On the eve of the President’s impeachment, it is a little too late to have second thoughts. Everyone from the politicians to the media are caught up in the drama of the moment and seem eager to commence the battle. But to what end?
The best that can be said is that the Democrats will be able to present the facts of the Ukrainian coercion/extortion/”perfect call” to the American people, and perhaps expand the discussion to include other aspects of the President’s behavior that have been unethical/unconstitutional/”like no other” so that the American people will have a fact-based understanding of what type of man the President is.
The best that can be said is that the Republicans will be able to prevent the political and one-sided removal of the President from office and allow the American people to decide for themselves whether or not the President is deserving of a second term.
The worst that can be said is that this entire process will consume the attention of our country to the exclusion of any and all matters that affect us and the rest of humanity, exacerbate the 50-50 division within our country, and give our main competitors – namely Russia and China – continued free reign to exploit our preoccupation.
Beyond the best and the worst lies the end of days, which I hope means the end of our collective anger/resentment/distrust/stupidity, and a return to our collective positivity/acceptance/appreciation/sanity. Unfortunately, the end of days could also mean the end of the American story as we like to imagine it, the shared hopes/dreams/ideals/energy of a people who once made a nation.
It is time for all of us to confront ourselves – our biases, our closed mindlessness, our selfishness, our sense of superiority towards those who are not like us. We have to remember what it is like to rise together if we are to bind our wounds and become strong again.
To those who support this President :
It is understood that President Trump is your champion. Many of you feel forgotten and left out, taken advantage of by a system and society that does not listen to you or respect your beliefs. President Trump has given you a voice. However, see him for who he is. Citizen Trump has brought his imperious and self-aggrandizing approach to business to the Presidency. His ability to insult, demean, and intimidate those who oppose him is unmatched – entertaining perhaps, but vulgar and cruel, and beneath the office that he holds. He prides himself on his openness, yet has refused to let us see where his business ties/obligations lie, refused to honor constitutionally mandated requests for information regarding his actions and commitments made, and keeps secret his discussions with our country’s enemies. He prides himself on his ability to be a unifying leader, but has steadfastly slandered all those who disagree with him, effectively questioning the patriotism of 50% of the country and the opposition political party. He has rewarded himself, his family, and his business with huge tax cuts, and promoted his real estate holdings for political and monetary gain, while the rest of us have received the leftover crumbs. He has let his hatred of President Obama define many of his actions that have not been in the best interests of the country. He refuses to take the counsel of his more experienced advisers, preferring to follow his own counsel that is based upon his personal prejudices and limited understanding, and then turns against his own advisers on a moment’s notice. He may be your champion, but he is not the country’s champion. Surely you can do better than this.
To those who oppose this President:
You have brought this upon yourselves by your arrogant attitude towards 50% of the country and your inability to listen to views other than your own. The candidate for President that you selected for the last election was a reflection of these character flaws, and in the end you took too many people’s support for granted and lost the election. You are making a similar mistake now, promoting candidates whose ideas do not acknowledge or address the concerns of the other 50% of the country, ideas that include social programs that are unaffordable and poorly thought out. Our President is our President, yet you refuse to work with him constructively on issues of the day such as infrastructure modernization and reduction of prescription drug prices – and there are many other issues that you ignore as well – that could benefit all of us. It is your obligation to reach out to those who support the President and show them that you have a different and better way forward, but all you seem to want to do is force your ideas down their throats. You spend all of your time attacking or complaining about the President instead of developing a coherent message and vision of your own. There is so much that you could speak of, from economic inequality to the need for our country to reaffirm our moral and ethical global leadership, but all we hear is white noise. When the President gets re-elected you will whine and cry and blame everyone else but yourselves. Surely you can do better than this.
In the end, we always get the government that we deserve. Surely we can all do better than this.