The indictment of former President Donald Trump by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg exposed once again what has happened to American politics and its respect for democratic values. The very thought of a former president being indicted ought to be earth shattering in of itself to most Americans. Sadly, considering the various degrees of corruption that the American government has endured over the past 50 years, nothing is any longer surprising; and yet things seem worse today than ever. The response to Trump’s indictment from many circles needs to be considered in the context of the history of American democracy. The polarizing reaction that it has elicited speaks precisely to the sad state of the American republic in 2023.
Human beings, even august public officials are mere mortals and make mistakes. Public officials who rule in a democracy—both those elected and appointed—used to appreciate this fact. For the American government there once were higher principles that the public demanded of its officials even if they themselves did not totally adhere to them. Today, the American public does not expect ethical behavior from its politicians, in fact many are surprised when a politician follows the rules. Many so-called political leaders now spend much of their efforts trying to evade laws and norms which once were the hallmark of American democracy.
One needs only to recall that the concept of “impeachment” was only commented on within Article II of the Constitution to prove that the Founding Fathers were aware that a leader might stray from his constitutional mandate. It was seen as a last resort to be considered by Congress—read the American people.
To consider how fast things have changed in America, it needs only to be noted that over the past 50 years the United States has had ten different presidents. Three of them have been impeached—assuming one includes Richard Nixon who resigned just prior to the vote. One of those presidents, Donald Trump was impeached twice. In the previous 173 years there were 34 or 35 president (depending if you count Grover Cleveland’s non-consecutive terms as one or two presidents). In that period, only one president, Andrew Johnson, was impeached. Threats to impeach a president are bantered around today as casually as presidential vetoes.
Donald Trump’s indictment evoked incredible partisan outrage rather than serious shock and amazement. Ad hominem attacks against Alvin Bragg and the legal process is how Trump has responded to his indictment. Racist and anti-Semitic allegations are being accepted as normative responses to the legal charges against the former President. This is not casual political outrage, it is an unwillingness to prioritize the rule of law over the illegal activities charged against a former president. It is almost irrelevant if Trump will ultimately be convicted. It is the appalling fact that Donald Trump has succeeded in galvanizing his minions to challenge the inherent validity of the American legal system.
It is not bad enough that Trump appears to have used a series of illegal means to try to overturn the 2020 presidential election. It is not sufficient that the former President sought to energize his followers to disrupt the legitimate congressional counting of the electoral votes on January 6, 2021. Trump now is making light of America’s legal system and calling upon his allies to intimidate the public so that it never will be possible for him to obtain a fair jury trial.
It was only 23 years ago that the American people stood by for 36 days as George Bush and Al Gore waited for the American legal system--ultimately the Supreme Court—to decide how to count the votes in Florida in the 2000 presidential election. When a verdict was handed down Al Gore conceded, accepted the results, and the American people moved on. Given the current climate, one can only imagine the tumult and confrontation which might occur today if a similar scenario were to happen in 2024.
American politics has gotten lost. Former President Trump is now leading a political party which is so intimidated by the heft of his personal persuasive power that its leaders are totally unwilling to stand up to him for fear of losing their credibility in the eyes of his followers. Where are the principled leaders in the GOP? Are there no Republicans ready to challenge Trump’s persistent disregard for the integrity and efficacy of American law? Where are the Republicans who are ready to attack Trump’s relentless disregard for the principles of the American legal system?
Trump may win or lose in any or all of the legal fights he is likely to face in the months ahead. The question is whether the complicit failure of his own party also will take American democracy into the dustbin of history.
Sad commentary on the state of American politics. But I'm an optimist. This crisis may ultimately prevent Trump from running for office and also limit the success of DeSantis. Biden may well win in '24. Good piece. dan Gover