Definition of Hypocrisy: Republicans saying that impeachment will be “too divisive”, that the country needs healing now and that we have to bring the country together.
That is their attempt to speak to Biden’s call for national unity. That is their attempt to speak to the elements in the Democratic party who called for national unity when Obama took office and in the name of national unity he chose not to punish (or even investigate) the previous administration’s torture practices or domestic eavesdropping, and he chose not to prosecute Wall Street executives for their crimes that led to the 2008 financial crisis. That is Republican’s attempt to speak to the parts of the Democratic party that supported excusing excesses of power while imprisoning whistleblowers.
The Republicans calling for national unity today are the same Republicans who were so grateful to Obama for his choice to prioritize national unity over what is just, moral, and right that for the remainder of his 8 years in office, rather than promote national unity, they blocked his legislative platform, appointments to federal courts, and ultimately the Supreme Court, laying the groundwork for a right-wing Supreme Court with Trump appointments.
The Republicans calling for national unity today are the same Republicans that promoted the lies that the election was stolen from Trump. These are the same Republicans that stoked his lies and emboldened him for 4 years as his rhetoric and behavior fueled the flames of divisiveness and division that led to significant increases in hate crimes and untold deaths and suffering.
If you have ever been a victim of abuse, the failure of those with more power who can take action and refuse to do so, is retraumatizing. It is likely that every cell and pore of your being in seething and raging, shaking and feeling tormented and attacked. For the past 4 years we have been lied to and abused. And now these same enablers are saying (just as all batterers do), “let’s move on and work together”. As a former domestic violence advocate, I have seen again and again the damage that is wrought when the political, social, and legal systems in our society refuse to take meaningful action to condemn and convict abusers.
There is no compromise with those who support fascistic elements in our society that seek unlimited abusive power, attempt to overthrow democratically elected governments nationally and locally, or promote and engage in overt racism, sexism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, or Islamophobia. The Democrats, all of them, need to have a backbone. Trump must be impeached and removed from office (yes, I know it may not happen before Jan. 20th – doesn’t matter). He needs to be tried and convicted for inciting a mass riot. And the Republicans who participated in and stoked his flames for the past 4 years must be held accountable as well. The Democrats need to show that this time they are willing to draw a line in the sand. Trump and his enablers have crossed that line. If they fail to do so, they will embolden further transgressions by Republicans in the future. Obama’s unwillingness to prosecute torturers, those who engaged in domestic eavesdropping, and Wall Street executives has had enormous consequences. It is time the Democrats wield and use their power for good.
The Democrats need to put forth a progressive, strong agenda without caving to Republicans. They need to promote that agenda as one of unifying the country around basic values of goodness and care for one another, of justice and love. An agenda that includes Medicare for All, a minimum wage of at least $15/hour, meaningful and lasting Covid relief for ordinary Americans (not corporate elites), defunding of police, and more. And if they are unable to get that agenda through Congress, they need to fight like hell to get more progressive Democrats elected in 2022.
Enough is Enough. We don’t have to do this with hate in our hearts but we must do it with the spiritual and moral strength, courage, and conviction knowing that our lives, the lives of our Black, Brown, Jewish, Muslim and LGBTQI siblings, and the life-support system of the planet depend on it – because they do.
You can make a difference right now by contacting your Congress members, both at their local and national offices, to insist on impeachment because if he is not impeached he can run again for office and it sends a message that this kind of behavior is tolerated.
In a nation where we’re told at nearly every turn to calm down and be quiet, this is such a breathe of air (fresh, even). The powerful never listen until they personally experience the threat the rest of us face every single day. Let’s hope they do. As a staffer said on January 7th, “You cannot heal a wound before you clean it out.”
The constitution (not the greatest thing ever btw), was invalidated by the weak Democrats and the weak Republicans. I don’t think we have to pay any taxes at this point.