Donald Trump said this election should be about him, and he got what he wanted.
The overwhelming result left no doubt about how the country feels about him.
It wants him gone. At the very least, it wants him stopped.
There will be much talk in the days ahead about how the Democratic Party must move forward in a calm and measured manner and not turn the next two years into a witch hunt.
Pick your battles, the appeasers will say. Look to restore real governance; don’t focus on Trump.
No! This is not a time for faint hearts. This is not a time for pardons and platitudes.
If Trump has broken the law by lining the pockets of himself and his family, then he must be called to account. If he illegally accepted gifts for himself or the office, then he should explain. If he pushed the boundaries of his office beyond what is acceptable, then he must be impeached.
The same goes for the suck-ups and acolytes that surround him in the White House and in his Cabinet. All of them must face repercussions for the way they have soiled the presidency.
The Democrats must immediately launch investigations into:
- Trump’s weaponization of the Department of Justice.
- Whether Trump is mentally fit to serve as president and if the 25th Amendment should be invoked.
- The grift by members of Trump’s family, including Jared Kushner, who is allegedly profiting from his work on behalf of the administration while not being employed by the government.
- Accepting a jet from Qatar to be used as Air Force One.
- How much influence Israel had on Trump’s decision to attack Iran and how much damage has been done to U.S. bases in the Middle East.
This is not about petty revenge. It’s not even about karma. Bullies don’t understand any of that; they see it as a sign of weakness. As a narcissist of the first order, Trump is never likely to accept that he was wrong about anything.
Strength must be met by strength. Good for bad. Otherwise, it will happen again.
Trump wasn’t interested in good men and women trying to reason through tough times. It’s why he always sided with Putin over Zelensky. It’s why he cowered to Xi Jinping and terrorized Mark Carney.
So yes, the Democrats must hold their hearings and their investigations. If Trump’s administration is really as transparent as it claims, then they have nothing to fear.
But over the past two years, we’ve seen how the world’s most enduring democracy can be hobbled by one man’s actions. By voting so comprehensively against the Republican Party that recreated itself in his reflection, the American people have saved us from an even worse fate.
Questioning elections is the work of despots and dictators. The sheer scale of Tuesday’s vote means such complaints are irrelevant.
But another Trump cannot be allowed to trample roughshod over our defining values again.
That’s why we need to impeach the Trump we have. Our democracy will not survive another.
