The NY Times Indictment of Trump

I was sorting out this past week’s outrages from TrumpWorld when a New York Times editorial dropped into my in-box on Friday, and it hit me, I could do no better than to amplify its message. If you haven’t seen it, you should. It is the complete answer to support our call to oust this person and his corps of sycophants and enablers from City halls and statehouses all the way up to the U.S. Capitol. It’s entitled “End Our National Crisis, The Case Against Donald Trump.”

This is more than a ringing endorsement of the Biden-Harris ticket, which one would expect from the Times. It is an indictment of the Trump Administration for doing grave damage to our Federal democracy. It doesn’t stop at being a 1,900-word editorial statement; it goes on to introduce a series of essays appearing in a Times Special Sunday Review supplement that takes on the broad elements of the case. They are:

• His unapologetic corruption
• His willingness to ignore the messages of scientists
• His demagogy
• His fake populism
• His incompetent statesmanship

The “lasting consequences” of these personality characteristics lead to the following issues portrayed in photos by Times photojournalists:

• Women’s rights are under attack.
• Immigration is halted.
• Black lives are at risk.
• The fate of the planet is in peril.
• The economy is in tatters.
• The reputation of the Supreme Court is in jeopardy.
• There are “too many fingers on too many triggers” around the country and the world.
• LGBTQ protections are being dismantled.

The indictment begins with the following paragraphs:

“Donald Trump’s re-election campaign poses the greatest threat to American democracy since World War II.

Trump’s ruinous tenure already has gravely damaged the United States at home and around the world. He has abused the power of his office and denied the legitimacy of his political opponents, shattering the norms that have bound the nation together for generations. He has subsumed the public interest to the profitability of his business and political interests. He has shown a breathtaking disregard for the lives and liberties of Americans. He is a man unworthy of the office he holds.”

Post-election investigations

One serious thing this indictment and the collection of evidentiary essays do is to raise the case for post-election civil and criminal investigations and charges based on the felonious conduct by Trump and his co-conspirators beyond the level of political retribution by the winning party. The Times wisely suggests that the damages to our democracy will require a lot of effort and take many years to repair.

Electing a Democratic team to the offices of president and vice president, and achieving majorities in the House and Senate will be a great achievement and a good start on setting things right. However, it will be only the beginning. The major issue then is whether or not the Republican minority is willing to approach governing in a spirit of compromise and constructive progress. That’s a tough lift for Republicans. Consider their behavior in Congress during the Obama Administration — and even during the Bush Administration.

We need to press ahead with continuing efforts to call Democrats and independent voters to get out to the polls or return their mail-in ballots promptly. This election is simply too important to sit on the sidelines. A blue wave is vital to demonstrate the people’s will convincingly. Every vote continues to be important.

Read the entire editorial and the essays at:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/16/opinion/donald-trump-worst-president.html