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As we’ve written before, Mr. Trump’s behavior was inexcusable and will mar his legacy for all time.
That was the essence of Sen. Mitch McConnell’s post-trial remarks. The GOP leader voted against conviction but explicitly because he said the Constitution reserves the impeachment power only for Presidents while in office. Scholars disagree on this point, and there are good arguments on both sides. Mr. McConnell leaned on the writing of the 19th-century Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story. But he also noted that impeaching a private citizen had no “limiting principle,” and could set a dangerous precedent.
But Mr. McConnell was lacerating in his criticism of Mr. Trump’s words and actions, which he blamed for deceiving and motivating supporters who had assembled on Jan. 6 at the President’s urging and became a mob. “Former President Trump’s actions that preceded the riot were a disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty,” Mr. McConnell said. “There’s no question—none—that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day.”
He added that the rioters had been “fed wild falsehoods by the most powerful man on Earth–because he was angry he’d lost an election.”
All of this was compounded by Mr. Trump’s failure to act with dispatch to call off the rioters once he heard what was happening. As Mr. McConnell also noted, Senate acquittal does not absolve Mr. Trump of potential criminal or civil liability for actions he took in office.
This wasn’t “enabling” Mr. Trump. The voters did that in 2016, aided by the Democrats who nominated Hillary Clinton. For four years Mr. Trump’s conduct stayed largely within constitutional bounds—no matter his rhetorical excesses and Democratic efforts to drive him from office by violating norms and flogging conspiracy theories. But Mr. Trump’s dishonest challenge to the 2020 election, even after multiple defeats in court, clearly broke those bounds and culminated in the Jan. 6 riot.
Mr. Trump may run again, but he won’t win another national election. He lost re-election before the events of Jan. 6, and as President his job approval never rose above 50%. He may go on a revenge campaign tour, or run as a third-party candidate, but all he will accomplish is to divide the center-right and elect Democrats. The GOP’s defeats in the two Jan. 5 Georgia Senate races proved that.
The country is moving past the Trump Presidency, and the GOP will remain in the wilderness until it does too.
© 2015 Mutual Fund Observer. All rights reserved.
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Perhaps being raised as a Catholic, and being instructed that only Catholics were eligible for heaven served as a vaccine in my case.
Digging deep into history: Messianic Jews of the early to mid-1st century contrived for themselves a messiah in political terms, associated with the Halls of Power, connected to the Jerusalem Temple or at least in some sort of association with it. Among those mentioned around Jesus was "Simon, the Zealot Party member." The Zealots had decided to stop waiting for a messiah and endeavored to take things into their own hands.
Evangelicals, largely tRumpsters and Repugnant Party members--- along with many other "Christians"--- believe in a savior who is portrayed as cleansing the corrupt Temple apparatus when he got there; a man born in the humblest of circumstances, in a manger. A man allied with the dispossessed and oppressed. It's the literary portrait that matters here, not whether or not the accounts in the gospels literally happened that way. It was not written with that in mind: to give a newspaper-ish literal account. And it ought not be forgotten that a great deal, maybe most of the Christian Testament was based on the Hebrew Scriptures, including much in the way of the theological explanations offered by Paul of Tarsus, the former Pharisee--- though the Pharisees are demonized in the gospels. Anyone is free to believe or disregard his explanations, of course. Or offer different ones.
And today's Repugnant Party? It offers help to billionaires and peanuts to ordinary people.
Oh, the irony.
The belief in a "personal relationship with God," in which any individual speaks directly to the diety on a regular basis and claims thus to have special insights--and occassionally special powers amongst the worst televangelist charlatans--is mostly of Protestant origin, starting with Martin Luther, although I imagine the ultra-orthodox in the other religions have adopted this technique as it's good for business. In Judaism, unless you're a prophet, you need ten men, a minyan, and preferably a rabbi to pray to God. That quorum, that requirement of community, and religious institutions to worship creates a check I think sometimes on the craziest claims. That need for institutions to worship also I think makes Catholicism and how Catholics behave politically quite different from Evangelicals. There is more textual rigidity in institutionalized religion, but less room for insane interpretations and manipulation. Not to say there haven't been many stupid things emerging from these institutions in the modern age. But I doubt you would find an unschooled Catholic priest or rabbi in a tent saying things like "the Lord is telling me something right now and He wants you to X....."
Another major difference is the belief in heaven. Judaism never really had an afterlife originally, or if there was one, it wasn't necessarily pleasant--look up Sheol. One's deeds on earth mattered a great deal, but there was no great "reward" waiting for doing anything nutty--like blowing oneself up in a terrorist attack--or for being subservient--a rationalization Christianity used for slavery. Yet there have been false messiahs in every group, and if you poll the ultra-orthodox in the U.S., most are politically conservative. That said, there is something unique to the Evangelical movement that 80% support Trump. That is not the case with Catholics or Jews.
I generally agree with this.
Several so-called prophets influenced many "religious" people to abandon reason and staunchly support the immoral former president.
"In a survey conducted last year, two political scientists found that nearly half of America’s church-attending white Protestants believed Trump was anointed by God to be president—a portion of the population that other scholars have dubbed 'prophecy voters.' The share is likely higher among charismatic Christians, who skew more politically and theologically conservative than evangelicals as a whole."
Link
At the very start, he asserts that Western Christianity is virtually OWNED by the Consumerist mentality, which makes prophetic work very difficult--- because the intended audience is so utterly resistant to it. In other words, the church (as in the people) are Americans first, Christians second. He notes the same thing surely happened during the Babylonian Exile. SOME Jews ended-up to be happy in Babylon, and so, they became Babylonians. ...And what is "Prophetic Imagination?" It starts with acknowledging the grief that must be faced, not ignored nor denied. The (Christian) community has lost its way and is virtually impotent and unable to act for the sake of the gospel, these days. ...Next: regardless of whether it seems realistic or cost-effective, the unbound Amazement connected with the NEWNESS that is possible in the scriptures must be owned and lived and breathed.
But Caesar (or Pharaoh) is always in the background. Too often, Caesar is permitted to be in the forefront. If all we think is possible is what "Caesar" has to offer, then there can be no newness. Because Caesar is always protecting vested interests, busy managing and counting and determining everything based on the numbers.
Moses' community was a revolutionary break with the dead-ness of their slavery under pharaoh's regime. (Nevertheless, they squawked about the terrible food and their thirst and the conditions, along the way. Their rebellion, even, is represented in the Golden Calf episode.) But such revolutionary fervor cannot be sustained forever: look at the "greatness" of Solomon--- all accomplished through exorbitantly high taxes and forced labor required of even his own citizens. His administration was devoted to flattery of himself. And just forget about the ordinary "Joe" who's barely surviving.
Institutionalization is inevitable. People will always institutionalize what's important to them. (Andrew Greeley.) Prophetic work, after things become settled and etched in stone, is a hard road to trod. Not many rewards for the prophet, as we customarily measure "rewards."
Sorry this is so long. Maybe longer than the excerpt, above? I just thought it might contribute to the conversation.