Well, it looks like “we the people” will have our say after all.
As just one person who had not been in favor of impeaching President Donald Trump, I have come to the inescapable conclusion after the events of the past few weeks that it is time to change my mind.
I did not favor impeachment, not because I didn’t think that Trump had trampled on every norm of civilized behavior, jeopardizing America’s standing in the world for decades to come, and deserved a major comeuppance, but because I wanted the people — the voters — to make their voices heard in 2020 and in some way rectify the colossal mistake America made by electing a man completely and utterly undeserving of the mantle of the presidency.
I still believe that the upcoming election will be a watershed in the history of American democracy — the time when we come to our senses and take back our country from the brink of authoritarian rule (the very concern our Founding Fathers had when they wrote our Constitution) but time and events have intervened to such an extent that we can no longer wait for an election to stand up for our democracy.
This past week’s vote in the House of Representatives to begin an official and public impeachment inquiry, besides giving the Republicans exactly what they have asked for, will give the American public an upfront and personal view of what the impeachment process is all about.
We will learn what President Trump has done to sully his office and intimidate, blackmail and threaten our allies not for reasons beneficial to the United States but solely for the advancement of his own selfish interests. And, once the public understands what so many congressmen and women have already learned behind closed doors, the time will come to put the matter to a vote.
Even if the House impeaches Trump, conventional wisdom suggests that, in this age of cultlike obeisance to an outsized and overstuffed personality, it will be nearly impossible to convince enough Republican senators to convict. Allowing the president to get away with a high crime or misdemeanor would be far more dangerous for America than Trump just shooting some poor guy on Fifth Avenue. (Good thing he is leaving Manhattan for Palm Beach — that should save a lot of angst for New Yorkers fearful of a Fifth Avenue stroll.)
It may be true that the Republicans will remain closed to the idea that their hero could do wrong to our country and our democracy. But, should this impeachment process proceed toward its natural conclusion — charges to be tried by the U.S. Senate — then the issue becomes much greater than the removal of a president.
Benjamin Franklin is quoted as describing our form of government as a republic — “if we can keep it.” He meant that something as fragile as a government of, by and for the people requires that citizens act in good faith. This constitutional scheme of three separate branches checking and balancing each other in a way that allows this democracy to function also requires that the people maintain that faith in each branch.
In the end, an impeachment conviction and removal will solve the problem of a Donald Trump run amok. A natural consequence of such an action would be to consider what complicity, if any, Vice President Mike Pence may have had in Trump’s selfish schemes to advance his own interests at the expense of America’s. OMG, what happens if Pence has sullied himself by following along too closely behind his fearless leader? Guess who is next in line for the presidency?
Whether the case can be proved that the president is guilty of a high crime or misdemeanor, what is vital here is that our system of checks and balances actually works.
And that means that impeachment must move forward because, other than a few sycophants who have become deaf, dumb and blind to Trump’s own actions, his own words and his administration’s official transcripts of his quid pro quo phone call, the fact remains that what he did to Ukraine was wrong, self-serving and demeaning and injurious to the security of the United States.
So here is where “we the people” come in.
This is our country. This is our democracy. The elected leaders in Washington are creatures of our making, and they work for us. At some point they may work for their own self-interests because they are human (that is what happens when they prefer their own reelection over doing what their oath of office and their commitment to their constituents requires) which means the decision about what happens to our democracy rests with us.
The people must decide whether our president is working for the United States or for himself. That means we have a duty to pay attention to the impeachment hearings.
If we think Trump has done this country wrong, we need to let our elected representatives know. If we think his actions don’t warrant a constitutionally mandated removal, we need to let them know that too.
This issue is far greater than Trump. He will be gone at some point. But what may not survive is this great republic. If we fail to act as good and faithful citizens by holding our leaders accountable to the Constitution, we risk losing it.
Benjamin Franklin and his colleagues stood for an idea that the people know best how to run their country. He was right about that.
But, was he right about the fragility of our republic and our ability to keep it?
We may be about to find out that answer.
Brian Greenspun is editor, publisher and owner of the Sun.