For the first time in his cruel, racist, abusive, mendacious, privileged life, Donald Trump has been held accountable for his actions. A majority of Congresspersons, representing a majority of Americans, have done all they can do to protect and defend our country from Donald Trump’s crimes. The American people have spoken, and the American people believe Donald Trump abused his power and obstructed Congress, in violation of the laws of our nation.
The trial of Donald Trump is over. Donald Trump is undeniably guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors. The evidence is overwhelming and indisputable. As President of the United States of America, he violated his oath of office, he broke the laws of our nation, and he has been held accountable by the American people.
Now, a new trial will begin. It is, in many ways, more consequential and more urgent than the trial of Donald Trump.
This will be the trial of the Republican Party, and the result of this trial is as important, if not more important, than the trial of Donald Trump. The trial about to begin is no longer about a single man and his crimes. This trial is about nothing less than the future of America, as a Republic, and as a Western Liberal Democracy.
Glad you weighed in Will. It matters that those whose voices can be heard are heard. Thanks.
Yes I am too. I was at WordPress when Wil’s prompt response appeared right in front of me instantly a second ago before anyone had a chance to comment.
Wil,
I agree. I first heard when the first Article Passed when Mohawk Associate Editor Of Indian Country Today Vince Schilling’s Tweet popped up on my screen. I know so many from the Native American Community are outraged by what Trump Administration has been doing to Native American People & Tribes. I remember reading a different article from Indian Country Today how Trump has been going after Tribal Sovereignty Of the over 574 Federally Recognized Tribes. One of my Tribes the Brothertown Tribe has been in a 14 year Legal Battle in Court trying to get back our Federal Recognition which would help with health care, education, and being able to raise money through Casino revenue. I just read an article a couple Days ago Trump took away the Federal Recognition of the Tribe that greeted the Pilgrims. I wish that the 574 federally recognized tribes each had a representative in Senate which would over power the Republicans and get Trump out. I honestly have never heard any Native American that I know that wants to keep Trump in office. Give Native Sovereign Tribes each a Vote in Congress!
Wenona
White Turtle Rainbow 🌈
We have been fucking your people over long enough. Y”all deserve every single bit of help that we, the ignorant white buttholes, can give.
Even though Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, and other enablers have already admitted they are going to ‘short circuit’ the senate trial, the people know Trump is guilty of all charges brought against him. But the GOP have abandoned the Constitution, and Constitutional law. It’s ok with them for all these crimes, as long as it’s a Republican doing it.
Sadly, my Facebook has been filled with my Republican friends all saying things like:
“The only thing Trump is guilty of is winning the election!”
“This was all based on hearsay. The didn’t interview a single person who was present for the call. This is a witch hunt because Democrats can’t get over the fact they lost the election in 2016.”
“It’s a shameful day, indeed. Because a great president has been wrongfully impeached by corrupt politicians that have been fabricating charges against him since the moment he took office.”
So, the people who voted for Trump last time, are still convinced he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. As we learned during the 2016 election, they really don’t care about facts.
I don’t care that he got into the Oval Office via the Electoral College, but what I do care about is that he using the Presidency as a personal piggy bank, for himself and that horrible things he calls his children. The rest of the GOP supporting him are also lining their own pockets. I still wonder what Trump has on Lindsey Graham, as Graham called a xenophobic, sexist, race-baiting idiot who had no business being in the White House.
Almost a decade ago, I used to have Facebook AND Republican friends. Now, I don’t. It’s a wonderful life!
Will they also impeach Mike Pench? I doubt he is innocent. I have a feeling he has also dabbled in the Russian stuff and whatever else.
All I feel is “Amen”…. Now to be listed under Presidents who were Impeached forever in the History books. 👍👍
Great insight!
Amen to that. Well said.
“Trump’s Toadies Should Take Note: Watergate Says Everyone Goes Down”
B KEVIN M. KRUSE, VANITY FAIR
NOVEMBER 27, 2019 6:00 AM
Read it here:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/11/trumps-toadies-should-take-note-watergate-says-everyone-goes-down/amp
What matters most now, is that all like minded vote in every election. Encourage others to vote. Republicans will be rushing to vote after their “leader” has been disgraced.
The only disgrace is the total politically motivated sham of a “hearing” that in itself violated the constitutional requirement of fairness.
You don’t seem to understand how the Constitution works.
This was just an impeachment. It’s sort of like an indictment. It’s what happens before a trial happens where the evidence is reviewed and found sufficient to have a trial. So now starts the actual trial of Donald Trump. Alas, the senate will probably not find him guilty, thus removing him from office. It’s like a trial with a jury of one’s peers where the peers are criminals who support the crimes of the accused.
But the impeachment is a success for democracy in that Trumps tampering and obstruction were unable to stop the proceedings. He may ignore the constitution but the democrats don’t.
Damn straight.
I would be hugely surprised if a single GOP senator votes against Trump. They mostly don’t really care.
Probably the three most important things people in the US can do now is:
1) Get out and vote #BlueNoMatterWho – In all your damn election, including your local dog catcher elections. All of them!
2) Supprot Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight 2020. The GOP’s attempts at voter suppression needs to be fought, and here’s how you can help.
3) Get off Facebook. For good! Darth Zuckerberg’s machinations are playing an outsized roles in the downfall of democracy, and we shouldn’t support it. Plus there’s the whole genocide thing that The Zuck refused to apologise for or even feel a bit bad about…
Absolutely. From listening to the trial, the republicans are attacking the process, name-calling the democrats, and have prorogated the same trump lies. They are avoiding any discussion of the facts and it will be sad to see them also disregard their oath of office the American people to vote money.
Just wanted to say thanks for writing this. It drives me insane listening to the republicans in the hearings. They don’t share the same reality as the rest of us.
Hi Wil,
Only speaking from an outsider’s perspective (as in I’m based in the UK). I can’t see any winners from the impeachment process. Whilst I understand why the Democratic party have gone down this route and there has to be some form of accountability in this era of Populist Dictators (in all but name) it feels like the deck is stacked against them for the senate hearing.
I was reading an article on the BBC website that said that the Republicans can essentially change the way the impeachment proceedings are run through a simple majority vote. How can any hearing be fair and impartial if one side has the ability to change the rules?
With American politics looking increasingly more partisan I really can’t see any winners when everyone is going to vote down party lines. It looks from the outside like the battle lines have been drawn, the flags have been raised and the view is if you vote for the other side you are the enemy.
We have recently gone through a period of tortuous and poisonous politics in the UK where the only thing that has ended it is a resounding and undeniable win for the right (the conservatives). They will now run the country in their vision and like it or not, we on the left are going to have to go along for the ride. At least until we can form some sort of alternative vision and collective vision that can capture the votes of those in the centre ground.
I guess my point (if there is one) is who wins from the politics of the day? I get we have to stand up for what we feel is right but what of those of us in the centre ground who would like a politics based on working together for the betterment of our nation’s? Is that form of collaborative governance consigned to the history books and replaced by Twitter meltdowns and partisan politics?
Honestly I have no idea who wins or what comes now – but what I do know is that the House at least stood up for the Constitution, while the other branches seem to be more interested in wrecking it than anything else. I don’t think any of us had any real idea just how vulnerable the system really is. Right now I really want a time machine to go back and tell the men who wrote the thing in the first place that hey, there’s gonna be this…PROBLEM…and I know you don’t envision political parties but they are so gonna happen and you need to fix this before it happens.
Meanwhile, I will both enjoy watching Trump freak out and worry about how we got to this point in this day in this country. But we’re not a lost cause. Even given all the atrocities in our history, we as a country can be better than this. I can’t give that up. That’s tied into my deep-lying, if often deeply-challenged, hope for humanity in general.
I wish you in the UK luck – you’re going to need it, as shall we!
I just woke up to this news…I’m still not sure what to think, other than “Yay.” My teenage son rolled up, having just gotten out of bed. I told him the news and he said “Oh thank fuck.” I didn’t even have the heart to scold him for cussing like I usually do. Now the real work of getting this orange-hued butthole out of office and GONE begins.
Spot on Wil, It would be easy to say just to hell with it and tune out..Not me either,We fight them…VOTE!!!!
Exactly.
Trump was described by Laurie Penny as “a bloviating freak show of the id” before he was even elected. Truly a second rate being; how we got here I have no idea but we must resist. My mother (a immigrant!) fled the Nazis when they invaded the Netherlands and came to America. I am first generation. We were once the beacon of freedom for refugees. Now we cage children.
My father was from Toronto any chance we’re related?
Wow, Will! You must have written this in the heat of the moment, with passion. All or nothing, black/ white, day or night – only absolutes. Why I agree with your perceptions of Trump, I am surrounded by equally passionate people who believe the opposite. I am old so I have tried to be less emotional and strident and try to keep to the facts calmly. I can only hope that the best we’ll get is for him to be censored and we can work to have someone else voted to replace him.
I see so many who support him & he’s very good at emotional manipulation. He gets his mob fired up emotionally & my friends respond out of their fear. If we back off from the emotional absolutes, accept that others don’t see what we see, and talk with compassion & kindness, we can get dialogue. Respect that others see things differently, don’t heap blame or name calling, and listen quietly and then ask calm questions. When folks feel respected and heard, then they’re open to hearing another side of things. Most people aren’t trial lawyers who enjoy fighting! Then we write letters or emails to our congressional representatives, or call them, or take time to meet with them.
In a way, it’s become a great lesson in communication for all of us…..?
Love reading your thoughts.
Just remember, Gretta Thunberg is described as “black and white” too, and look what she’s able to accomplish! So, anyway, just thought I’d tap you on the shoulder and remind you to be careful about throwing around “black and white”/”absolute” terminology. Sometimes, that’s exactly what’s needed, and these are those times.
Thank you Wil. I was very satisfied by the outcome of the impeachment trial, even though the Senate will just bypass it. But I just cannot stand the whole party loyalty, knowing that Republicans have to honestly agree with the crimes, but yet have to support him. And the fact that these are the only 2 things he is being held accountable for rather then the countless other atrocities he has done in the past 3 years. It can never be stated enough the huge stain he has put on this country.
Sadly though, party loyalty works. It’s the reason he’s in office in the first place. While all the republibots were lining up to vote for their fearless leader in 2016, the Democrats were busy worrying that Hilary wasn’t progressive enough, or staying home because they thought Bernie got shafted, or voting for Jill Stein in “protest”. We on the blue side basically put Trump in office, and I hope it’s a lesson we don’t forget in 2020.
Very well said and explained. Thank you. Lots of hugs from Europe. The fight for democracy and against fascism in any shape or form sadly never ends.
In “A 15-Point Guide to Surviving Authoritarianism,” Polish journalist and activist, Martin Mycielski, offered a list of predictions and warnings about Trump’s first year in office, and exhortations to fight back at every turn. In his introduction, published mere days after Trump’s inauguration, Mycielski noted the article was based on his experiences in Poland, where extreme-right nationalists have taken over the government and moved the country away from the liberal West and toward the authoritarian models of the East. The guide, Will, has proved to be frighteningly relevant, its predictions disturbingly accurate with time. In this survival guide, there are 15 important points, and I’d like to focus on number one. Rule #1: Always think critically and fight ignorance with facts. This is vital to remember and I’d like to, respectfully, point out something that could damage your credibility as a writer, and hinder your ability to communicate effectively. Your use of “the American people” as a catch-all confuses me. Saying “the American people have spoken,” has nothing to do with the impeachment, it was Nancy Pelosi who determined Trump had withheld critical aid to a foreign government in order to pressure them into making a statement about an investigation into Joe Biden, a political rival, which would ensure a favorable outcome in the upcoming 2020 election. You needed to refer back to that, Will, it is dangerous to assume that your audience knows exactly what you’re talking about. As I always told my students, “Don’t assume anything, because it makes an ass out of u m e.” I know it sounds hokey, but it worked. Also, Trump was not deemed “accountable” by the “American people” as you state, but rather by the House Democrats, in a vote that was Democrat – 23 and Republican – 17. You see, if we leave any little holes, our opponents will drive right through them. And neither we, or the American people, (the very group we belong to) would ever be happy with that! Namaste~
Unfortunately I don’t think the Republicans will hold him accountable. It’s a sad state of how our nation is right now. All they can say is that the democrats did this because they hate him. I’ll be the first to admit that i am not fond of him at all. However, it is not because of what party he is. It is because of how he is not what i think of when I think of who I want to be leading our country. The juvenile hate and racism he perpetuates and the disregard for others and the climate is what makes me not like him. I am sad to be an American these days when I see how he acts towards even a young adult from another country just because she is passionate about the worlds climate. It’s pretty sad when the young adult comes across as more mature than the person who is our representative. If the trial proceeds as just a sham and a hurry to get it over with and exonerate him, then they are all just as guilty as he is and I just hope they can sleep at night. I find it sad that even trump says to “Read the transcript”. I did and he is definitely guilty. Most of these people when asked, after they say he is innocent, also say they have not read it. Just sad.
No, the Republicans won’t remove him from office (duh), but the upcoming trial will force them to face their own private dung-hill for what it is. They can’t hide from that, nor from each other, anymore!
Hey Wil! Would you like to come to Poland?
Sadly, there is a dearth of normal-thinking Republicans. And that’s been true for many years.
How just and amazing it would be, though, if Donnie is removed from office.
Neil Scheinin
I am apparently a minority (at least among your commenting readers) in that I am not a Democrat. I live in a city and a state that is run by Democrats and there are so many back room deals here it’s insane. The Democratic Party has done my state no good. I will say I am not a fan of Trump as a person. Frankly I think the entire government should be disassembled from the top on down, due to corruption and lies and “favors” asked by both parties. It’s a disgrace.
That being said, the personal economy of my family and many other small business owners has VASTLY improved since Trump was elected. We went from making less than $10,000/year in 2017 to more than 10x that in 2019. I don’t know what part his election played in that, but our family (and our city, and our state) struggled for years prior to the 2016 election and now people have jobs, our city is showing signs of life again, and our state has been building so much that we can hardly avoid construction traffic. So somebody is doing something right somewhere.
Those in power, no matter which political party they are in, definitely need to be held accountable for wrongdoing. Those in power need to listen to the people of the United States when making changes to laws. The people of the United States should get out and vote for the changes that they want to see…and the government should be held to a standard that includes adhering to the will of the people. Some people vote blindly because that’s the party their family has always voted for, or because their place of work dictates to them who they should vote for. People need to be informed and vote for the people who most closely align with their political ideology and not just because there is an (R) or a (D) next to their name. Most of all people need to be kind to those they disagree with and remember we all live here together and being jerks to those who think differently doesn’t make things better.
You’re wrong Wil. You look at anything political through angry fantasy glasses and dismiss half the country. Trump wasn’t elected by a bunch of racist, inbred, gun-loving hillbillies. Trump was elected by college educated, hard working people who are sick to death of politicians taking more and leaving us less. I voted for True because he is not a politician. That’s the only reason. Impeached or not it is the same reason I will vote for him again.
My family is doing MUCH better financially under Trump. Although We are still struggling with healthcare costs (thank you Obama) and oh by the way, I’ve had to change my doctor 3 times since I was told I could keep my doctor.
Trump is rude, crude and a pig. But what you see is what you get. He places America first and Americans before others, which is how it should be.
You may have voted for someone who is not a politician, which was certainly your right. I suppose you made a choice to ignore his character, or maybe his character didn’t matter to you.
That was then, this is now. After three years, we’ve seen who Trump, his administration, and his supporters are. Anyone who supports him now is supporting a white nationalist who desperately wants to be a dictator.
Dress it up all you want, tell yourself whatever you need to so you can sleep at night, but I see you and I know what you are willing to accept.
I know it’s a bit late to comment on this, but I’m always baffled by the “vote for a non-politician” mentality. To me, it’s like going in for brain surgery and telling them you want someone from outside the hospital structure who will approach it in a fresh new way, rather than, you know, an actual brain surgeon.
Well… not unlike Trump (documented now in over 16,000 lies and misleading statements since taking office – something which is unfathomably beyond anything even the worst politicians have ever done), YOU too have shown yourself to be a liar Chris (if that is your real name).
It’s scary that only the opinions of so-called “celebrities” count on situations like this. If I posted a rant like you did, a thousand people would email me what a frigging idiot I am. So let me be one voice to offer you this critique: you’re a frigging idiot.