Imagine if Republicans in the Senate voted to convict Donald Trump. Much of the current political angst could have been avoided since a conviction would have banned him from seeking office again.
Sure, he would still be whining about a stolen election and a rigged system, but he’d be an empty barrel, lacking the power and political influence to force his will onto others, nor could he be behind the numerous candidates who continue to push the Big Lie.
Instead, he lingers like the fabled sword of Damocles, threatening to wipe out anyone he views as a threat to his distorted view of reality.
In a previous blog, the writer posed the question: “What if Trump Had Won?”. It presented the nightmare scenario of a second term under a corrupt administration, including completely revamping how government employees are hired and fired under something called Schedule F. Under these regulations, Trump loyalists would be installed into positions previously held by members of the Civil Service.
When it came time to hold Donald Trump accountable for the January 6th insurrection, Republicans resorted to lame excuses and a weak defense to allow him to once again escape responsibility for his criminal conduct. They declared that, since he was no longer in office, something they’ve since claimed was a falsehood, and that he had indeed won, there was no need for a Senate trial since the decision to remove him from office had already been determined.
But, what if we went back even further, to Trump’s first impeachment trial, when Republican senators admitted that he did, indeed, commit impeachable offenses, namely abuse of power in attempting to coerce the Ukrainian president into providing dirt on his 2020 rival. They wiggled out of holding him accountable by saying “Let the voters decide”.
Well, the voters did decide, and still Trump incited an insurrection just because he didn’t like the results.
As the January 6th Committee and now the Department of Justice continue to delve into the events both before and after the November election, you can’t help but wonder, what if Trump was removed earlier in his term? Not doing so represents an extreme dereliction of duty by Republican senators, who should have followed the rule of law and not put party over county.
Based upon their actions, these lawmakers should be disqualified from ever holding public office again. They violated their oath, and they knew it. Why else would multiple Republicans seek preemptive pardons if they thought they were in the right?
Instead, we are faced with a midterm election that threatens to put even more election deniers into office, further destabilizing our fragile democracy. Numerous individuals are running on the platform of a stolen election and vows to fix a rigged system. They are declaring victory even before the votes are counted; a move straight out of the Trump playbook. Others are refusing to concede despite overwhelming numbers; again a Trumpian move.
If only there was some way all of this could have been prevented. If only Republicans had done the job they were elected to do.