“The voice of a god, and not of a man.”
That part of Acts 12:12 sticks in my head every time I watch a Trump rally. I marvel at the sycophancy of Trump’s base, who come to said rallies to worship at the feet of a man who soothes their fears of a world changing around them. They view him through a prism no different than despots past and present: incapable of doing anything wrong, always the victim of negative press coverage, and for some, is even the manifestation of God’s will and vision for this country.
This adoration for Donald Trump has reached the halls of the Legislative Branch, where it seems no Republican has the will to lift a finger to hold Trump accountable for his actions, instead choosing to “stand by their man” rather than drawing up articles of impeachment against their own. As reported in Politico today, Republicans continue to “stand by their man”, seemingly not caring much about the very real legal jeopardy the leader of their party now stands in. In doing so, the Right has abandoned all pretense of being committed to anything remotely resembling holding this president responsible for anything he’s done, or been accused of doing.
To them, the rule of law means absolutely nothing, which should worry every freedom-loving American citizen.
The rule of law is more than just a saying thrown around by those seeking to sound high-minded or self-righteous. The rule of law is what separates us from a banana republic; what keeps us from falling into the trap of dictatorship. It is an unwritten social contract, in which no one person–not even the President of the United States–can be above the law itself. The rule of law is more important than the Constitution itself, must be protected at all costs, especially in such a dark time in our Nation as this.
And surely, we are living in dark times. Tuesday, August 21, 2018 will live on in history as the day the illegitimacy of Donald Trump’s presidency was confirmed, first by the conviction of his campaign manager, Paul Manafort, on eight counts of bank and tax fraud; then by the guilty plea of Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal “fixer”, on eight of his own counts of bank fraud and tax evasion. With the two men closest to the president likely headed to prison for a very long time, and the added bonuses of Trump’s first supporters in Congress being indicted for insider trading and campaign finance fraud, one can logically conclude the Republican party has now fully established itself as the party of corruption, Mafia-style governance, and post-truth politics.
What is a freedom-loving people to do, when the current party in power is derelict in its duty to uphold the Constitution, and hold as sacrosanct the rule of law? This president is accused of “high crimes and misdemeanors”, and the Legislative Branch should be compelled by said duty to investigate any and all accusations of wrongdoing by the President of the United States; why the lack of action? What does the Republican Party have to hide? Why plunge this Nation they claim to love into a Constitutional crisis?
It seems the only way this bastard presidency will ever be held responsible for its crimes against this country will be if and when Democrats take back the Legislative Branch. Unless that happens, Trump can–and will–run roughshod over this country, and continue to lay waste to our norms, our democracy, and the rule of law. This cannot be allowed to stand, and the Right must be punished for standing with Trump in November.
Isaiah L. Carter 