What now?
To ask the question is still to be at a loss for answers. I reach for my mantra, and the title of our community here: Steady.
A vote anticipated is still a vote that shocks. The “constitutional” argument against the trial was a fig leaf without precedent. And it was defeated. How can anyone in good conscience then vote to exonerate such shameful, violent, and undemocratic actions? The answer is, you can’t. And yet the vast majority of the Republican caucus stood up and proclaimed, “Not guilty.” Fairness, their constitutional duty, and the judgement of history be damned.
The emotions swirl within, the tug of war of multiple perspectives. The deep heart of mine that loves my country as a vibrant, pluralistic democracy founded under the rule of law, aches.
The journalist in me seeks answers to the who, what, when, where, why, and how? Not only for this sham trial, but for the events of 1/6, and all that preceded and followed it. There is so much we don’t know. The American people need to know the truth and deserve to know why Republicans were so afraid to hear it.
The history student in me wonders how this chapter will be written. Will shameless political opportunism be punished or rewarded? Will the America of the future be the one that elected two Democratic senators in a state like Georgia? Or will it be the one that raised Trump into power and then absolved his lawlessness?
To define today’s body of Republicans as a political party seems a naive throwback to when it was a consortium of ideas and not a cult of a single, unworthy, and autocratic personality. The fact that this was the most bipartisan vote in any presidential impeachment trial is small comfort when one considers how open and shut the case was. I wonder about those who voted “not guilty.” How many of them were --or are still-- frightened of Trump’s wrath, as a common narrative has gone?And how many secretly applaud his power-at-all-cost autocracy?
Donald Trump will not go away. And if past is prologue, he will likely aim his fire in the months and years to come on many senators who voted to acquit, if they ever run afoul in his mercurial judgement. Just ask Mike Pence.
The cynicism, the hypocrisy, the gaslighting is at levels that beg belief.
It is clear that the Biden Administration thinks the best way to defeat Trump, and Trumpism more broadly, is to show the government working (as intended.) And one of the underreported stories thus far, in my opinion, is how muscular and unified Democrats have been in pushing an ambitious agenda.
I also have seen that once Republicans (or now in many cases former Republicans) denounce the “Cult of Trump,” they become ever more strident in their convictions. And there are plenty of Republicans who are outraged by what took place. The party is divided to some degree.
But make no mistake, Trump owns a wide swath of the American electorate. His lies, abetted by right-wing media echo chambers and other countless enablers, fuel a movement that has already proved potent, violent, and unrepentant. It is a threat, and it is urgent.
Yet, I do believe that there are fissures threatening to break their facade. Republicans desperately wanted to avoid revealing, let alone reliving, the full truth of what took place. They know guilt is obvious. And I do believe they know that a majority of Americans would recoil at that truth. But I wonder just how much is breaking through.
This cannot be the end of the story of January 6. Justice must move to criminal courts, to fact-finding commissions, and ultimately the ballot box. Are the Trump forces emboldened? Undoubtedly. The question now is how emboldened are the forces that desperately believe America should not be a nation where lawlessness is rewarded, cowardice condoned, and democracy undermined. Our country, ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, that is a vital question as we ponder a day when the indefensible was defended.
—Dan
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Oh how I feel every bit of this. As I sit here in my office, still in my pajamas after being glued to the Impeachment Trial from the time I opened my eyes, I feel so small. I don't believe I have ever felt this small in my life. Small is not all I feel, I feel helpless, hopeless. As I hollered at the TV time and time again today, I started to question myself. Is it just me? How is it possible that so many people are hearing and seeing the same thing that I am, and are not jumping over each other to make sure that justice is served? How are so many Republican members planning to vote not guilty despite the overhwlming evidence of guilt? How is it that I, a single mom of 3, jobless due to the pandemic, no experience in politics or law am able to see clearly how solid the case made against Trump is? How is it reasonable or right that Republicans who took an oath to be impartial are flying to the defense of the former president and his attorneys? Here come the screams agains! I feel like we have no voice. From the moment DJT prematurely announced he won the election, I feel like we have been muzzled without a voice.The insane conspiracy theories and vulgarity of his followers drowned out our victory cries for President Biden. How can we do anything about it? So many of us do not have the platform, we do not have the millions of followers on twitter, the connections to the media that would allow us to share our thoughts or influence any change. So we do what we can, many of us pointlessly write to our representatives only to recieve a generic response, we donate to campaigns when we can but of course, do not see an immediate result for our efforts. So we simply follow the news and happenings of our country without being able to do anything to influence the outcome. For two months we have been denied any feelings of victory, peace or rightousness because of lie after lie after lie repeated on every media platform possible. Since January 20th we have had small victories, small moments of happiness and peace, only to have them constantly upended by the never ending saga of Donald Trump and now it appears multiple members of the Republican Party. Dominating the news, social media, constant attacks and threats on those that don't agree with their views. Yet again, those of us who don't have the platform, just sit back and watch because we have no voice. This week though, this week we were proud as the Impeachment Team stood up and started to be that voice! Presenting the facts in a clear and concise manner, tying it together while we sat in our living rooms shouting YES! YES! at the TV! This is it, we are going to have our day in "court" here comes our voice! Unfortunately, despite the Impeachment Managers amazing job, and passionate effort, this was short lived. Stories of Senators collaberating with the defense, despite their oath to be fair and impartial frustrated and confused us. But nobody said anything so it must have been acceptable? But this was hard for so many of us to swallow, how is this fair? What are we watching? Frustrated and confused we were losing our hope again, this was a farce. There will be no justice. Just more unabashed backroom dealing for political favor instead of doing what is right for our country. We took to twitter, we shouted again at our TV's, we demanded an answer but nobody responded. By the time the vote came to, we were even more confused, frustrated and by now exhausted. Emotionally exhausted. What just happened? How did it happen? As the day ends I , along with many others, find myself ready to move on but keep thinking about the unfairnes. I know this is not over, Trump is not done, the legal system will go after him, there will be months of Trump in the media overshadowing much of anything else and all we can do is watch. Not only Trump but those who enabled him, those who OPENLY support a man that Mitch Mcconell himself all but said is guilty of inciting the riots on the Capitol. These men with little morals who do not have the best interest of the people at heart. We have to watch as this plays out like a prime time soap opera. Pulliing us further and further away from the the values that have defined our country. I pray that the Biden administration outshines all of this darkness, I pray that his inspires more and more people to step up and find a platform to give all of us a voice and I pray that each day we can find something positive to hold on to so that we do not sit in our homes filling small with no voice while our Country seems to fall apart around us. As you can tell by the run on sentences and wordy post, it has been a long day and I know many of you feel the same. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you as we try to move on from this!!
Im a nam vet... I lost a nephew in iraq... lost a uncle in ww2... lost a cousin in Korea ...and 2 older cousins in nam prior to me... I can't help but think of all the people that served in combat knowing the oath they took and lived up to... and the Republican senators that have violated their oath... its a tragedy for patriotism and constitution... all the death defending the constitution in combat all in vain... my heart bleeds for the pain of today