For centuries, our leaders have engaged in a brand of patriotic arrogance grounded in the belief that the United States differs qualitatively from other developed nations and it is our right to lead the world from a place of political and moral superiority.
America being a uniquely virtuous nation that embraces the rule of law with the Constitution- the ‘greatest document ever written in the last two and a half centuries’–at its center, is one of the central tenets of this belief of American exceptionalism.
Republicans, more than Democrats tout this belief especially in the last four years under Donald Trump’s presidency. So, why then are they undermining the rule of law and misrepresenting the Constitution to defend a seditious ex-President?
On Jan. 6, the world watched as an angry mob, incited by then-President of the United States Donald Trump, stormed the Capitol to delay a constitutionally mandated process.
The world watched then-President Donald Trump standing at the White House endorsing the mob’s behavior. The same mob that called for then-Vice-President Mike Pence to be hanged because he did not overturn the results of the election as he was instructed to do by former President Donald Trump. Pence managed to escape the Senate chambers one minute before the mob made it to the Senate floor.
The rioters marched into the seat of our democracy, demanding to see House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers who were forced to hide in the Capitol with their staff. The rioters smeared feaces throughout the Capitol and desecrated the building in what was the most brazen attack on US democracy this country has ever seen, and it was done by our own people.
And what did the former President do? He offered words of comfort to the mob telling them “we love you” and was reportedly giddy with excitement watching the events unfold from the safety of the White House.
The world watched as Republicans across the country and in Washington closed ranks, around Donald Trump in a time of national crisis and punish those within the party who dares to have a conscience and a mind of their own.
Over 200 insurrectionists have been charged in connection to the Capitol riots. Many of them explicitly said they stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 because Trump told them to do so.
Now, it appears that Donald Trump will escape unscathed because, instead of arguing the merits of the impeachment article passed by a bipartisan majority in the House, accusing Trump of inciting an insurrection, Donald Trump’s legal team and Senate Republicans are arguing that the ‘greatest document ever to be written in the last two and a half centuries’ provides the president with a ‘January exception’ where he could do whatever he wants without facing any repercussions.
As conservative attorney Chuck Cooper wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that idea “defies logic”.
“Given that the Constitution permits the Senate to impose the penalty of permanent disqualification only on former officeholders, it defies logic to suggest that the Senate is prohibited from trying and convicting former officeholders,” Cooper wrote in the WSJ. “The senators who supported Mr. Paul’s motion should reconsider their view and judge the former president’s misconduct on the merits.”
What’s worse, some of the same Senate Republicans who subscribe to the myth of ‘American Exceptionalism’ are the same ones arguing that it is unconstitutional to impeach Donald Trump. Forty-five GOP senators voted to dismiss the trial because they believe it is not constitutional.
The amount of damage that was done to America’s image on the global stage cannot be fixed in 4 or maybe 8 years of the Biden administration, neither can Biden do it alone. To successfully rehabilitate America’s image Congress must also do their part. Convict Donald Trump and prevent him from ever running for office again in the future.
Reps. Adam Kinzinger, Liz Cheney and any other Republican who spoke out against Trump cannot be the only ones punished by their own party for the events of Jan. 6, while the man who fomented the riot gets off unscathed and be presented with the honor of seeking the highest office in the land once again.
That’s not American exceptionalism. That’s American hypocrisy. That’s American stupidity.
