A call to action for members of Congress
by Ron Ovadia | February 11, 2017
It’s no laughing matter.
We listened to candidate Trump boast and bluster in the run-up to the election, and we waited for him to pivot as president. No such luck. Instead of dialing back, President Trump has doubled down. All of his character flaws displayed during the campaign have painfully panned out. He is ill-tempered, thin-skinned, confrontational, vindictive, and seemingly incapable of accepting criticism, adapting, and adjusting course – thus far.
When Trump doesn’t get his way, the self-purported “world’s best negotiator” doesn’t negotiate; he prefers Tweet-trashing retaliation or defiant warnings. His impudence might have worked as head of the Trump Empire, but not as president.
The most recent case is in the U.S. Court of Appeals’ ruling to uphold the decision to block Trump’s executive order banning citizens from seven Muslim countries.
Ironically, Trump might have pushed his ban through – he still could – but that would require compromising his haphazard, hastily rolled-out order. But can he? Compromise is hardly central to the art of his dealmaking because that would require him to admit he did something wrong – that deliberation trumps impulse and facts are more powerful than fear-mongering. Truth is, we already have pretty extreme vetting processes in place. Could they be improved? Everything can be improved. But typical of Trump’s puerile problem-solving equations, all problems are “a complete disaster” and can only be solved by one person. Guess who?
The immigration boondoggle is one of several rash decisions put into action in the first three weeks of Trump’s presidency, which has also seen him belittle the intelligence and judicial departments, trash the press, threaten Mexico with an invasion if it doesn’t control its “bad hombres”; and put Iran on notice for missile testing even though they are actually an “ally” (however fortuitous) in the war against ISIS. Even a dialogue with Australia’s prime minister ended up with an abrupt dial tone. Candidate Trump may have promised everything from the hope of new jobs to the fear of “others,” but so far fear is beating hope hands down.
No one really took candidate Trump seriously in the primaries, or even in the general election, but this is no longer a laughing matter. It’s time for our elected representatives – members of the House and senators – to take President Trump very seriously. Because true to Trump’s words, security risks in this country have never been greater. Only these risks don’t apply to vetting immigrants from the Middle East or even those illegally crossing our border. I would argue that our greatest “security risk” is sitting in the oval office – a president who wants absolute power, lies with impunity, threatens free speech and civil discourse, and has shown little respect for the other branches of government, or their members, unless their thinking is eye to eye with his.
No doubt our country has shortcomings, and it can do better, but the America President Trump wants to “make great again” is not the one our founders envisioned. His vision is more totalitarian than egalitarian, more prejudiced than tolerant, more exclusive than inclusive. Is it any wonder President Trump praises the model of Vladimir Putin, who has unchallenged authority in Russia? Maybe it’s time to challenge President Trump’s authority!
When first taking office, the president said he would unite the country. My hope is he will unite Republicans, Democrats and Independents in Congress (or at least enough of them) and compel them to take this threat seriously. Riding the Trump train might have served the GOP agenda, but at the point where democracy itself could be derailed, it’s time to put the brakes on and consider impeachment proceedings on any of several grounds, as outlined by Robert Reich: “taking money from foreign governments, in violation of article 1, section 8; colluding with a foreign power against the interests of the United States, considered treason; using the presidency for private gain, in violation of federal law (5 Code of Federal Regulations 2635.702)”; intimidating critics, undermining freedom of the press, and attacking freedom of religion – all in violation of the First Amendment; or undercutting “the rule of law through arbitrary and capricious statements and orders, in violation of the Due Process clause of the First Amendment.” (There’s plenty without touching Trump’s tax returns or tampering with Ivanka’s line of clothing at Nordstrom!)
In the words of the 18th century Irish statesman Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Do your job, congress!