The Constitution defines our system of government and protects our freedom only while we agree to abide by it. If we don’t, it’s a useless scrap of paper, and right now 4 in 10 Americans don’t consider themselves bound by it. We are in great peril of this thing called America falling apart. The book by Woodward and Costa, published today and aptly titled “Peril,” lays bare just how dangerous Trump and the anti-democracy movement he spawned are.
CNN describes some of its revelations here.
“A rush of new and shocking behind-the-scenes disclosures about how [Trump] sought to thwart the Constitution and the will of voters makes a clear case that America came closer to a coup earlier this year than previously known.
“The fresh evidence also shows [that] many people in Trump’s inner circle knew [his] case to stay in power was meritless, but … refused to speak up … as American democracy came under attack. …
“This growing paper trail … appears to prove Trump’s intent to stay in power illegally. The record is beginning to add up to an extraordinary indictment of the ex-President’s abuses of power and one of the darkest moments in US history. …
“The newly disclosed information builds on what was already known about … an expansive multi-front effort to destroy a peaceful and just transfer of power. The ex-President, for instance, initiated a vast disinformation campaign that has convinced millions of voters the election was stolen, helped by a pliant conservative media pushing his lies. …
“His corrupt behavior initiated a flurry of new election laws passed in Republican-run states that could make it easier for Trump or a like-minded constitutional arsonist to steal power in the future. And he is endorsing rafts of candidates for state offices like secretary of state, creating a potential pool of local officials who could be minded to interfere in a future election. Perhaps the most concerning aspect of the torrent of revelations is that the danger to American democracy has not passed. It is only accelerating. …
“‘The real problem is we have one of the two legacy parties that is completely bought into this and doesn’t want to hear anything else … and that, I think, is the most dangerous thing facing our democracy,’ Matthew Dowd, a former strategist for ex-President George W. Bush, told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Tuesday [September 21, 2021].
The book also details a scheme, hatched by conservative lawyer John Eastman, “to convince Pence to throw out electors from seven states” and say “no candidate had reached 270 electoral votes,” which would throw the election into the House of Representatives, where the GOP controlled 26 state delegations, and could elect Trump. Of course, Pence had no such authority. But he participated in some of these discussions, and certified Biden’s electoral win only after former GOP vice-president Dan Quayle and the Senate parliamentarian both told him he had no choice. Pence, a lawyer, shouldn’t have needed to ask.
Meanwhile, two GOP senators, Mike Lee of Utah and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, are reported by Woodward and Costa to have known about this scheme, and expressed “great skepticism” about it, but neither spoke out against it publicly.
CNN describes some of the scheming as “clownish,” but these folks were dead serious. Michael Flynn advocated a military coup. And there was, of course, the violent insurrection — it was not a mere protest — in which a Trump-incited mob invaded the U.S. Capitol with an apparent intent to kill Pence, Speaker Pelosi, and possibly other government officials. It would be a terrible mistake not to take all this seriously.
Here’s some of what has happened, and what I think should happen:
- Trump: Was properly impeached for inciting the insurrection, and is being criminally investigated in Georgia for violating that state’s election laws by pressuring its election officials to overturn the legal results. It would be good for the country if Trump was convicted of a felony, and even better for the country if he were imprisoned and disqualified from ever holding any public office again.
- The lawyers: Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and others are facing disciplinary proceedings. They should be disbarred. If they committed crimes, they should be prosecuted; and if convicted of felonies, they should go to prison. In addition, they’re being sued by the voting machine companies they allegedly defamed; and if those allegations are upheld in court, and the companies can prove substantial damages, it would be good for the country and legal profession if the verdict bankrupted them. As for John Eastman, he was forced out of his teaching position at a California law school for speaking on January 6 at the Trump rally that preceded the storming of the Capitol; and in light of the new revelations, he also should face disbarment proceedings.
- The Capitol rioters: Hundreds of the insurrectionists who invaded the Capitol have been arrested and are being prosecuted, as they should be. Those who attacked police officers, or endangered the members of Congress and their staffs inside, are criminals who if convicted should get serious prison time.
- The Republican Party: At this point is irredeemable and unsupportable. You cannot vote for Republicans at this time, or for the foreseeable future. This isn’t because of ideology (more vs. less government) or policy (foreign affairs, taxes, immigration, etc.) at all. It’s because the Republican Party, as an organization, and Republican office holders, collectively and individually, do not support the Constitution or our democracy. And because they still do not stand up to Trump. The GOP will become voteable again when they push Trump aside, recommit to the Constitution and our democratic processes, respect the right to vote and honor election results, and resume representing their party’s traditional ideas and values. They’re nowhere near that, and if they never get there, the GOP must disappear into the dustbin of history and be replaced by a new conservative party founded on principles of integrity and democracy.
- Conservative media: We must not tamper with the First Amendment right to free speech, but we must recognize Fox and other conservative media for what they are: Not news organizations, not journalists, but propagandists complicit in promoting Trump’s lies and plotting against our democracy. Be informed, but get news from reputable sources.
- Republicans: Nasty people. They’ve followed a demagogue, believed lies, and embraced wild conspiracy theories. Some have engaged in the kind of political violence seen in third-world countries. Their selfish pandemic behavior (see article here) has made them a danger to the rest of us. Avoid them.
Fortunately, much of what needs to happen is happening. The Democrats are temporarily in charge of the White House and Congress. The rule of law is intact, and Republican judges, including those appointed by Trump, are following the law; the courts are still reliable, even if congressional Republicans and GOP legislatures are not. It’s essential to hold those who attempted to overthrow our government accountable; the first Capitol rioter has reported to prison and begun serving his sentence, and more will follow. Baseless lawsuits were thrown out, Giuliani and Powell are unlikely to practice law again, Eastman lost his law teaching job, and other Trump lawyers have been sanctioned by judges. Investigations are ongoing and there’s at least a chance that Trump may be held accountable. Most important of all, the majority of our people recognized the importance of voting, and went to the polls and voted. They must continue doing so. All of this must happen if we are to keep this thing we call America; none of it is optional. But we appear to be on the right track.