I get accused of being partisan all the time. And I plead guilty for the most part. But when it comes to President Donald Trump, there is much, much more to it.

I am willing to argue about policy, and there have been plenty of times that I have delved into learning about the opposing position. Republicans and Democrats have had plenty of policy arguments on budgeting; the arguments may be partisan, but there are factual points to be made on both sides. And they are all worth listening to. But when it comes to Trump, we jumped the shark a long time ago.

Policy means little to Trump. He only talks about the general issues as a means of getting an advantage. And as he hovers over the Republican Party like a dark dementor, he has taken the party down to his absurd level.

I respected Minnesota Republicans like Dave Durenburger or Arne Carlson – and occasionally I think Tom Emmer can make a relevant point. But since Trump, the Republican Party has devolved into jibberish and nonsense.

High deficit, tariffs: once unthinkable

Things that used to be important to them regarding fiscal budgeting have become irrelevant. It was unthinkable that a Republican president would ever consider a policy of tariffs. It was sacrilegious to increase the deficit at the current astounding rate. Democrats and Republicans used to agree on the importance of clean air and water — but not anymore.

The current state of Republicanism is not worthy of any kind of respect. It is no longer just partisanship. It is all about deceit, lies, and the enablement of an obviously corrupt president. It has become nothing more than a desperate hold on the maintenance of power that accepts the abuse of power from this White House.

The list of actual crimes keeps growing and because the Senate majority has decided to be silent during this crime spree, it continues unabated.

We have a president who thinks nothing of acquiring information on his opponents from foreign powers. And taking it a step further, it appears he has attempted to get that information by extortion.

Obstruction of justice

We have a president who committed obstruction of justice during a special counsel investigation and continues to obstruct constitutionally mandated congressional oversight.

I lived through George W. Bush’s administration and opposed him on policy – but I did not consider him to be lawless or corrupt.  He put forward arguments for his constitutional authority through normal processes. Democrats fought him on that, but both sides respected the rule of law.

The current president has no respect for the law. None. He abuses his power for personal gain. He has clearly violated the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution. He laughs at the separation of powers. And he has an opaque view of transparency.

It is not partisanship to oppose this president. No, it is our duty to oppose this president. And the fact that the Republican Party members of Congress refuse to check Trump on his actions is a violation of their oaths of office.

A violation of American principles

You may dismiss my criticisms of this president as merely partisan attacks, but you would be wrong. This man is a violation of American principles in every aspect of his actions.

He must be impeached – even if the Republican Senate majority does nothing.

It is time to take action and let history decide.

Dave Mindeman, of Apple Valley, is a retired pharmacist. His writing appears on MN Political Roundtable, where this essay was first published.

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