Any remnants of moral authority the United States still retained with which to champion the cause of democracy in the eyes of the world was forfeited today by the actions of 43 Republican senators who chose naked self-interest over duty to protect and defend the Constitution from brazen and grievous attack by a man whose dishonor they now share in equal measure. Their actions bring shame upon us all.
These 43 men and women forfeited what might have been an opportunity for redemption; a chance to course-correct their party from sailing the raging seas of sedition back toward the safer waters of reason; a way to wrest control away from the neo-fascist obstructionists among them and return to the business of actual legislation, of performing the jobs for which they were sent to Congress.
But no! They took the cowards’ route instead. They sold us all out!
McConnell’s post-acquittal rebuke of the former president would be laughable if it weren’t so lamentable. Too little too late, his condemnation will only serve to confuse, given that he sided with the majority of his fellow Republicans in voting to acquit.
Following the conclusion of the Senate trial, Impeachment Manager Eric Swalwell shared that a friend tweeted to commend him on the House team’s presentation but faulted them on their jury selection.
The former Speaker’s reliance on a technicality, made relevant solely through his action in delaying the impeachment until after the inauguration of President Biden, is specious, despicable, shamelessly hypocritical, and, woefully, predictable.
Afterward, Nancy Pelosi posited rhetorically, “What is more important than the political future of any of us than the Constitution of the United States?”
The 43 Republican senators who failed to place country over party today answered that question with the votes they cast, while the world looked on in disbelief.
In acquitting the former president, these 43 Republican senators further empowered a man already drunk with his illusion of importance, while providing encouragement to those who still view him as their leader. To say this is the height of folly is not hyperbole!
Now that the former president believes he’s been vindicated, he’s already firing up his engines to further fan the flames of faux grievance within his base.
A man named Joseph de Maistre wrote, in 1811, “Every nation gets the government it deserves,” echoing similar sentiments expressed previously by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and others. During the just-concluded trial, House Manager Jeremy Ruskin observed, “This trial isn’t really about (the former president), it’s about who we are.”
In the Bible it is written, “Those (who) sow the wind . . shall reap the whirlwind.” (Hosea 8:7)
So, buckle up, ladies and gentlemen! Secure your carry-on items under your seats and prepare for major turbulence! We’re in for a rough ride!
Tim Konrad February, 13, 2021
sonora2sonoma 
Leave a comment