On Saturday morning, Donald Trump continues to be engaged in a seething response to the Supreme Courtroom choice. As could be anticipated, Trump is sheltering behind the concept the case was dismissed out of a technicality, to go on claiming that the content material of the Texas swimsuit — a hodgepodge of lies, damnable lies, and twisted fantasy—was simply peachy. It was solely that bit about “standing” that prevented the Courtroom from uncovering the best way that Democrats and lifeless dictators conspired to reprogram America’s voting machines.
Trump’s tweets are unlikely to ever garner any better punishment than the warning label Twitter is affixing to every publish. However at this level, permitting Trump to rant could also be a service. No solely is he persevering with to reveal simply how disconnected he’s from any goal actuality, however amongst different issues, Trump is busily attacking Georgia Governor Brian Kemp three weeks earlier than the Senate runoff in that state. So … certain. Let him try this.
That Trump would refuse to concede, declare that he was the true winner, pout, stomp his foot, and repeatedly throw Rudy Giuliani on the wall was all completely predictable. That is who Trump is. He doesn’t have it in him to be gracious in defeat (or in victory). His petulance and lies have been all a foregone conclusion.
However that doesn’t imply that anybody else needed to help him. From the second it turned clear that Joe Biden had decisively defeated Trump, each Republican within the Home, each Republican within the Senate, and each Republican official in states throughout the nation, had the chance to acknowledge that consequence and congratulate the president-elect. Which is precisely what Democrats at each stage did when Trump was elected in 2016.
As a substitute, Republicans first waged a conspiracy of silence below the declare that they have been giving Trump’s delicate emotions time to heal. Then, one after one other, they moved from bystanders to energetic individuals in an try to upend the election. And that try moved to outright sedition. Nowhere was that extra clear than 126 members of the Home who signed onto the Texas swimsuit. Republicans have been, in actual fact, so keen to lift their fingers to hitch Traitors for Trump, that they up to date the record simply to slot in extra names.
That is how Michael Steele — former chairman of the Republican Nationwide Conference — described the actions of these Republicans.
“The act itself by the 126 members of the US Home of Representatives, is an affront to the nation. It’s an offense to the Structure and it leaves an indelible stain that will likely be onerous for these 126 members to wipe off their political pores and skin for a very long time to return.”
And right here’s what Speaker of the Home Nancy Pelosi needed to say in regards to the actions by different members of her chamber.
“The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit introduced dishonor to the Home. As a substitute of upholding their oath to help and defend the Structure, they selected to subvert the Structure and undermine public belief in our sacred democratic establishments.”
That affront, that dishonor, that indelible stain needs to be marked by motion. It needs to be marked by censure and expulsion. By refusal to seat these concerned. By penalties which are lasting and impactful. As a result of if the Republicans get to take this shot on the nation and stroll away with chins held excessive, they’ll take one other, and one other. And never each one will miss.