No one deserves to be impeached and convicted more than President Donald J. Trump, unless it is the thousands of his followers who stormed the Capitol last week, or the elected Republicans who swore to defend the Constitution and failed to do so, or the 75 million people who, after four years of openly dictatorial behavior, voted against Democracy.
However, pursuing impeachment beyond the House is doomed to fail, and worst, focusing all our attention on the tyrant and none on the real problem—his followers and a divided nation will only fuel Fox News and talk radio’s hate and divisiveness. Votes last week and pictures of the break-in are the indelible truth. Let the legal process do the clean-up and be the reminder.
There are plenty of historical precedents for why vengeance will only sow the seeds of future hate. The victors in WWI made Germany, already crushed by the war pay reparations. It embittered a generation of Germans. WWII was the rematch. After WWII, we rebuilt better with the Marshall Plan and ushered in a period of world prosperity.
The Republicans are demoralized and split. We have a President offering a new vision of “rebuild better”, of solving problems together. Biden is not naïve nor forgiving. He is offering an open door of cooperation that I believe many, are willing to walk through. We have the votes to make it happen.
Votes on a new HR 1 sweeping away the impediments to voting will pass both houses within months. So will a new stimulus. So will the roll-out of a souped-up vaccine distribution plan. Re-opening schools and businesses and a rebound of the economy await. Let us allow the FBI to systematically track down and arrest those who broke in and damaged the Capitol and let us not forgive those Republican Legislators whose votes to overturn the election are recorded for posterity. They will pay a price in 2022. And let us make them vote on issues that matter to people like the stimulus.
The 2022 Campaign for Congress has already begun. The steps above will help ensure our Democracy and our country moves forward. Another failed impeachment effort will only keep us divided deeper and longer. Let us move forward and offer a better future for all who want to work together.