Insurrection in America

​A nation’s capital comes under violent assault by an unruly mob, incited by a despotic leader intent on holding onto power despite having lost a free and fair election. Just another news report from Venezuela, Belarus, or Kazakhstan? No! I’m talking about what took place at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

The U.S. Capitol building was attacked by a mob of Donald Trump supporters to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden as the next President of the United States. The assault on the heart of our democracy was an insurrection, a violent uprising against an established government. These events did not erupt spontaneously. They have been brewing since the November 3rd election, fed by the lies and vitriol of a man who would not accept defeat.  In an act of sedition, President Donald Trump implored his supporters not to accept the results of the election, and incited them by perpetrating the lie that the election was stolen from him.

Just a short time before a joint session of Congress assembled to certify the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Donald Trump addressed his supporters near the White House at the “Save America” rally. Here are some of the president’s own words: “All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by emboldened radical left Democrats, which is what they’ve done and what they are doing. We will never give up. We will never concede, it doesn’t happen. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore and that’s what this is all about.” In his hour and thirteen-minute speech to his followers, Trump laid out his grievances and a litany of lies about how the election was stolen from him. He implored Vice President Pence not to certify the election, and told his followers to walk to the Capitol once his speech was over, with these words: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. We’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong. We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and count the electors who have been lawfully slated”. Within two hours, Trump’s supporters had broken into the Capitol building, sending members of both chambers fleeing for safety, and desecrating the seat of America’s democracy. When the mayhem was over, at least two people were dead and dozens were injured. This was not a protest, it was an unprecedented assault on our democracy, and a glimpse at how a constitutionally formed government can fall.

The only winners in this unholy drama are the other despotic leaders from around the world who were undoubtedly cheering Trump on. This stain on America democracy certainly sent champagne corks flying in the government chambers of China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.

Donald Trump is the most dangerous man in America, and a grave threat to our democracy. The damage he has done to this country, both domestically and internationally, is incalculable. He is an enemy of free and fair elections, the institutions of democracy, and common decency. He should be removed from office swiftly, before he can do any more damage. Vice President Pence should do the right thing, and regain his credibility by invoking the 25th Amendment to have the president removed from office. Short of that, the Congress should move immediately to have the president impeached. There is time for expedited impeachment proceedings both in the House and Senate. Extraordinary times demand  extraordinary measures. I advocate for impeachment. The 25th Amendment would not preclude the president from seeking office again, but impeachment can. It would be in the GOP’s self-interest to push for this option. If Donald Trump is not banned from running for president again, he will be a thorn in their side for years to come, and the party will become disastrously divided.

Donald Trump announced today that he will not be attending the inauguration of Joe Biden. Just as well, he will probably be in exile in Russia or North Korea by then (only half joking). I wish I could say that this is the end of a sorry chapter in American history, but the drama will continue until Donald Trump is dealt with.

Lost in all the drama of the week is the fact that the Democrats won both Senate runoff elections in Georgia. The Democrats will soon be the majority in the Senate. Republicans blame the erratic behavior of Donald Trump for the defeat. But as the proverb says, “You live by the sword, you die by the sword”.


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Armchair American