I think American democracy ends this month.
I had the opportunity to watch Schiff’s opening statements for the impeachment trial last night. I was already alarmed, but I had resigned myself to the inevitable outcome.
No longer.
I should have known this, but I did not: the most startling thing I learned is that the call to the Ukraine happened the day after the Mueller report. Mueller did not indict (because the President cannot be indicted), and the next day the President tried again, even more blatantly.
Trump found out what he could get away with, and the next day, he did it again, worse.
I know we know this, but now I know it viscerally. This really isn’t about Trump. This is about whether the Senate Republicans are going to protect our ability to self-govern. The question on the table is whether we are willing to protect our ability to vote, from misuse by our own the government, and multiple foreign powers.
If we don’t have a real trial, if the Republicans conspire with Trump to bury this, then the message is, “Do whatever you want, we won’t act.”
And he will do it again. Much, much worse.
So here’s my question: where’s the real outrage? Where is the organizing? If the Republicans won’t have witnesses, if the Republicans won’t even pretend that this matters, we need to take to the streets.
Why aren’t we all screaming?
You should watch some of this, if you haven’t. It’s about the most compelling thing you’ll ever watch, at least that involves a sixty year old man in a suit talking to a camera.
