“That’s a high crime and misdemeanor. If that’s not an impeachable offense, then there’s no such thing.”
– Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., in opening remarks of second Trump impeachment, February 9, 2021
Democrats opened their case against former President Donald Trump at his second Senate impeachment trial Tuesday with a 13-minute video recounting the January 6 siege of the Capitol they say was provoked by Trump’s words, as the former president’s attorneys argued the entire trial violates the U.S. Constitution.
"You ask what a high crime and misdemeanor is under our Constitution? That's a high crime and misdemeanor,” lead impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., told senators after playing the video. “If that's not an impeachable offense, then there's no such thing."
Even before day one of the impeachment proceedings in the Senate, minds were already made up. Whatever follows in the process will not change the minds of 44 Republican senators who will vote to acquit Trump of the sole charge “incitement of insurrection.”
Despite Trump’s enduring legacy as the first president to face impeachment trial after leaving office and the first to be twice impeached, Republicans remain united in their denial of Trump's criminal role in the “Stop the Steal” conspiracy and following bloody insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.
Collectively, their individual decisions will bring into relief not just the future of the Republican Party for the next two years ahead of the 2022 midterm election, but also perhaps far beyond that.
It is evident that Republicans will keep Trump as the party's standard-bearer until the next presidential primary. And, the party will feature him as a possible candidate for the office he just lost.
Jonathan Allen, senior political analyst for NBC News, says …
“Regardless of whether he runs again, if Trump is acquitted, Republicans will keep their party firmly tied to a president who, according to a bipartisan House majority, incited an insurrection when a group of his followers stormed the Capitol in the deadly Jan. 6 assault. With votes far louder and more lasting than their words, they will condone a commander in chief turning to force to try to overturn the results of a legitimate election.”
(Jonathan Allen. “In impeachment trial, a clarifying moment for the GOP.” NBC News. February 9, 2021.)
"What else would you take it as?" said Michael Steele, a former Republican National Committee chairman and a frequent Trump critic. The prospect of Republican senators refusing to ban Trump from holding future office "tells you exactly everything you need to know about where they are," he added.
University of Chicago political science professor William Howell said of the GOP's choice between its Trump wing and its more traditional conservative roots …
"The question is what direction is the party going to take. If what we see is that Republicans basically across the board vote to acquit, then we conclude two things: populism will continue to maintain a grip on the party and the relevance of that distinction fades away a bit."
Howell concluded …
"If traditional conservatives aren't willing to stand up against the president in this moment," Howell said, the GOP "is the party of right-wing populism."
(Jonathan Allen. “In impeachment trial, a clarifying moment for the GOP.” NBC News. February 9, 2021.)
So, Republican right-wing populism it is.
44 GOP senators hold onto Trump with an unshakable conviction for their party's right-wing white nationalism. Their populism seeks to mobilize the “underdog” against the status quo and attempts to bring together different demands in opposition to a common enemy – a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.
Trump's populist politics is born of anger, even rage, of the frustration of the many against the indifference and arrogance of the few. Trump employs patriotism and religion to stir his base and confront foes. His populism is rooted in a sick attempt to “make American manifest destiny great again.”
Donald Trump's populism conflates “the people” in an embattled nation to confront external enemies: Islamic terrorism, refugees, the European Commission, the International Jewish conspiracy, and so on. Yet, Donald Trump's populist claims are largely inauthentic: despite his claims to be a blue-collar billionaire and reassurances to work for the Average Joe, there is scant evidence his policies benefit them.
Right-wing populism actually restricts the national identity of “the people,” excluding immigrants, refugees, and any other definable as “foreign” to a sentimental ideal. White nationalism is generally regarded as the attitude that only Caucasians should be considered part of the American nation, that the racial and even ethnic roots of the Colonial settlers and 19th-century immigrants define the proper meaning of the nation. That idea has long been part of the American mix, personified by the Ku Klux Klan and American Nazis but also embraced by other groups both organized and unorganized
Right-wing populism is not compatible with a pluralist conception of democracy in the 21st century. Still, Trump, remains an authoritarian populist and continues to rule over a cult that believes only he can represent the people. He continually kept clashing with democractic institutions during his presidency and balked at the idea that somebody else – a judge, a bureaucrat, or a member of Congress – could tell him what to do. In his mind, only he had the right to speak for the country.
Yascha Mounk, Associate Professor of Practice at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, explains …
“This helps to make sense of the storming of the Capitol. On one hand, it was a terrible surprise. Before January 6, nobody had expected that a mob of insurrectionists could so easily enter 'the People’s House.' But on the other hand, it was a fitting end point for Trump’s presidency: the mob was incited by the populist president of the United States – and that president incited it to action because somebody who believes that he, and only he, represents the people could not possibly accept the legitimacy of an election he lost.”
(Yascha Mounk. “After Trump, Is American Democracy Doomed by Populism?” Council on Foreign Relations. January 14, 2021.)
After four years of refusing to hold Donald Trump accountable for his lies, conspiracy theories and hateful rhetoric, 17 Republican senators will not hold Donald Trump responsible for the insurrection on January 6.
Federal prosecutors have charged at least 205 people for their alleged roles in the riot and opened over 400 investigations into possible criminals.”
Charges include assault on law enforcement officials, theft of government property, and “violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.” If convicted, many rioters will likely face years in prison.
But remember, senators like Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Ron Johnson, and Lindsey Graham were happy to jump in front of every available television camera to discuss the “unprecedented allegations of voter fraud.” They took orders from headquarters to further unfounded claims and stir deep resentment for the electoral system.
Elected officials who fed these people lies should be held accountable, too. The source of the dangerous allegations and the leader of the crazy mob is undeniably Trump. The ex-president must pay for the violence and bloodshed he caused, and his accomplices should be voted out of office. But tell that to 44 Republican senators who will not even listen to the evidence.
Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, can tell you why these Republicans refuse to hold Trump accountable. Longwell says …
“But, as always, there are different rules for different people and in this case, the law that governs QAnon Shaman Guy has suddenly transmogrified when it comes to Trump. Why? Because of the sheer volume and depth of Republican mendacity. Republicans can’t hold Trump accountable precisely because they were complicit. They actively promoted his lies. And so convicting Trump would be an indictment of their own actions.”
(Sarah Longwell. “Hold Them All Accountable.” The Bulwark. February 09, 2021.)
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