The Impeachment Trial of Donald J. Trump, former President of the United States has ended. He was acquitted, even though a majority of the Senators voted Guilty: 57 – 43. The minimum of guilty votes need was 67, which did not happen. This trial will be taught and read about for centuries. The House Managers’ clearly made their case. It was concise, clearly stated the facts, provided ample audio and video evidence to support their charges, and delivered solid pre-rebuttals to the arguments Trump’s lawyers were likely and did present. The Prosecution’s case was so strong that they used less than two-thirds of their allotted time.
The theme of their last day and summation was chilling. Just because the violence at the Capitol is over the threat has not diminished. The entire nation is facing a long-term danger from nationalist militias and many Trump supporters. The Prosecution stated, wisely, that if Trump is not found guilty and disqualified from holding any public office again, it will set a precedent where future presidents cannot be held accountable for any crimes that they commit during the last month or two of their presidencies when there might not be enough time to complete an impeachment and trial. And, frighteningly, leaves Trump able to run for office again which would give him another four years to finish installing a one-party system and his self-serving dictatorship.
In turn, the Defense was a blizzard of lies, previously dealt with and discounted procedural issues, distractions, and “what-about” false equivalency arguments that they used to try to equate Trump’s actions and words to those of Democrats during last summer’s protests over police killings. Little to none of the Defenses’ presentation was germane to the charges. They did not challenge the evidence, they ignored it and continued to support the Big Lie that had led to the attack on the Capitol.
When the time came to cast a vote, Yea/Nay, the Republicans Nayed, being unable to bring themselves to do the right thing. After the last four years, the first impeachment trial last year, and now this trial, a significant number of Republican officials have shown that they are more concerned about their power than democracy and fearful of their own militant constituency. They are either insurrectionists or supporters.
Only 7 of the 50 Republicans stood up for our Constitution and Rule of Law. They took a courageous stand, knowing what fearsome opposition, and possible danger, they face in their home districts. History will note that they came late to their decisions, having spent the last 4 years incapable of standing up to their peers or Trump. Yet, they deserve credit for their votes at the time they were needed most.
The Defenses’ smokescreen of distraction, misdirection, and false equivalency will work for many Trump supporters, providing Republican Senators political cover for their seditious votes. Many Republican Congress-people have chosen to continue to kowtow to Trump. But why? A recent poll by the conservative American Enterprise Institute’s Survey Center on American Life provides some insights.
A record number of Americans voted in November. Of the 239 million Americans eligible to vote, 159 million, 66.3%), went to the polls in November. This was the highest percentage since 1900. It was an important election but, surprisingly, the poll found that ”… relatively few Americans believe the 2020 presidential election was the most important election in their lifetime. Overall, 28 percent of Americans believe the 2020 election was the single most important contest in their lifetime. Thirty-eight percent say it was more important than other recent elections, but not the most important. Twenty-eight percent believe it is no more important than other elections, and 4 percent say it is less important than most other elections.” How important the election was depended on party, “There is a yawning partisan divide in views about how important the 2020 presidential election was compared to other recent elections. Close to half (46 percent) of Democrats believe the 2020 presidential election was the most important of their lifetime, a view shared by only 26 percent of Republicans.”
However, this is challenged by a Pew Research report that, of all eligible voters, 83% believed that who became President “really mattered”, but only 16% believed that “things would remain basically the same.”
While 65% of Americans believed the election was legitimate; Democrats (98%) and Independents (73%). The survey did not report the number of Republicans who believed that the election was legitimate. However, it did say that “Nearly two in three (66 percent) of Republicans say Biden’s election win was not legitimate.” However, the issue of the election’s legitimacy has divided Republicans. It said, “There are stark divisions by education level among Republicans. Three-quarters of Republicans who do not have a four-year college degree challenge the legitimacy of Biden’s election, while college-educated Republicans are divided, with roughly as many accepting the legitimacy of Biden’s win as denying it (50 percent vs. 48 percent).”
Voter fraud is another issue that isolates Republicans from the rest of America. A majority of Americans (52%) rejected the unsupported claim and only (29%) believe that fraud was widespread. The poll reported, “Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of Republicans believe in widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, a view shared by only 22 percent of independents and 2 percent of Democrats. A majority of Democrats (88 percent) and independents (56 percent) say there was not widespread voter fraud, as do 23 percent of Republicans.”
How do Democrats and Republicans feel about the election’s outcome? A majority of Americans (51%) reported that they had positive feelings about Biden’s election; Democrats (94%) and Republicans (10%). On the other hand, nearly 75% of Republicans had negative feelings; frightened (41%), disappointed (26%), and angry (6%).
What did the survey find concerning Trump’s relationship with the Republican Party? “Nearly eight in 10 (79 percent) Republicans have a favorable opinion of Trump, while one in five (20 percent) view the former GOP president negatively. In contrast, a majority of Democrats (95 percent) and independents (63 percent) have a negative view of Trump.”
Where do Republican’s loyalties lie? The poll provided some positive information, “Sixty-three percent of self-identified Republicans say they consider themselves to be more of a supporter of the Republican Party rather than a supporter of Trump (63 percent vs. 37 percent). This represents a sharp shift from the fall, when polls suggested that Republicans were more committed to supporting Trump than the party.” Also “Trump’s position is stronger among his voters, but even among this group, more identify with the GOP than with him personally. Among voters who supported Trump in the 2020 election, more than half (53 percent) say they view themselves as a Republican Party supporter rather than a Trump supporter, while less than half report that they consider themselves a Trump supporter (47 percent).”
What do Americans think about Trump’s involvement in the attack on the Capitol? The poll states that 48% of Americans believe that Trump is responsible for the attack, 36% disagree, and 14% are unsure. A bipartisan group feel that Trump is responsible; 87% of Democrats and 15% of Republicans. Most Republicans (74%) do not believe or are unsure that Trump is responsible for the attack.
How do Americans feel about conducting investigations into Trump’s potential crimes? According to the poll, “A majority (55 percent) of Americans say it would be a good idea for federal and state authorities to investigate potential crimes Trump may have committed while president, including a majority of Democrats (93 percent) and independents (58 percent). Less than half (42 percent) of Americans—and the overwhelming majority of Republicans (82 percent)—say this would be a bad idea.”
What does the future hold? The poll reported that most Americans (69%), believe that our democracy is failing to focus on the concerns of everyday people and, instead, it is catering to the wealthy and powerful. Both Democrats (70%) and Republicans (66%) are skeptical of the motives of our elected officials. About 48% of Americans believe that the government is stacked against conservatives and people with “traditional values.” Republicans (79%), Independents (46%), and Democrats (27%) agree. A similar number of Americans (47%) reject it.
To determine how Americans feel about violence the poll stated, “The traditional American way of life is disappearing so fast that we may have to use force to save it.” This is rejected by 60% of Americans. However, 29% of Americans agreed with, “If elected leaders will not protect America, the people must do it themselves even if it requires taking violent actions.” Most Americans (68%) reject this. The degree of support for violence depends on the political party; Republicans (55%), Independents (31%), and Democrats (17%). The poll pointed out, “However, although a significant number of Americans—and Republicans in particular—express support for the idea that violent actions may be necessary, there is a notable lack of enthusiastic support for it. For instance, only 9 percent of Americans overall and only 13 percent of Republicans say they “completely” agree in the necessity of taking violent actions if political leaders fail.”
The results of the American Enterprise Institute poll show that most Americans (65%) agree that the election is legitimate, and that that 51% have positive feelings towards Biden’s election. But 75% of Republicans have negative feelings towards Biden. Of these, there is a core of Republicans (66%) who refuse to accept the election. They continue to embrace the myth that the election was stolen, even though no evidence has been produced to support this claim, recounts in several states determined that vote tallies were accurate, all 50 states certified the vote results, and the courts dismissed 61 suites filed by Trump to overturn voting in several states. Yet a majority of Republicans cling to the lie that Trump was cheated.
After the trial and Republican Senator McConnell’s critical remarks refuting voter fraud and the Big Lie, an analyst said that McConnell had “thrown the first handful of dirt on Trump’s political future”, suggesting it was dead. This was wishful thinking. While Trump’s support appears to be eroding there is still a powerful minority (47%) of those who voted for him that seem insulated from reality by the poisonous bubble manufactured by FOX and other seditious media sources. They pose the most serious threat for violence.
In addition, even though a bipartisan majority of Americans (69%) believe that our government is failing to address our needs, 60% of Americans reject violence as a response. And while 29% of Americans believe that violence maybe a legitimate response to protect the nation, only 9% of the public, “completely agree” including 13% of Republicans.
This is not a small number. In the last election, 159 million Americans voted. The real number is significant. If 9% of Americans completely agree with the using political violence to protect the nation, that equals over 14 million people. If 13% of the 74 million Republicans who voted, accept political violence as necessary, is equates to almost 10 million people. To put this into perspective, the US military and the National Guard have a combined force of less than 2 million members. That is 1,300,000 active-duty and 440,000 National Guard reserve personnel.
And it remains that about 33% of eligible Americans, about 70 million people, did not participate in our democracy by voting. These disengaged citizens represent an unknown with considerable power should they become active. Considering that History is prologue and combined with the above data, it appears clear that we are in for a prolonged period of political conflict and, probably, violence.
Resources:
After the ballots are counted: Conspiracies, political violence, and American exceptionalism, 02/11/2021, American Enterprise Institute (Copyrighted)
Election 2020: Voters Are Highly Engaged, but Nearly Half Expect To Have Difficulties Voting, 08/13/2020, Pew Research (Copyrighted)
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