Grim realities of a pre-determined impeachmentDate: 2/11/2020 There are some grim realities we must acknowledge:
The impeachment process is not like a trial in the criminal justice system. It certainly has similarities but it is far more political. The outcome of what happened was essentially pre-determined and should have surprised no one.
Party unity was the hallmark of this impeachment process. The fact Sen. Mitt Romney broke ranks was indeed significant. He is to be congratulated for speaking his mind. The reason, in my humble opinion, that prevented other Republican senators from joining Romney had more to do with them getting reelected than anything else.
It’s a calculated risk they were taking. They want to ensure their own political survival and therefore wanted to avoid a criticism from the most far right element of their party as well as the steady drumbeat from FOX News.
As you know, Romney cited his own religious beliefs as guiding him to cast a vote against the president.
On the Feb. 6 show of “FOX and Friends,” co-host Brian Kilmeade said, “Please don’t bring religion – I mean, you’re not bringing into it – but I'm saying, for him to bring religion into this – has nothing to do with religion. ‘My faith makes me do this?’ Are you kidding? What about your faith and this case meld together? I mean, that is unbelievable for him to bring religion into this. ‘His faith.’ We already know how he felt. He gave a speech at 12 noon when it was candidate Trump, how unworthy he is for the office. This was his opportunity to show it. To me, it has nothing to do faith.”
If you watch FOX News, you can now expect much more criticism of Romney.
Think about President Nixon for a moment. Members of his own party were highly and publicly critical of him. They knew he had to be removed, in part not only because he violated the Constitution, but also because his continuation in office would threaten the viability of the Republican Party.
That was not the case in 2020 – different time, different world.
It is also the reality that a president can bestow the Presidential Medal of Freedom on anyone, including a radio talk show host who has built a career on hateful bombast.
For the record, Rush Limbaugh is the third radio professional to receive the award. President Gerald Ford gave it to Lowell Thomas and President George W. Bush gave it to Paul Harvey.
I worked in talk radio for five years. I understand the nature of the medium. Rush Limbaugh is a truly historical figure in the medium for being the first nation-wide host that galvanized an audience who believed it was not represented in mainstream media.
I saw Limbaugh speak in person once at one of the national Talkers radio conventions in New York City. Before an industry audience Limbaugh came across as humble and thankful for his career, a career that helped create a national media industry.
Early on, Limbaugh realized how to build an audience: understand their prejudices and fears and make them feel comfortable with them.
Consider the following quotes:
• On the holocaust of Native Americans, he said, “Holocaust?’ Ninety million Indians? Only 4 million left? They all have casinos – what's to complain about?”
• On professional football: “The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons.”
• On the NAACP: “The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies.”
• Responding to a caller who said black people should have a greater voice on issues: “They are 12 percent of the population. Who the hell cares?”
• On slavery: “If any race of people should not have guilt about slavery, it’s Caucasians. The white race has probably had fewer slaves and for a briefer period of time than any other in the history of the world ... And yet white guilt is still one of the dominating factors in American politics. It’s exploited, it’s played upon, it is promoted, used, and it's unnecessary.”
Yes, I submit there is not another recipient of that award with that kind of public track record of racism and hate. But it is Trump’s award to give to whomever he chooses. That’s one of the perks of being president – and yet another grim political reality.
|
