To the seven Republicans who put country, honor, and the judgment of history before partisanship and electoral calculations: I salute you.
To the others, a warning from the founder of conservatism:
“Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.”-Edmund Burke
Please share widely!
One slight historical comfort – Trump now comfortably holds the record for most votes for conviction in an impeachment trial, previously held by Bill Clinton at 50. Speaking of Clinton I cannot fathom how there is a party that thinks what he did warranted removal from office, but what Trump did does not.
The behavior and utterances of the GOP have nothing whatsoever to do with thinks or thinking.
It is instead pure and abject unadulterated cynicism, opportunism, and greed.
Today’s GOP belongs — and I mean this literally — right alongside those members of the Reichstag who voted to support Hitler in 1939.
Even Mitch McConnell acknowledged after the vote that Donald Trump was guilty of every charge brought against him by the House. These 43 Republicans knowingly and intentionally voted to acquit a vicious and still-dangerous seditionist and attempted dictator — knowing full well that he was and is guilty of every charge.
Humanity and history will mark the depravity of these 43 — even if the voters of America do not.
“They voted that way because they can’t get any other job.” Speaker Pelosi on Senate Trumpists
I think this is literally true in the case of Graham. Others like Hawley, Rubio, Cruz, and Cotton seem to be delusional enough to think they’ll be president when Trump doesn’t run. Except he probably will, and they definitely won’t win.
I suspect that, given the way they saw how the Trump cultists attempted to kidnap and execute the governor of Michigan and kill the speaker of the house as well as hang the vice president all in the name of Trump, fear of their own safety and the lives of their loved ones was a factor in their vote to show support to Trump.
To paraphrase Jesse Jackson:
There is nothing more frightening to me at this stage in my life than to drive down the street in my Prius and hear a engine rev and a horn blow behind me… then look in my mirror to see a pickup truck with a Trump Flag.
Gee, It’s almost as if Congressional Republicans care more about winning and keeping power than they do about intellectual or moral consistency. Also a friendly reminder to people shocked about QAnon that Vince Foster was the Seth Rich of the 90’s.
Another painful example of how so many people are divorced from reality. Everything Mitch McConnel said today he could have said after the first impeachment, and the rule of procedures was not the crime nor were procedures on trial. The hypocrisy is off the charts. RIP America
Extremism in the defense of lunacy is no vice. Qanon GOP
No, I can only salute Mitt Romney, as he was the only one among these seven, that accepted the truth last year that Trump was unfit for the Office and deserved removal from Office then.
I’m extremely sympathetic to this.
I’m trying to remind myself that the other six have shown at least a little bit of willingness to admit their error. Perhaps “salute” is a bit too strong. I’m reminded of the venerable adage that while training a dog who comes too slowly, a reward for coming at all is more effective than punishing the animal for being slow.
For me, it’s more like I recognize their movement.
I seriously wonder how much blood will be spilled as we attempt to put down the insurrection that this newly-invigorated Trumpist revolt will surely bring.