In the aftermath of the insurrection, where are we?
Donald Trump stoked the hatred and violence of his gathered supporters as they descended en masse on the US Capitol in a riotous assault that left four people dead, some 50 injured and the capitol building ransacked.
There really should be consequences.
This is Donald Trump we're talking about here. He has spent a lifetime avoiding consequences.
Why should this be any different?
Yes, Democratic leadership is demanding Trump be held accountable.
Even in the aftermath of Donald Trump's blatant betrayal of his constitutional oath and any basic norms of human decency, even now it's probably not likely Sen. Mitch McConnell or enough Senate Republicans would even allow such a trial to begin before Trump’s term ends, let alone vote in numbers to convict him.
While an impeachment with Trump's departure so close at hand may seem counter productive, a vote in favor of conviction could establish a punishment disqualifying him from running for president again or any other federal office in the future.
The fastest and most efficient route would be to for Mike Pence and Trump’s Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office with Pence as acting president until Jan. 20.
It is not as completely cut and dry as all that. Trump does have recourse to challenge the actions of his vice president and cabinet which would require Congress to intervene.
In the aftermath of Trump's most egregious betrayal of his office and of American ideals, reports are Mike Pence is not down with employing the 25th Amendment.
I wrote this in yesterday's post:
Donald Trump said nothing, probably taking enormous glee that his devoted supporters were taking such dramatic action in his name. That should get good ratings on the news! Why say anything when his supporters were doing what he wanted them do?
Reports are that my speculation was correct, that Donald Trump was enthused about the ensuing chaos he had unleashed. And he felt no imperative to end it.
Nancy Pelosi called on the White House to deploy the D.C. National Guard to restore order.
Donald Trump denied the request.
Meanwhile, Mike Pence was forced to evacuate the Capitol where he was presiding over the electoral vote count. It was Pence who authorized the deployment of the National Guard.
Beyond the invasion of the US Capitol, here's what else was going on in Donald Trump's name.
- Pipe bombs placed at the Washington headquarters of both the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee.
- A truck loaded with a semi-automatic long gun, ammunition and Molotov cocktails was found near the Capitol.
- Continuing into Thursday, multiple bomb threats were called into government buildings in several states, including the Michigan State Capitol.
- Additional threats continue to proliferate on the conservative social media platform Parler.
All this because Donald Trump has continued to promote the big lie that he really won the election, the process was rigged and his victory was stolen from him.
All this because Donald Trump because he wants his supporters to avenge his grievances through strength and force.
In the aftermath of the insurrection, White House aides and executive branch appointees have resigned their positions since the riot. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is resigning. Even Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is stepping down; DeVos is not a very smart person but hell, even she can see what happened was wrong.
It seems clear to everyone that Donald Trump has gone too far and is damaged goods, right?
Well, maybe not.
The Republican National Committee’s winter meeting at the Ritz-Carlton in Florida received a phone call from Donald Trump. On the day after his ultimate betrayal of his oath of office, Trump's call was received with a rousing ovation from the members in the room.
With his cabinet and staff abandoning ship and renewed talk of removing him from office, Trump shifted his tone on Thursday to condemn the rioters. Not because it's the right thing to do but to save his own skin.
Even still, Trump can't help himself as he continues to peddle his shopworn lies about election integrity.
In the aftermath of the insurrection, we are where we always find ourselves in the era of Trump: picking through the rubble of Trump's incompetency, his lack of ethics while the man will wander off free from consequence.
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Oh, man! Five political posts over five days?!?! Four political posts in a row?!?!
Damn! I need a break!
Tomorrow is Songs For Saturday and the day after that it's Cinema Sunday.
Monday will be a Doctor Who post followed by a Tuesday TV Touchbase. After that I will have posts about an internet famous 180 pound tortoise and a weird Broadway show from the before times when Broadway was still a thing.
Until next time, stay strong and remember to be good to one another.
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