Impeachment. Again
On February 13th, the US Senate voted to acquit former President Trump of impeachment allegations. I’ve been grappling with this news for days, and I imagine it will be on my mind for a while. On the surface, I am stunned. My story is that this man incited criminal and treasonous behavior. What about the Senate? Do they not agree?
Reading the news, I sense that it may not matter what they think. The Senate holds their offices because of who votes for them. All the Democratic Senators voted to impeach Trump. Only 7 of the 50 Republican Senators voted for the impeachment. On the surface that doesn’t seem too surprising, Trump is a Republican. In past impeachment trials (Trump’s first one, Clinton’s, and Andrew Johnson’s), the president (or past president) was always acquitted in the Senate, because the impeachment didn’t get a two-third’s majority vote. The Senators in the party of the president being convicted mostly voted against the impeachment. This time was no different.
Really? This time it seemed SO OBVIOUS that Trump was guilty. At least that is the story I am telling myself. I sit on the fence with the over 81 million voters who voted for Biden. I believe Trump didn’t belong in office before, again, or ever. I didn’t think the election was a fraud, and I believe Trump incited the mob at the Capitol. But 81 million voters isn’t everyone. And apparently there are more than 74 million people out there who don’t agree with me.
Over 74 million people voted for Trump. Why? Well, they believe in his policies. They cling to the messages of fear that he touts. He tells us to be afraid of foreigners. How many of those 74 million have indigenous ancestors? Ironically, I don’t think many indigenous people in this country voted for Trump. In fact, more indigenous people registered to vote in 2020 just so they could vote for Biden. But I digress. Moving on, Trump doesn’t believe in climate change. He supports keeping the oil industry alive. In turn, they support him. He supports white supremacy. And white supremacists? Well they strongly support him. On a more nuanced note, Trump got the votes of pro-life voters. While they may not support Trump completely, abortion is a big enough hot button for them that they voted for Trump, even if they didn’t agree with other items on his platform. Some voted for Trump because they believe the Democratic Party is just wrong, and why would they vote for Biden when he comes from the wrong party? Others voted from Trump because they believe the conspiracy theories he touted. Stories like Hunter Biden and the Chinese, Joe Biden and the Ukraine, and the Democrats and a pedophile ring.
So this information brings me back to the Senate vote to acquit Trump. Why would the Senate vote to not impeach Trump? Well for one thing, to save their jobs. While the majority of Americans wanted Trump impeached, the majority of Republicans did not. According to The NY Times, 70% of Republicans did not believe Trump should be impeached. Whether this is because they believe in Trump or they believe Trump did not incite the riots, it doesn’t matter here. If I’m a Republican Senator and I want to be re-elected for another term, I am probably going to go with what my constituents believe.
But wait! Less than 2 months ago, these same Senators were threatened! Their lives were at risk when a mob, incited by Trump, stormed the Capitol. Don’t they believe Trump should be impeached? So what, the majority of their constituents don’t believe so. Don’t they have spines?
My story is that it goes back to these Senators’ jobs. During the Trump administration, a turn against Trump was a suicide decision. Early on, Trump fired Jeff Sessions. Towards the end when Pence distanced himself from the Trump and his decisions, Trump turned on him. These Senators don’t want to lose face when that could impact their careers.
Take a look at Mitch McConnell. McConnell acquitted Trump and then blasted him after the trial was over. What? To me, that’s like getting mad at my children and not punishing them for their behavior. There’s no consequence to Trump’s actions. I’m hearing that these 2 impeachments will be Trump’s legacy. It will go down in the history books that Trump was impeached by The House twice, the second time for a threat to the Capitol and Congress. But is going down in history enough to keep him out of the White House? Only if that past makes a difference to more than half of the voters in 2024.
This lack of accountability is what concerns me. Back in September 2019, before the world was in a pandemic, the then President Trump drew on a weather map with a Sharpie. I wrote about the event in the blog, “Day 969.” That day, Trump decided to go against the weather authorities in NOAA and claim that a threatening hurricane was going to hit the state of Alabama. This information was false. NOAA knew it was false. Yet, Trump was the president and they kowtowed to him. Trump was never reprimanded for creating fear and confusion in Alabama. He wasn’t held accountable. Here we are, less than 18 months later, and an angry mob has attacked the Capitol. People were traumatized. People were killed. The lives of American leaders (including the then Vice President) were in jeopardy. The former President who incited the mob? He claims no responsibility for the event. Almost half of the Congress that watched and were a part of this event? They’re too scared to call Trump out on his accountability. They are too scared they will lose their chance to remain in office in their next election. You know what? That’s scary.
I live in a country with 3 branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. I grew up believing that these 3 branches were the checks and balances to each other. The president can’t take total control because the Congress (legislative branch), and the Supreme Court (judicial) will keep him/her in check. Now I’m not so sure.
I want to be accepting and compassionate. I want to let people be free to vote and believe what they want. So if more than 74 million people want to vote for Trump, I respect them. I know that we don’t agree. I know that if our differences become tribal, I equate the voters with everything that is bad. A vote for Trump does not make a voter Trump. If I don’t look at those voters as fellow human beings, then we are in danger of becoming a more divided country, and our animosity towards each other grows.
So how can I accept the will of the voters, while condemning the actions of the Senate? I believe Congress needs to be accountable here. Regardless of what the voters are saying, I believe Congress needs to vote on the side of accountability and send a message to the American people, media outlets, and the world. We need more accountability in America. Let’s be a valuable role model.
