Artwork by Michael DiMilo
By Geoff Carter
The January 6th Congressional Hearing has been a study in contrasts, a showcase of the best and the worst of the American psyche. At times, the hearings have been inspirational and heart-rending, but they’ve also been horrifying and embarrassing (but only in the sense that those being investigated embarrass—and shame—me as an American). When a corrupt demagogue—the acknowledged head of the Republican party—was able to incite a mob to raid the Capitol to try and steal the presidency, it was a small group of simple everyday Americans that prevented him for doing so.
This would seem to be a clear-cut case of good versus evil, and it is—on most levels—that simple, but the fact that Trump remains a driving force—and a beloved figure—in some quarters of American politics is a contradiction of all the ideals we hold dear, and the hearings are a microcosm of this schism—that big blind spot.
The January 6th Committee has painstakingly researched the testimony of hundreds of witnesses including Capitol police, Proud Boys, and even members of the former president’s family. They’ve determined that all roads lead to the White House. The committee has laid out, in painstaking and meticulous detail, how Donald Trump coerced and manipulated Mike Pence, Republican members of Congress (whose arms he didn’t have to twist overly hard), and members of the DOJ in his ruthless and relentless quest to steal the 2020 election.
The primary actors behind this conspiracy to steal the election for Donald Trump have shown no remorse for what they’ve done. In fact, seem to feel justified in their actions, believing they’re above the law and have incriminated themselves time and again on tape, in texts, during recorded phone conversations, or in print. Even the former president was taped trying to bully Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia Secretary of State, into finding (stealing) 11,780 votes, the exact amount he needed to carry the state. There can be little doubt of their guilt. Whether or not they will face charges is a matter yet to be determined.
Trump and his cronies tried to overthrow the government, and their crime is nothing short of treason. It was deliberate and calculated effort to illegally install Donald Trump as lord and master of America. Therefore, they are traitors to our country. The question seems to be whether the American electorate will recognize that truth and act on it or continue to worship an obviously corrupt man who will continue to be a danger to our democracy to his dying day.
Contrast the behavior of these traitors with that of Liz Cheney, one of two Republicans on the committee who is paying a high price for her outspoken criticism of Trump. Chances are that, as a result of her involvement in the committee, she will, lose her House Seat.
Some witnesses, like Georgia campaign worker Shaye Moss and White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, had been threatened and terrorized by hard-core Trump followers, yet they still chose to testify in person. Many others have come forward at great risk to themselves and their families. Brad Raffensperger and Gabriel Sterling remarkable courage standing up to Trump and his supporters, who have terrorized these people and their families in their own homes; in the face of this, their perseverance is both courageous and encouraging; it almost makes me want to believe in America again
Some of the most gripping testimony was given by the plain-spoken Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, who spoke simply yet eloquently about his duty and his oath to uphold the American Constitution. He said doing so was an article of faith for him, a sacred trust. Mr. Bowers refused to grant Trump’s request to convene the Arizona House so they could refute the 2020 Electoral votes, an action that might have flipped the state over to Trump. Without any evidence of election fraud, which doesn’t seem to exist outside the warped imagination of the former president, Mr. Bowers stated he would not seek to alter the election results and subvert will of the Arizona people.
As a result, he and his family became the focus of venomous hate mail, personal threats, and hordes of vitriolic Trump supporters besieging their home. Mr. Bowers testified that some of these protestors confronted him, his neighbors, and his family, and his daughter, who was deathly ill at the time, was forced to suffer through the obscene chants and roaring threats of the crowd. But Mr. Bowers stood his ground.
Yet, after experiencing all this, and having heard testimony that the former president has been implicated in the planning and execution of the plan to halt the election certification, Mr. Bowers has stated he still may vote for Trump a third time, which underlines the fractured dichotomy in our American sensibility. How can he, and millions of others, still support these traitors to our Constitution?
How can a man of Bowers’ obvious faith, scruples, and integrity vote for a man like Trump? A man who has been accused of sexual assault multiple times, who was caught on tape bragging about “grabbing p….”, who has now been implicated in a plot to overthrow the American government? Bowers said that he thought Trump had been doing a great job before the pandemic, a matter of political belief—which each of us is entitled to.
I know other people, educated people, who have voted multiple times for this man. Some are single-issue voters, some always vote Republican, and some love his outrageousness and straightforwardness, but even granting all this, how can they overlook his cruelty, bullying, and megalomania? How can they want a man like that to president? Again? Many do. He still has a rabid (in every sense of the word) following. Thousands followed his call to attack the Capitol and would probably do so again.
The truth probably lies between the man and the people. Trump is not the disease; he’s only a symptom. A belief system that contains a blind spot large enough to blot out this man’s piggishness, greed, lust, untrustworthiness, duplicity, cruelty, and felonious behavior is—at the very least—flawed. Whatever his positive qualities are (and wherever they are, and they do remain extremely well-hidden), they cannot outweigh the damage he has done to the presidency and this country. One million people died of Covid on his watch, yet his people forgave him. They adore him, but it’s his message that resonates with them. The truth is that Trump’s veiled racism, his call for America to revert to the place it never was, and xenophobia are dog whistles for his base, but above all, they love his wealth—that American mystique of success..
Watching the hearings and seeing all those lawyers, senators, representatives, and professional politicians who stood by and tolerated this man and his actions, and his incompetence, for years, one is forced to wonder what they’re seeing in Trump that I’m blind to.
But the truth is, I really don’t want to know.
Trump has no appeal. He is the Wizard of Oz, the master of distraction, the tough guy everyone wants to identify with because of the mistaken belief that by identifying with him, people will be accepted and protected. The blind spot is caused by fear and the faulty perception that the boogeyman cannot find you if you are quiet and you make yourself small. The only cure is courage. And there is no one on the horizon who is courageous enough to take on the Wizard. I hope I’m wrong.
True that, Neal. I am always surprised at who falls under his spell. I can understand the undereducated and weak-minded falling under his spell, but Bowen and how many other intelligent and sophisticated voters? That’s the blind spot. They can’t–or won’t–see him for what he is.
Your post accurately reflects the bafflement of Americans everywhere. “How can ANYBODY support this bozo?” The answer isn’t the same for all Trump voters, but for many, it’s the racism. Racism is one of those American values we don’t like to recognize, but it’s there. My wife’s friend, a typical Trumpie, was griping about how liberals paint her as a “racist” for supporting Trump. And then, not two minutes later, she launches into a bigoted verbal attack on her black brother-in-law.
You’re right, Mark. Racism is a huge part of it; I think that’s where Bowers got sucked in as an Arizonian worried about immigration (race), but I think it might be as simple as being attracted to an outlaw, a tough guy, a symbol of independence–of course, ironically, he is none of these things. Only a simple thief and bully. But it’s a wave that’s rising, Mark. I think we’re in for it.