Prologue
THIS IS THE STORY OF the moment when American democracy began to unravel. It is the story of the men and women who fought to save it, and of the enablers and collaborators whose actions ensured the threat would grow and metastasize. It is the story of the most dangerous man ever to inhabit the Oval Office, and of the many steps he took to subvert our Constitution.
Since 1797, when George Washington voluntarily handed the power of the presidency to John Adams, every American president had fulfilled his solemn obligation to guarantee the peaceful transfer of power—until Donald Trump. When Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, he attempted to overturn the results in order to seize power illegally and remain in office. When the violent mob he had mobilized laid siege to our Capitol, he watched the attack on television and refused for more than three hours to tell the rioters to leave. Donald Trump’s actions violated the law and the oath he swore to the Constitution.
Our founders built safeguards into our system of government to preserve our democratic process. But those safeguards require that men and women of goodwill—Americans elected to positions of public trust—put their duty to the Constitution above their party and above their loyalty to any one man.
When our nation was tested after the presidential election of 2020, an alarming number of elected Republicans in Congress failed to do their duty. This is the story of how that happened, and why. It is a story that every American deserves to know. The end of this story hasn’t yet been written. The threat continues. The outcome now is in the hands of the American people and our system of justice.
The methods Donald Trump is using to undermine our democracy are not unique to him. I saw authoritarian leaders use many of these same tactics in Eastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine, and across the Middle East when I was working for the US State Department. History is full of similar examples in countries around the world, but never in the United States—until now. Like other aspiring autocrats, Donald Trump cannot succeed alone. He depends upon enablers and collaborators. Every American should understand what his enablers in Congress and in the leadership of the Republican Party were willing to do to help Trump seize power in the months after he lost the 2020 presidential election—and what they continue to do to this day.
So strong is the lure of power that men and women who had once seemed reasonable and responsible were suddenly willing to violate their oath to the Constitution out of political expediency and loyalty to Donald Trump.
In the aftermath of January 6, one senior Republican congressman—who knew the danger Trump posed but would not speak out because he feared the political consequences—said to me: “Surviving is all that matters, Liz.” It was a sad moment. Elected officials who believe their own political survival is more important than anything else threaten the survival of our republic, no matter what they tell themselves to justify their cowardice.
At the height of the Cold War in 1983, Ronald Reagan addressed the nation from the Oval Office. He said this about our duty to defend freedom: It is up to us in our time to choose, and choose wisely, between the hard but necessary task of preserving peace and freedom, and the temptation to ignore our duty and blindly hope for the best while the enemies of freedom grow stronger day by day. The threat we face today is different but no less perilous. Our duty remains the same. It is up to each one of us to take seriously our obligation to safeguard the miracle of American freedom. We must abide by our duty to the Constitution, and demand that our political leaders do the same.
Politicians who minimize the threat, repeat the lies, or enable the liar are not fit for office. Most importantly, we cannot make the grave mistake of returning Donald Trump—the man who caused January 6—to the White House, or to any position of public trust, ever again.
~~~
The fact is that, for the majority of my life, my involvement with politics was low priority. Like many in America, we were working hard to make a living. We enjoyed the life living in a free nation, while, never really thinking about what might happen if we lost those freedoms... I had registered as a Democrat while I was working simply because Richard Byrd, a then WV Senator, was often part of discussions at the State University where I worked for close to 40 years.
It was only when I went into Job Burnout and had to retire, that I had more time... And, frankly, it was the infamous leaked video where Donald Trump said, "I can grab them by the pxxxy, that I Woke...
And I've been getting more and more Woke since then! So, if you were like me, I have a must-read book for you to read and catch up with reality! It is by Liz Cheney...
You know, the long-time politician who, as the father of a former republican vice-president, had more knowledge and experience than many in Congress... Yes, that one who was ousted by the republican party now in Congress, who were upset that she had the audacity to tell the truth! BTW, if you didn't already know that, and you are a republican, then it is even more important that you read her book...
I am not a republican, but my family is. In fact, it seems, that I, too, have been ousted by some members of my family for the same reasons as Liz. I spoke out against Donald Trump immediately and have continued to do so since 2015...
However, I have aligned myself with Republican Liz Cheney and the majority of Americans who now oppose the entire republican party. So, let's get specific:
- President George W. Bush’s victory in 2000 had ultimately come down to just over 500 votes in Florida, with a razor-thin Electoral College margin of 271 to 266. By contrast, Donald Trump lost in 2020 by more than 70 electoral votes. His nationwide popular-vote deficit of seven million represented a 5 percent gap—not even close. Trump would have needed tens of thousands more votes across at least three different states to reverse his Electoral College loss.
- He had been tweeting repeatedly about the “thousands of people pouring into D.C.,” suggesting the outcome of the election could change on January 6, and threatening that the crowds “won’t stand for a landslide election victory to be stolen.” He was also spreading the lie that the “Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors.” I wanted there to be no doubt about the responsibilities of Congress that day, so I put out this statement:
- We have sworn an oath under God to defend the Constitution. We uphold that oath at all times, not only when it is politically convenient. Congress has no authority to overturn elections by objecting to electors. Doing so steals power from the states and violates the Constitution.
- “Are you listening to Trump?” he asked. Trump was speaking at a rally on the Ellipse, but I hadn’t been listening. “He just told the crowd they should ‘get rid of the Liz Cheneys of the world.’ He has created a serious threat to your security.”
- When one member (who ultimately voted against impeachment) told me that he knew what Trump had done was impeachable but he couldn’t vote to impeach because “I am afraid it will put my wife and my new baby in danger,” I absolutely understood his fear. But I also thought, “Perhaps you need to be in another job.” Other members said they believed Trump had committed impeachable offenses, but they complained about the timing of the vote. Some said it was rushed. Others claimed Trump would be gone soon, so we didn’t really need to impeach him. These arguments sounded like rationalizations to me...
- Monday, January 12, I sent this statement to my colleagues: On January 6, 2021, a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes. This insurrection caused injury, death, and destruction in the most sacred space in our Republic. Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution. I will vote to impeach the President.
- Later that evening, I ran into Jamie Raskin of Maryland in the Capitol Building. “Your statement is one of the most powerful things I have ever read,” he said. “Thank you.” I received an outpouring of similar messages from Democrats and Republicans across the country. Some I knew and some I didn’t. One Republican who had served on the Hill and at the Pentagon said, “You fulfilled the ancient charge from the Bible: ‘Be strong and have courage.’” Another Republican staffer said, “You represent the reason my parents left everything to come to this country. Thank you.” A retired four-star general told me he was “very proud of the courage and clarity” of my statement. A prominent conservative legal analyst texted me to say, “You are doing the honorable, constitutional, American thing. That’s what matters.” Early the next morning, President George W. Bush sent me this note: Liz, Courage is in short supply these days. Thank you for yours. You showed strong leadership and I’m not surprised. Lead on.
I could go on and on sharing the many lines of content I highlighted. But a key point where I stopped is one that must be told. After doing everything right and telling the truth as she believed was her duty, Liz was not only removed from Congress by republicans, but republicans in her home state (Wisconsin) voted her out... How do you justify ousting out an individual without showing that something had been done wrong?
Well, all you have to do is go against anything whatsoever that offends anybody and everybody within the republican party. And even if it doesn't offend or is not wrong, it is irrelevant, because NOW republicans are no longer acting upon any basic set of principles, rules or laws... All you have to do is bowed down and kiss the ring of the past president...A Liar above all other crimes he has committed...
One of the things that, once again, was not addressed in this book and others I've read so far from those affected by MAGA and its leader that is especially of concern in my opinion. That is the role of the Evangelical Christian group and the use of the Bible in the manipulation of the trillions of words of misinformation that has been published... Here is one example that haunts me personally...
Jeffrey Clark attempted to move in and take over as Attorney General in DOJ who would then create a letter which would claim that the election was rigged and be sent out... Clark was automatically given a security clearance and placed in the office... the key point was that when Clark was originally contacted and he questioned doing what he was being asked, it was Senator Scott Perry who had said something like, It's a go, we are doing God's will..."
Re the new leader of the House, though his placement as leader is fairly recent, Cheney has much to say about this individual who, also, uses the Bible to explain what he wants to do... I'll leave it up to the Reverend in the video to handle pointing out his hypocrisy...
Bottom line for this book, this really isn't meant as a review... This is an opinion piece as well as an attempt to provide as much about the book that should, if you are concerned enough, lead you to read the entire book. It is well written primarily because of her long experience and knowledge of the political environment and therefore has done an excellent job of presentation. At the end, it seems to get choppy; however, I am sure that what was happening is that she was adding "the latest" information as long as it was still in pre-publication mode.
Liz Cheney is a formidable woman and I hope she succeeds in her goal to keep Trump out of office ever again... Then, perhaps, the Republican Party can begin to heal and become a functioning co-partner in making meaningful decisions for the benefit of America...
God Bless
Gabbie
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