PUTNEY — I'm frustrated with the so-called leadership of this country.
The sound of President Biden's unity-themed inaugural address had barely faded when the democratically led Congress voted to impeach the former president for his incitement to riot on Jan. 6.
Did he deserve it? Absolutely! Is he still in power? No. Does it say anywhere in the Constitution that the Congress needs to immediately send the article to the Senate for a trial? No.
In case no one has noticed, there is quite a struggle going on with the Republicans about whether they are a Republican party or just a Trump party.
Is pushing these senators up against a wall and asking them to potentially commit political suicide a unifying thing to do? Will it engender future good will? I think not.
A huge portion of the electorate believes the election was stolen and, despite the fact that it is not true, they are extremely riled up and active. Those Republicans have to answer to and try to lead those constituents.
Wouldn't it perhaps have been better to hold on to that trial card for a later date, in case Trump tries something down the road and, in the meantime, let things calm down and perhaps actually work with the opposition to try to get some of the new president's goals accomplished?
That's not the Democrat-Pelosi-Shumer way. Let's throw some self righteous gasolene on the fire!
Should Trump be held accountable? Absolutely, but I think there are other ways and other times. I believe he is enough of a crook that he's sure to be convicted sooner or later.
I have been so happy not to have to listen to Trump's whiny voice and constant lying, and now I will be subjected to it again.
I think using budget reconciliation to get around working with Republicans is also going to poison the well. There are things in Biden's proposed legislation that are not immediately necessary and many that are: funding for vaccines and distribution, extending unemployment benefits, helping small businesses stay afloat, and helping states and municipalities.
I would love to see an infrastructure bill that would improve this nation and provide jobs. I think we all agree that there are plenty of bridges that need repair; we could use more cell towers and broadband access. Some factories turning out renewable energy sources would be nice.
Many Trump voters are rural white men and their families who have been suffering job losses and haven't really benefited from the economic recovery. It's ironic that they are often such staunch defenders of capitalism when that same capitalism has shipped their jobs to China.
But they also see a Democratic Party that doesn't seem to care about them unless they are Black, brown, immigrant, or LGBTQ. If this doesn't change, they will continue to gravitate toward becoming Trump-style populists who will direct their anger in destructive ways.
The Democrats lost seats in Congress, and only through some Georgians' hard work and Trump's stupidity do the Democrats hold an equal number of seats in the Senate. They could easily become a minority party again in two years - after all, they failed to pick up any of those seats they spent millions of dollars on.
I have almost always been opposed to the Republican party, but is only over the last couple decades, and especially the last four years, that Republicans - at least Trump Republicans, at any rate - have made me their enemy.
They have done so by vilifying political opponents, by calling a free press the enemy of the people, by using slogans like ”I'd rather be American than a Democrat,” by labeling people “animals,” by wrapping themselves in a flag that belongs to all of us and acting like Nazis, by believing that compromise is weak and to be avoided at all costs, though without compromise we would never have become a nation.
I didn't volunteer for it, but now I am their enemy. How sad.