Help Wanted: 25 Congress Members Good and True
Absence of Leadership in the WH Calls for Leadership in the House:
An Impeachment Primer
Not all issues have many sides.
The heinous hate-filled events in Charlottesville that resulted in the death of the heroic Heather Heyer and the injury of 19 others have been exploited by the President of the United States to sow further discord.
Discord is what drives Donald Trump. He rose to power by exploiting division and heaping derision on anything that he believed stood in his path to power. Even now, as an historically unpopular President who badly lost the popular vote, he continues to attempt to discredit the very the very institutions and values that are the bedrock of American society.
No matter what news channel you watch, what media you read or what your political leanings, anyone who has listened to Mr. Trump speak has heard him dispense diatribes against any people or institutions that have incurred his all-to-frequent anger. Yet he could not find it within himself to fully disavow the racism of Neo-Nazis, the White Nationalists of the Alt-Right and the KKK. But he did stridently make clear that he believed there were some very good people among them — and that those standing up against such hate-filled beliefs bore some of the blame.
How long will we — and Congress — allow Mr. Trump to continuing denigrating all that is good about America? How long will we allow him to heap scorn on all that which is good and noble about America?
As he continues to grow increasingly unpopular, many have been galvanized to speak out, to protest, to call their Representatives and Senators. But of course there is only so much that we as citizens can do.
We are presently faced with the issue of what kind of America we want to be. It is well and good that we continue to speak out. As Americans it is not only our birthright; as good Americans it is now our duty.
As JFK liked to quote:
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
When we stand up to evil, we do what we can. Our voice grows by both the strength of our conviction and our numbers. Yet Mr. Trump continues to disparage the Office of the Presidency and the very values of America.
But what more can and should be done?
The Founding Fathers anticipated such situations. In The Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton explained the thinking behind impeachable behavior: “… offenses which proceed from the misconduct of public men, or, in other words, from the abuse or violation of some public trust. They are of a nature which may with peculiar propriety be denominated political, as they relate chiefly to injuries done immediately to the society itself.”
It says much about the Trump Presidency that the issue of Impeachment has been brought up with such frequency. But when we have a President who is being criticized by leaders and political pundits in both parties, a deeply unpopular President who is presently under investigation for numerous alleged offenses, a President who even now hurls salt in the deep wounds of the present American psyche. what actually could stand up to stop him?
We do what we can. But who could save us from this and how much more will— and can America take?
‘The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.’
U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 4
Impeachment is serious. America is faced with serious issues. Rather than thinking of it in terms of just the institution of Congress and partisan politics, it helps to remember that Congress Members are but people. American citizens. Individuals. And they are in recess. In their homes. Which are our homes. Are their values our values. Are their values American values?
How many of these individuals make the difference?
25 people. The House of Representatives can Impeach a President with a Simple Majority. If you add the voice of just 24 GOP Congress Members to the 194 of the Democrats, Trump’s Impeachment is sent to the Senate.
When we hear any member of Congress speaking, writing or even tweeting about how unacceptable and unbefitting Mr. Trump is for the Presidency, we can thank them for speaking out. Then question why they are speaking to America rather than their fellow Members of Congress. Whatever Party they belong to, these are Americans. They are co-workers. They see one another and speak to one another regularly. One hopes they share some modicum of respect for another. One further hopes that they share much more than a modicum of respect for the values of American and the dignity of the Presidency.
Are there not among the 435 Representatives 25 more good and true individuals willing to put Country over Party? 25 more people that will stand up for America and be Profiles in Courage?
There remains the never-before used expedient of the 25th Amendment to remove a President from office. The number 25. An entire nation’s future hangs in the balance.
Heather Heyer gave her last full measure of devotion to ideals she and most Americans respect and cherish. Are there not 25 individuals in Congress who respect and cherish American values and ideals and are even willing to stand up for them in the U.S. Capitol?
America awaits 25 patriots with the courage to do the right thing.
If you don’t enjoy the Trump Presidency, you might enjoy:
The Un-Dewar’s Profile: Trump on the Rocks:
Why the White Label taste appeals to the Donald
