321 Comments

In treating this question as the subject of a textbook, the most important thing would be to remind young readers of the necessity to view multiple sources, and then to use their own reasoning power and healthy debate with others who are ACTUALLY seeking the truth, to deduce it, or at lest arrive at consensus. Watching the mainstream media outlets on the impeachment, in addition to the many other pressing issues, it is clear that these are interested now only in commentary and opinion. If you watch CCN and FOX, it seems that they are almost covering two different events at the level of reporting the facts! I have read the comments of many here talking about healthy debate. But healthy debate is precluded when the reporting of basic facts has already been tainted by bias.

The death knell of Conservatism? Much too soon to write a textbook chapter on that one. My own hope as a Conservative (NOT some misguided anger-management patient storming the Capitol, and NOT some watered down Lincoln Project centrist) is that there may come along a candidate who is articulate in expressing Conservative views without the infantile arrogance of a Trump. I'm also sure that after 4 years, when this question is asked again, many Biden supporters who have written here about the need for dialogue, fairness, and inclusion, and in the next sentence have declared the death of conservatism and all of its racist, sexist, backward adherents will ALSO be crying out for someone who truly expresses the decency which I believe the Americans still possess, on both sides of the aisle. They will surely be as disappointed, by the "broad paintbrush" approach they will suffer, as thoughtful conservatives were with our nightly portrayals by Lemon and Cuomo, the "reporters" over at CNN. The idea is to report, not

proselytize.

I would include as a footnote in my textbook section that simultaneously to this whole tragic episode and acquittal of Donald Trump, and all of the time and energy spent by the U.S. Government on the subject, the Oregon Department of Education was presenting an "Anti-Ethnomathematics" toolkit for teachers which includes, as a New York Post article reports -(“Dismantling Racism” workbook, linked within the toolkit, identifies “objectivity” — described as “the belief that there is such a thing as being objective or ‘neutral'” — as a characteristic of White supremacy. Instead of focusing on one right answer, the toolkit encourages teachers to “come up with at least two answers that might solve this problem.”)-

The footnote will help to explain to kids of the next generation why they are unable to find work anywhere, and for all their "wokeness" will have become the laughingstock of the entire world.

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The GQP co-conspirators, lap dogs & sycophants? As spineless enablers, craven, & self-serving. Also as 🙈🙉🙊

The former President? A small, narcissistic - thin-skinned legend in his own mind. An incompetent, unqualified, inept, one-term conspiracist that was self-serving, murdered thousands of defenseless citizens via denial of the disease & abdication of duty to protect while he also attempted to destroy the semblance of healthcare to millions. A hollow man without empathy, low IQ, misogynist, racist, loudmouthed blow hard who was embraced by supposed party leaders. & citizens in cultish fashion; which he reveled in this. He demonized, bullied, lied about & professed only to work for & offer support to a minority of citizens, those fr so-called Red States, even as to what regions would receive Federal support for Covid 19 PPEs, national disaster funds, and border patrol support. He tore apart immigrant families stooping so low as to rip children fr parents & using for extended periods cages as housing while in detention.

His last 6 months in Office were spent almost exclusively on raising intrigues, framing camera ops, or honing messages for the purposes of winning re-election & securing office.This & playing golf. He lost the Election roundly.

He is a man who then without substantive evidence, created denial & doubt over the results of the Presidential Election, only to spend months inciting & raising a criminal & racist mob to attempt to carry out an attempted coup and the possible murders of elected officials. He highlighted & elevated policies almost exclusive!y to for the benefit of large businesses & the wealthy, and sadly as often based on White privilege. He claimed to stand for country first & the securing of our borders, but only selectively reached beyond U.S. borders in mutual support, he disrespected & demonized other countries

His failures were epic, yet he labeled any questions to his random & unreasoned policy decisions, by the press, as fake or un-American, even stooping to calling press members 'enemies of the people.' He seemingly believed that like some radical right press outlets who spewed Administration propaganda, all news outlets should praise, be astounded by, and venerate his governance. But like the wannabe 'emperor without clothes,', most of his policies were poorly configured & often harmful rather than citizen beneficial (taxcuts, clean air & water standards.The crime Bill possibly being the exception.)

Any even slightly positive legacy for Trump & his Administration should & will always include the flaws & incompetence, but now must also center on the infamy of his twin impeachments, his non-stop lies about his lost re-election, & the egging on of a crowd to interrupt vote certification, & the resulting six deaths & hundreds of injuries, which likely would have reinstalled him as the unelected autocrat.

In this way, there should be no resuscitating his future political career and in fact the damage to the Republican party, many of whose members are viewed as sedition & coup supporters & conspiracy lunatics, propelled solely by interest in retention of power, leave the Country with many more challenges than direction; with many more questions than answers and far more in the "rough" (to use a golf analogy) than perhaps any time in recent history.

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Everyone makes decisions. The decision to act is made, thern action occurs. There can be good or bad outcomes. One inherits the consequences of her/his decisions, good or bad. This is called responsibility closely related to accountability .

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" A Republic, if you can keep it". Sorry Ben, on January 6 we almost lost it.

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The Democrats have proven that Trump was behind everything that happened on January 6, 2021. From the start! If the Republicans DON’T vote to convict, they will go down in history as part of the most corrupt parties in US history!

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I have a friend who said that "Donald Trump HAD to happen. It was necessary in order to wake up white America to the inequalities of our country." The impeachment acquittal may be pre-ordained, but I hope it will serve to further shine a light on the things and people and policies we have long needed to address and reform. Dr. King famously said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that." If nothing else, this trial will shine a light on the regressive, abrasive, restrictive, and repressive attitudes, policies, and actions of those who do not choose country over party. If we truly grow, improve, and become a better people and a better country, then perhaps that will be (ironically) Donald Trump's greatest contribution. I hope that those who are on the fence will see that history will not ever treat them kindly.

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This particular thing certainly brings many thoughts & emotional responses, as we are all still in the thick of the experience. It moved me enough that I e-mailed my mommy about it. I copy & pasted this to share my take, get her take & also my step dad, who is a college level art history teacher & a world history buff. So, here in lies our 3 takes.

Mine:

I can only come up with, Trump is an asshole! In every sense of the word, A S S H O L E! He has dismissed all human decency, common curtesy & clearly, $$ (that is not his) cannot buy class or humility. Personally having a terrible knowledge of history, I can’t really put anything about him in reference with our varied history. Except to say that it is my feeling his playbook is a mashup of the Scientology + Hitlers’ playbooks. Never mind the fact that our founding fathers & company, treated the native Americans probably in much the same way as Trump treats those around him. That he treats the people around him much in the way black people have been treated, systemically, in our country since the beginning of our founding. (While completely screwing up the lives of the Native Americans: stealing their land, & essentially banishing them to the worst areas in this country possible!!) AND?, of course, this moment in time. He saw the weaknesses, harnessed & exploited them. This heartbreak he conceptualized, orchestrated & implemented, AND he denies he did it!

Mom:

I think there have been many failures in this country that led up to the current state of affairs. The originating one is white supremacy and everything kind of trickles down from there. We white folk overran the indigenous people here, engaged in the slave trade, suppressed freed slaves, suppressed immigrants from all over the world. Time wore on . . . and our educational standards became lax, social media happened, the gap between the upper class and those below widened dramatically (the greed factor), and politics became personal rather than focused on the constitution.

So, I see that as the underpinning of the mess we now find ourselves and I think history will judge this moment based on the erosion of respect and honor in human relationships. Donald Trump got where he got on the backs of other people, his visibility and name recognition (reality TV – gag), and his father’s money. Skeevy people identify with him and wish they had his luck. Worse, he has been allowed by the Senate in place while he was in office, to proceed with whatever he wanted, unchecked, and I have not heard an explanation about why that is that satisfies my curiosity. Just listening to NPR this morning was enough to ruin the day for the rest of the day as they reported on what the larger percentage of “white evangelicals” believe to be true. That bears no resemblance to the truth that (Stepdad) and I understand about Trump and his cronies. The ignorance and refusal to have a real discussion about it is bone-chilling.

The rift in this country will not, I believe, be breached in our (stepdad and my) lifetime. It is very, very depressing.

Stepdad:

Stepdad’s response is to read about Hitler and Mussolini to see the play books. Trump and his supporters are all would-be fascists!

(& he’s out)

I want to add:

It’s an interesting idea, the thought of what we would write for history books. However, it is my feeling that it is difficult to put together a text book-like recount when we are all so heavily, emotionally marinating in the middle of it. It is definitively difficult to step outside of it and ‘reflect’ on this moment from a neutral position. It’s so very current & raw. I do not envy all journalists at times like these for just this reason. I absolutely admire, uphold, & cheer every single one of them for going out there & putting out what they do, to bring information of the current events to the masses. Thank you, Dan, for this introspective exercise as it was certainly an engine of a new line of dialogue for my mother, stepdad & I to share!

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In my view when historians simply read and watch the words of Donald Trump and his supporters from 2015 onwards, they will question how his Presidency could have happened. Looking back and absent the emotions of the time, they will find no sensible credibility and truthfulness thread to his administration's thoughts and actions. Historians will ultimately see that in the end the maturity of the majority prevailed in making him a two time impeached one term ineffectual President. A victory for Democracy. He was an aberration, a wake up call as the world adjusted to the modern world of the internet and social media.

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My best prediction is that this moment will be a footnote in the textbooks of 2121 where there is a brief paragraph talking about the beginning of the end of the GOP and the rise of something new. Multi-party system? Back to two parties? The players will be mostly forgotten, but the Whigs and the Know-Nothings of the past have rarely rated more than a few paragraphs on their demise and the messy in-between before the new paradigm begins.

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If impeachment isn’t reached, everyone who allowed clemency is also guilty of these crimes. We have never been a nation that allows for such horrific injustices. How will our history books read to our children? What will we learn and how will we move forward? There is an ebb-and-flow to evolution. We can’t lose hope or feel it’s impossible to move beyond. We have before, we will again.

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Money and Power take American down from the inside

Other historians will say the great American experiment failed due to the presidential election of Donald Trump (2016 - 2020). This was, in fact, the final blow to a weakened form of governance. By the time he came to power the checks and balances put in place by the framers of the constitution were no longer there. Those framers could not have foreseen the corruption that had grown in both parties up to this point. The reasons for the corruption can be summarized in two points, money and power.

The questions of where did the money come from and who gave these corrupt people this power will be answered in this chapter.

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2021 was another year that challenges and injustices which accumulated over hundreds of years were reexamined, and again, incremental progress was made.

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I’m truly baffled at how the current GOP senators don’t realize that if they let Trump off this time they are setting a precedent for the future. That future could well include a president of the opposing party or point of view. This lack of forethought seems to permeate today’s GOP and it concerns me more than I can say. It is so dangerous to the continuation of our very ideals and laws. Do they truly want Trump to be arrested for sedition and tried in the courts? The facts as presented are overwhelming. My heart cries for what feels like the destruction of our country by a political party without conscience. And I am tired of hearing about and from the 74mm who voted for Trump but relatively little about/from the 81mm who voted for President Biden.

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There are so many excellent, thoughtful and thought provoking responses here, that I have nothing more to add. However, I did want the other commenters to know that I was touched by the intelligent thought that went into these. Thank you.

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My prayer is that history will look back at this moment as a pivotal moment that ushered in

—fully embracing a life in which all that we say and do demonstrates that all people are created equal

—recognition that the truth is not relative and it is important

—reform within our elections that removes the incentives that drive partisanship and motivations driven by a quest for power instead of a quest to serve the people and do what is best for all people.

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Records are important. They should be left and they should be read.

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2015 was the year the GOP gave up any pretense at morality and honor. It allowed Donald Trump, a well-known shyster and morally flawed individual enter its Presidential primary season although he had never been a member of that party. From that point until he thrown out by the voters in 2021 as a twice-impeached president, he did everything in his power to tear down the United States in its own citizens’ eyes and the eyes of the world.

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So many excellent and thoughtful comments. My real concern/fear is something someone on Twitter said - that no one will be held responsible and in the near future, someone more articulate, smoother, charming, etc., will be elected and succeed in completing the destruction of our Democracy that Trump and the sedition caucus began. God protect us from that day.

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The legacy of this impeachment trial will determine who in congress truly values our constitution and democracy.

If there is an acquittal, those that vote against impeachment will be doing so

To save their chance of reelection by trump supporters not for the sake of upholding our principles of democracy . Their names will be written in history for not holding our former President accountable for inciting the worst offense of our lifetime. Lives will have been lost for such little value . This is what our country’s founders based

our constitution upon, upholding democracy not a dictator.

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In 2021 Historical facts became blurred by a political party known as the GOP or Republican Party. Four years earlier a man was elected in office, by all accounts was not fit by this party.

Was able to amass a population through lies and deceptions. That he alone was the only Government they needed. He touted he knew more than anyone else, what was good for the U.S.A..

This man was neither a patriot, or a scholar, though he said that of himself. It is said that those who followed only him. Were the true patriots. Would lead them to the Capital building and take back America through violence and bloodshed.

Signs of a Dictator abound when he said he was saving the lives of the republic by not warning the masses of a virus so deadly that hundreds of thousands succumbed. The likes they have not seen in over a century.

Nobody had any idea, or if they did he stifled their voices. Even the most prominent scientific minds he deplored and muted, so the public would not panic.

It was a year that an election was to be held. This man during that same pandemic, ignored the Dr.s , and other government agencies of best practices as to not spread the disease. Carried mass rally’s all around the country with signs that read, with arrows pointing in their direction “To Heard Immunity” taking lives of countless.

Also pledging to the masses at his rallies before the vote was to take place, he asserted the vote would be rigged if he didn’t win. They called it “The Big Lie.”

These are just some of the events from this man. I call him 45, because putting President in front of his name sake is not befitting a man so deplorable in history.

Note: I enjoy reading the post here and these are just my thoughts and opinions. I have the upmost respect for Dan Rather, I grew up on his coverage in broadcast and print. I am no writer though. I’m just a tradesman. I did what I enjoyed.

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I am reminded of a scene from "Back To The Futur" Were the main character Marty is asked who the President is in his future and He replies reluctantly "Ronald Regan" and the Professor remarks "WHAT the actor?" Like America had lost it's mind. With Facebook and social media Our thoughts and comments are saved forever and we can reflect on them. My grandson and his children will look back and say "Why, why did America allow this to happen when the voice of they many was so strong but only the voice of the privaleged few were heard?" Shame on the Republicans for not listening to Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney and all the others who left office. It is time to kick Trump to the curb for loosing the House and the Senate during His Presidency. Forget about Trump's base after Jan 6th there are now so many former Republicans that they could start their own party.

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The Trump era started as an affront to decency and almost ended in a second Civil War. He led a wide swath of people who felt either powerless or trodden upon to a new golden shore. And he almost led you to the edge of the cliff, hoping you would get the message and jump off like some of Disney's lemmings. Nobody could mistake this man for Moses parting the waters to a promised land. His promises were as empty and trite and deceitful as his self-estimation of being a stable genius. Makes you wonder about his wealth too, doesn't it?

That said, the Senate has the obligation to hear a trial and decide a fate- his or this country's, by what they declare. But I don't see the GOP as being up to this task of honest unbiased judging. It needs to look itself in the mirror and see the truth they have evaded for so long. They have pandered to get power and squandered that power, giving money to the very rich and cronies instead of those in need.

And the lemmings' path was also leading the country to the edge of a fascist nightmare. Trump fits the 14 points of fascism to a T. The only thing that saved your country, so far, from a bloodbath, was that his incompetence and unwillingness to see any task to completion is his hallmark, and America's saving grace. Except for the 100s of thousands of needless deaths and millions who still suffer in the pandemic. For that, I would accuse him of mass murder.

How will history judge this moment? As the first breath of cleaner air after the deadly miasma of the last 5 years.

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What strikes me about this moment in history: unlike any previous time, future generations will be able to viscerally live through this chapter of American history, seeing and hearing each of the events leading up to the election, the fraudulent claims of a stolen election, the January 6 rally, the storming of the Capital, the impeachment by the House, the trial in the Senate.

I hope these future generations who watch what the Senate has seen the past two days will shake their heads in wonder and sadness that it could come to this.

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The impeachment managers have done an excellent job of presenting their case in a way that establishes premeditation and intent clearly and without ambiguity. They made it very personal to the members of congress who were there that day, beyond their individual experience.

No matter which way it goes, the Republican party is going to have a hard time recovering. If Trump is not convicted, I don't believe the Republican party can avoid being destroyed, if not immediately, then in 2024. It will rip itself apart around Donald Trump. If they convict him and bar him from public office, I think it will provide an opening for both Republicans and Democrats to return to a more cooperative partnership that is more respectful of each other's views, sort of like the way President Biden and John McCain dealt with each other. As a result, I could see Mitch McConnell and several others fading to the background or retiring, while leaders like Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski rise to the fore.

The ability of Republicans to ignore facts and deny their own responsibility in the name of supporting the party line is being seriously challenged by the evidence in the impeachment hearings. Just as Trump's inciting insurrection was a bridge too far, so I believe that refusing to convict Trump will be a bridge too far for the Republican party.

I am surprised that more has not been made of Trump's betrayal of the rioters. He invited them. He lied to them. He stoked their rage and aimed them towards the capital. He promised them he would "be there with them", and protesters on the way to the capital told reporters that Trump was there walking with them. He patronized them when things went bad, then he threw them under the bus and denied knowing what they were doing. He obviously didn't expect to be subject to the consequences that he abandoned them to experience. Perhaps we don't think it matters that he successfully manipulated violent people if they deserve the consequences.

Overall, I think history will regard us in one of two ways over this moment in history. Either we will have survived a near miss of repeating Hitler's Beer Hall Pusht, and begin the process of growing towards a more civil and empathetic union of civics educated citizens; or we will see the destruction of the Republican party and enter an extended period of white supremacist terrorism accompanied by even less effective governance of a more dysfunctional executive branch. If, God forbid, Trump gets reelected, this period will be seen as the start of the fall of the United States.

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I have been wrestling with history’s judgement for several days and my big reveal is “I don’t know.” I am faced with a decision regarding my company’s employee PAC contributions. Idealistically I want to stop funding those who fueled the fires of 1/6 and are unapologetically continuing to do so; to judge our elected officials on their behavior. I believe that doing nothing is tacit approval of the events that have transpired and continue. I want to be able to say that we rose above the fray, defended the threats to democracy, and our company’s values were upheld. But realistically politicians have long memories, are not above retaliation, and can prevent us from serving our customers in significant ways. Our mission is a noble one and we contribute to the greater good of society (you’ll have to take my word for that). Legislation occurs in the real world and we need votes and representation in key committees to enable that mission. And realistically, how do we fairly adjudicate this, the criteria we apply today must withstand the scrutiny of tomorrow. If I recognize these realities does that mean I’m compromising my conscious? At the end of the day our contributions are just a drop of rain in the ocean, but is it not the individual drops that contribute to the whole? It is definitely harder to be a part of history than to sit in judgement decades later. Thank you for letting me talk through this. I’m open to any guidance you are willing to offer. Thank you.

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Having been under attack from within for several years by the sitting president, American governmental institutions were assailed in a failed coup attempt by supporters of the lame duck president in an attempt to keep him in power. Those deluded individuals and organizations that carried out his call to insurrection were mislead by the president who insisted that he won an election that he lost by wide margins in both electoral votes and the popular vote. Instead of accepting his defeat, he stirred up his followers, and on January 6, 2021, he called them into violent action and they stormed into the Capitol building intent on murder and destruction.

The Capitol police lead a valiant defense but were quickly overwhelmed. They did get all of the elected officials to safety and defended the House chambers even as two of their number were slain by those who claim to "back the blue" and "support the police". With the complex organization of Washington, D.C., the president himself had to answer the beleaguered police cries for help. He delayed his response as long as possible while delighting in the chaos he wrought. He even broadcast a message telling his supporters to stop and go home and that he "loved them". Order was slowly restored and the business of counting the electoral college votes continued despite the attempted coup and the cowardly actions of some in both sides of Congress to stall and protest the usually-procedural step in the peaceful transition of power that is a hallmark of America. It was a dark day in American history that highlighted the deep divides within America and the depths to which a potential despot could sink in order to try to keep power beyond his term.

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I think that history is going to be a very harsh judge. There is a common saying that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. What we are seeing now is a repeat of history that can be easily fixed to prevent a tragedy and the only thing in the way are some Senators. The problem is those Senators are not paying attention because their intent is to vote as a solid block because they feel this is politically motivated when it is not. They are also more than likely hoping that the famous American electorates very short attention span and memory recall will get them reelected until they decide to retire at some point. That is a horrendous indictment of how well the American voter does research and actually holds their law bringers to account. Most don't care and only look for a letter beside the name to decide how to vote.

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I think this chapter in history will be called “The Trump Era: When America Lost Its Mind”. I am still scratching my head over these last five years of our lives. How in the world did we get here? How does a man with no working knowledge of the Constitution get elected to a position to uphold it? And how will we explain this to future generations?

What happens next ( Impeachment Trial) will shape our country moving forward. It is scary to me that Republican Senators lack the integrity, the courage to convict the charlatan who brought us to this place.

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One thing is certain, the impeachment trial will leave a historic treasure of video and amazing presentations from the House Representatives. We need this impeachment trial to leave a record of what happened on Jan. 6 and the time leading up to it. How the members of the Senate cast their votes will determine how they will be remembered by history and something they will live with for the remainder of their lives. Trump won't be able to walk away from his responsibility of inciting the riot even if he isn't found guilty. There must be a 911 style investigation to answer questions of who helped the rioters, who inside Congress helped them and why weren't the Capitol police aided with more help before and during the riots? I feel the time immediately after the impeachment trial will still be early days in learning what happened.

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I think is the time we learn whether the Civil War was a thing that happened, and is now over, or a permanent fault line in America. We thought it was over; certainly I was taught it was distant past as a child. I say this not as one of those people who claim to welcome a new war - quite the opposite - but now it is clear to me that was what we wanted to be true, not what was true. I do not think the path forward is already written, and I don't know which fork we'll take, but we are at the time of making that choice. I can't get out of my head what I heard a young girl say at one of the pro-immigrant rallies a few years back, something like "I thought we had fixed all of this. I never expected I'd have to come out here and march for these basic things." I was angry at her - don't you know that every generation has to fight for what is right? None of us get to just enjoy what those who came before us won! And yet, I was taught the same. We were post-history, the beneficiaries of benefit after benefit (freedom! vaccines! bike lanes!) bestowed by those who suffered before us. We were cocky and now we know that anything we build can crack and fall. I think we are at an inflection point. What the Senate does this week and next matters. It will show us who we are and what needs fighting for next.

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I don’t think history will remember this kindly. But I also think it will be viewed differently by so many. There will not be a consensus on whether it was good, bad, wrong or right. We see people eating up the lies and perpetuating them. Trust in government has been eroded down to the point where I believe a lot of people don’t trust elected representatives to do anything for their constituents and are completely self-serving liars, every single person. But what comes next? How does this move to a more positive path? How can we build a consensus when there are representatives that refuse to acknowledge facts?

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Unforgettably historic.. . one of those, where were you when....

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I remember reading some years ago a book about the McCarthy era. It was called ‘When Even Angels Wept’. What an appropriate title for a treatise on the Trump era. I agree with one comment I’ve read during the last few days: Trump isn’t the primary person on trial. It’s each and every member (especially Republicans) of the senate standing in front of the American electorate. I’ll never be able to reconcile the events of January 6th, and many other actions and policies of the Trump administration with defense of the Constitution and basic human decency. History will not look kindly on the past 4 years.

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This moment will define the Republican Party and its future going forward.

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Whether Trump is convicted by the Senate or not, there still will be enough damage to tarnish his future. Impeachments don't usually remove one from office but it does have a lasting political effect. Trump will always be known as a Twice Impeached President. History books will record this and kids in school will learn this fact. It is my hope that it clouds any further political ambitions he may have and also, frees up the different legal avenues that are possible to go after some of his most illegal activities.

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Like many, I'm watching the impeachment trial. What is missing is view of the Senators. Would be revealing to see occasional cut-aways to each Senator. Who is paying attention, who is not. After all is said, they have the last word.

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This thread is fascinating. I wish I had the same optimism as I see here. This week will be pivotal, but not good news either way the vote falls on the impeachment. The downward trend started somewhere in the mid 1900’s when a successful, good person was no longer judged by compassion, kindness, or caring. We were led (or wanted) to believe that wealth was the one, supreme , criteria for success. It was easy to succumb. No more moral judgements, confusion, or need to think too hard. Get rich, “you’ve MADE it.” Folks now listen to rich people. They believe rich people. They follow rich people.

The founders were thinkers. We are not. Republican or Democrat we don’t want to be bothered with finding the truth, with civil debate, with careful evaluation. We want to get on with making money.

I’m not sure that future people will care to look back and judge this time at all. It will just be a footnote proving that wealth is the only useful tool fir governing.

Sorry, but I’m a pessimist and I am old, and I am glad I won’t be around to see where this ends and what this little blip means in the larger picture.

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Despite language and precedence establishing the constitutionality of the proceedings and overwhelming evidence that the former president is guilty as charged, he will be acquitted on a purely partisan vote, effectively ending the American democratic experiment.

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I am worried that Trump will be acquitted and historians will label this as a major mistake. If we want to preserve our democracy, we have to hold anyone accountable who attacks it. History will judge our generation by how well we do in the accountability department.

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They will judge it in the same way they judge Andrew Johnson’s, a footnote. In addition, you have to wait 50 years or so for the verdict of history. Most of us will not be here by then.

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I believe history will call this the beginning of the end of our experiment in republican government. There are so many things I have experienced in my 70+ Years (six of them in Uncle Sam’s nuclear submarine service) that have led me to this opinion that it would take me a book to lay them all out. Suffice it to lead off with a general comment. Our current technology allows for so many self serving charlatans and idiots to spew bile and rubbish across so many outlets that I believe it is impossible for the majority of citizens to separate the signal from the noise. There are a couple of reasons for this. I feel that humans have a certain level of mental “processing” capability that is quite capable of sorting out this stuff but not the inclination to spend all the time required to do so. It’s just too much. Modern life is too complicated and demanding for people to come up with the spare energy to do the research needed to figure out who is feeding them a line or has an ulterior motive. There are also enough people who know this and are only to willing to take advantage of this characteristic of regular people for their own ends. Sorry this is so dark. I hope it starts a meaningful discussion.

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Not a U.S Citizen, but on the world view so much has been said about the American Dream. This moment in history the headline should read "The Dream is over and America must face reality."

The whole Chapter from the Election to the Senate floor of the triall is a trail of corruptive power and meglomania by one man determined to hold power at all costs. But perhaps even worse than that are the enabling member s of the GOP of both the House and Senate that continued to deny the facts and challenge the Electoral College vote. Then further still stand behind the 45th President during the Impeachment trial. History will not judge them well and they deserve that.

Will be a long road back but with honesty, truth and justice a rebuild is possible. The big lesson from all this for the history books is: Words do matter!

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Impeachment is an incredibly tough decision, and while I believe former President Trump committed criminal acts. I feel impeachment will likely be turned into just another political remedy to constitutional crimes when in reality, it is supposed to be the gravest remedy for "high crimes and misdemeanors."

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Donald Trump will be remembered in history as one of our most consequential presidents. Not, of course in a good way, but the chaos he brought to the job has upset our national apple cart fiercely.

Trump exposed virtually all the flaws in our constitutional system. I think Americans had always assumed that our laws and customs and norms of proper behavior would protect the republic from a demagogue. Now we see that as yet another national myth.

We were obviously wrong.

The question now is what - if anything - will we as a people do to shore up our institutions so that a future Donald Trump (or someone even worse) can’t take advantage of America ever again the way he did.

The survival of our democracy depends upon our taking prompt, carefully-fashioned and proper actions.

From what I am seeing from the GOP, I am not at all encouraged.

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Right now I see us at a historical crossroads that Malcolm Gladwell described in "The Tipping Point" (2002) as a time "where little things can make a big difference".

Currently, the country is divided almost in half. A few more of us continue to be verified fact-based and give reason, logic, and experts credence to create our personal realities. A slightly smaller half of us are caught up in a false world of big lies, propaganda, and fantasy propped up by an entirely different set of "facts" and "experts" who use the gullible for their own purposes, primarily to gain personal wealth and power.

How we will be seen by future historians depends on which side produces the most effective "tipping points" going forward that will sway more of one side to move over to the other side. I believe in the end the half of us who believe in verified facts, expert advice, and reason can gain the most movers. However, it will take all of us to respectfully and repeatedly connect with those around us on the other side who care about us and who we care about to create the first tipping points. The shift from illusion, deception, and violence back to reason, facts, and civility cannot happen on its own without our help.

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With all due respect to the framers of the Constitution, it has become painfully clear, just how inadequate this founding document has become. No one will say this. In fact most politicians refer to it as a sacred text. Infallible even. Senators sit as jurors in judgement of themselves! Senators scorn the process of the impeachment, stating categorically that their minds are made up in advance. When will America recognize that much of her slide towards fascism is enabled by this stale dated Constitution. I am a Canadian in my seventies and I am appalled to watch my once caring and united neighbour, across the Niagara River, fall into a deep disgrace of its own making.

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History will remember all those senators who are so disrespectful of our constitution that they did not even pretend to listen to the evidence presented to up hold their oath to defend the constitution. History will ask why the American people chose to elect such an immoral person and why he was allowed to chisel away at our democracy for so long.

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History will judge this moment as pivotal for our democracy's integrity. While both parties have problems, none of those problems compare with the audacious and bold denial of reality displayed by those members in support of 45's 'Stop the Steal' rhetoric. It's a disgrace and a telling sign that too many Republicans have stayed quiet instead of openly standing up for truth. If they choose to impeach and strip our previous president of the luxuries of his office and from running again for president, they will show a glimmer of hope that they still have a moral compass and put country over self.

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In the late 2010s, misinformation (and disinformation) was systematically disseminated via the Internet and other sources, some of it being endorsed by messages sent via the Twitter account of the 45th President of the United States.

On January 6, 2021, a mob consisting of a variety of people including white supremacists and Republican lawmakers stormed the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Protesters and police officers were injured, some injuries resulting in death. Some protesters insisted they were following the orders of Donald Trump by terrorizing members of Congress.

An impeachment trial was held to determine the President's role in the acts of domestic terrorism. Most Republican Senators protested the trial (the second impeachment of Donald Trump), and approached the proceedings determined to acquit him.

After effective arguments given by the impeachment managers (and equally ineffective arguments from Trump's attorneys), (##) Republican Senators agreed with their Democrat colleagues. This resulted in Trump's (acquittal, indictment) for high crimes and misdemeanors, as stated in Section 4 of Article Two of the United States Constitution: "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

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As I've explained to a colleague, the primary reason I'm in favor of this impeachment is simple. Do we want Mr. Trump to have another chance to turn the USA into a dictatorship? I hope not!

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