live in a country where the President can't be indicted for a crime. He can shoot someone on fifth avenue. He can nuke France for no reason.
But that's ok, because we have Impeachment!
Not so fast! The Republicans through their hack OJ defender Alan Dershowitz, are now trying to claim that you can' impeach unless a crime has been committed. Yet, you can't say a person committed a crime without a conviction. You can't get a conviction without an indictment. Essentially, the Republican position is that you can neither indict nor impeach a sitting president. This is 100% in conflict with our Constitution.
The other position that is being take is equally ridiculous: That you can't impeach because it would "undo" the last election. The last election can never be undone; we can never remove the stain of Trump from our history. He is removed from office going forward, not backward. Again, the Republicans are trying to say "you can never impeach a sitting President".
This is what happens when the ruling party decides to shelve honor and patriotism, as well as the oaths they have sworn, and trade all in for total partisan support of someone that does not deserve it.
Finally, they current Republican defense of the President (of many failed attempts) is that the President didn't commit a high crime anyway. Remember those things the founders feared most? Treason, bribery, the influence of foreign powers. Trump committed at least two of these things with Ukraine, yet the Senate won't even look at the evidence.
I have a simple question for all Americans (if we can be Americans for a moment, not Democrats or Republicans): "Are you prepared to live in a dictatorship?" Because that's where w'er headed if we con't step off this path and step off it quickly.
I write as an American. If the Democrats were behaving in this fashion (as in my opinion they DID NOT in the last impeachment), I'd be just as worried. The fact is that NO President, no Senate, no political party has EVER acted in this way.
Not going to stay silent on this. It's time for us to take a stand, while we still can. Tell your Senator that this is not acceptable. Tell them there is a price to be paid for not getting this right. Right means an actual tril with consideration of the actual evidence, old and new.
I hope some leadership can be found and found soon.
