By George Conway
1/20/20
On Tuesday, the impeachment trial of President Donald John Trump will begin in the United States Senate. It ought to be a moment of pride in our constitutional order, a testament to the framers’ vision that no one, not even a president, is above the law. And as such, it also ought to be a moment of patriotic duty, when all members put the Constitution and the rule of law above party and personal interests. But instead it’s an occasion dominated by something quite different. Fear. Perhaps that should come as no surprise. For it was fear that brought us to this critical juncture in American history. Fear was what Trump used to spin up the Republican base, using stereotypes, lies and hyperbole to dismantle decades of American political discourse. Fear of facing off against former Vice President Joe Biden was what led Trump to demand, as a price for vital military and security aid, that Ukraine help him smear Biden. Fear drives Republican members of the Senate today. Fear is what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is acting upon as he attempts to limit the length and scope of Trump’s trial. Fear of Trump drives the actions of the spineless GOP caucus, as does fear of the truth, and fear of a partisan base to which none dare speak the truth. Fear has, indeed, dominated Republican senators’ actions from the moment the impeachment proceedings began.
McConnell is only willing to make sure the Constitution isn’t openly trampled on, because fear of a real trial still trumps all. If a trial has to happen, McConnell said, there would be no witnesses called. Not even former national security adviser John Bolton, a longtime Washington hawk, who was unceremoniously dumped in September by the White House after he reportedly resisted the Ukraine scam. Most troubling for the Republic, though, is that Republican senators’ fears actually boil down to a fear of the Constitution, and its prescriptions for addressing high crimes and misdemeanors committed by the president of the United States. These men and women came to Washington, one hopes, to perform public service in support of that Constitution, and they should know in their hearts and their heads what has to happen. But their fear — fear that doing their constitutional duties will harm their personal political futures — has led them, and all of us, to this place. These individuals have only themselves to blame for their fears. They’ve toadied to Trump since the day he took office, and in doing so, have left themselves with no room to maneuver politically.When we look back, many Republican senators will wish they’d been driven not by fear of a bully, but by the courage of their convictions, and pride in carrying out their solemn duties. Many of them will have a long retirement to think about it. Because, hopefully, for many, these fears will bring about the very fate that so frightens them — and they’ll deserve it.
