For the past week, I’ve been waking up far too early in the morning, every morning, wondering if I still had a country. Each day begins with, “What did he do NOW?” And the answers to that are always horrifying. But since the attempted coup on Jan. 6, the better question is: How does he still have his JOB? How can you incite a mob to overthrow the country at 11 a.m. and still be in charge of said country at 11:01 a.m.?
There is this growing sentiment: “Oh, he will agree to a peaceful transition …” “It’s a waste of time, I mean, we only have a few days.” “Impeachment will only bring more division, and we need unity.” The only phrase missing here is: “Boys will be boys.”
You want to know why we go for impeachment and removal?
Because trying to overthrow the government is treason. Treason.
Using the tried and true gaslight tactics found in “Mein Kaumpf” is a clear and present danger.
The man is unhinged. He willfully has destroyed so many and so much and his feet need to finally be held to the fire he so gleefully started.
“Well, he didn’t exactly tell them to be violent …” No, because he’s not stupid. He’s holds a Ph.D. in manipulation. If there’s one thing he knows, it’s his crowd. He knows their tastes, their look, and most importantly, he knows their buttons. And there is no one in the world who knows how to push buttons better than the guy who installed them. He built it up, like a show. He used his sons, his daughter, his slimy lawyer as opening acts to build and build the rage.
He was Manson to all the Squeaky Fromme patriots.
When the violence started, he was safe, in his happy place, watching it all on TV.
He let it go on for HOURS. He watched the destruction, and didn’t act. He knew his own vice president was about to be attacked, and did nothing. Why?
He was hoping it was going to work.
That’s the truth of it all. He was hoping it was going to work. Just as he had hoped he could strong-arm the electorate of Georgia. As he had strong-armed Ukraine. As he had lied about the truth of the pandemic. The Georgia tapes, the Ukraine tapes, the Woodward tapes. He keeps going unchecked and it continues to spiral over and over again, and always in a downward direction. Malignant narcissism is like a wild animal. It’s at its most dangerous when exposed and cornered.
Make no mistake. Donald J. Trump was absolutely, 100% responsible for the destruction and death at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Telling us to “move on” is akin to telling your daughter who’s been assaulted, “Well, boys will be boys, and besides … graduation is just around the corner.”
M.S. Lennon is a writer from St. Paul.
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