the impeachment proceedings are over for all intents and purposes, the foregone conclusion, a formality. of my acquaintances, those who followed the trial most closely with eyes glued to fox news for its non-stop coverage are ardent admirers of donald trump. i've watched the nbc evening news each day and read a few articles online as the senate went through the motions, but i couldn't watch the live newsfeed. i'm not sure what was accomplished by this exercise in futility. trump's actions needed to be exposed as much as possible, and his perfidy had to be called to account. in that sense, i believe impeaching him was necessary. too, the slavish loyalty of elected republican representatives and senators was revealed for what it is: a willingness to absolve trump of any wrongdoing, no matter how damaging to our democracy and no matter how solid the evidence against him. this devotion to the bully in the white house will come back to haunt many of them in the next election.
the great danger of trump's acquittal is that he has been given carte blanche to do as he will in the future. he will use the senate's failure to convict him as exoneration of his violation of the law and abuse of his power to proclaim his innocence to the nation and will gloat over this victory as he does further harm to our constitution and uses his now all-but-unlimited power to do whatever he pleases. the political divisions in the country are so hardened that those who are loyal to trump cannot be convinced that he is a grave menace to all that the country is supposed to stand for, and those who are opposed to him can see no good in those who are his supporters. gridlock in washington is the result of our inability to find common ground, and nothing will be accomplished as our people become more and more disgusted with the impotence of our elected officials. while the legislative branch argues, trump has a free hand to impose his will on the country. the increasing conservative bent of the judicial system will allow this to happen as it becomes more subservient to the executive branch. unless the electorate takes action in this year's election, we are witnessing the effective end of our grand experiment.
as i write this, i look inside me for the glimmer of love that i so often write about. it is so difficult to love trump and his minions. yet, my beliefs teach me that there is the divine in them, as well. it is my responsibility to find a way to see the possibility of love in these who are my enemies. they are, after all, human beings. they surely think that their actions are the right ones for the country and, despite their willingness to use means that are at best abuses of their powers, they want what they are convinced is good for themselves and those whom they love. in that sense, they are like me. i struggle to find a way to oppose them without hating them, to love them in spite of their unloveliness.
may we look for the humanity in every person. may we love no matter what. may we never give up our hope for compassion, justice, and mercy to prevail over the long term. may we oppose wrong without hating the wrongdoer. shalom.
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