Has the Line Finally Been Crossed?
Trump supporters storm the walls of the U.S. Capitol. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
The last five years have been a continuous downward spiral in our politics and civility. Every step of the way, as Trump and his supporters have pushed an increasingly extreme, vindictive and paranoid alternate reality, every Republican has had to decide: what is the line I will not cross?
The insurrection that unfolded at the United States Capitol today should be the final line. It should be the bridge too far. It should be the point at which each and every Republican, regardless of the authenticity and depth of their conservative values, says “enough is enough.” Trump’s baseless right-wing conspiracy theories designed to manipulate the electorate have been veiled in the cloak of the First Amendment. They are not. They are propaganda. Intentionally or not, they are inciting acts of domestic terrorism.
Certainly, the faction of the Republican Party who still allies with Trump is contracting. Although his support within the party is still astonishingly large and has followed him far beyond the point most of us ever could have imagined, many Republicans have finally reached their line. Found their limit. Mitch McConnell reached his line. Calling today on members of his party to abide by the Constitution and proceed with the peaceful transition of power — declaring “If this election were overturned by mere allegations from the losing side, our democracy would enter a death spiral." Forty Republican Senators agreed with him. Vice President Pence also reached his line, refusing Trump’s demands that he ignore the election results. Gradually today, more Republican members of Congress, governors, and other leaders are today finally finding their voices and reaching their lines as well.
The problem is this machine may already be well out of their control. Something they can no longer stop. The protestors who appeared at the Capitol today believe they are doing their Patriotic duty. They believe they are defending democracy. They are so consumed by an alternative fiction, so far down the rabbit hole of conspiracies and disinformation, that they feel this is their moral obligation. The beast that must be stopped is not only Trump, but the propaganda juggernaut that he has been disconcertingly adroit at fomenting.
Seeded by extremists, conspiracy theorists, and foreign operatives, and cultivated by the vast majority of the Republican Party, who either co-opted it for their political advantage or enabled it through their failure to confront it, this propaganda juggernaut is unbridled and unashamed. Anyone within the party who attempts to confront it is chewed up by its gears. Trump will ride the machine as long and as hard as he can. His breathtakingly contradictory video asking protesters to peacefully go home while continuing his baseless assertion that the election was fraudulently stolen from him is the epitome of the problem. Words matter. Truth matters. Our Commander in Chief cannot perpetrate lies, ignore the law and incite violence. This isn’t a fucking reality TV show.
Yet Trump and his supporters continue to act as if it is. As horrifying as the images were of the more hard-core rioters breaching the Capitol itself, most of the pro-Trump mob outside looked more like a Comic-Con convention than a violent coup. It was the same fan boys who show up at every Trump rally. As the crowd of predominantly middle aged white men playing dress-up in paramilitary garb and Revolutionary War attire marched the Capitol grounds with their flags, most were more focused on taking selfies and slapping high-fives rather than committing acts of violence.
But this is the path to mob rule. As one rioter said coming out of the Capitol building, “Next time we come back, we won’t be peaceful." It will only get worse and worse. It has to stop. It is time for Republicans to step up and unplug the propaganda machine that they have cynically enabled. To confront Trump and Trumpism. To pull their party back from the brink. Just as the Democratic Party needs to distance itself from acts of extremism and violence on the left.
A Trump supporter is escorted by hand down the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
In fact, it may be time for more than press statements and tweets giving lip service to the rule of law. It may be time for Republican leaders and Trump’s own cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove him from office. If inciting a coup does not make someone unfit to be President of the United States, I don’t know what does. If this is not the line, then what is? It is not clear we can survive even two more weeks of Trump. Does anyone doubt that he would order troops to maintain his power? Would that be the line? What about instigating a war to stay in office? Would that be the line? Do we need to wait for a crisis more extreme than today’s? Does anyone doubt that Trump’s behavior will only become more erratic, isolated and desperate as his last day in office gets closer?
It’s possible a de facto 25th Amendment may have already been invoked. Trump has apparently lost interest in all aspects of governing, focused only on retaining power any way he can. Advisors have described him as “out of his mind.” Vice President Pence seems to be the only one making any actual decisions of governance. Hopefully, that is the case because if there is one thing we know indisputably about Trump, it is that he does not have a line. He has no moral or ethical boundaries. He doesn’t consider the implications of his remarks. Stopping the worst of what this movement could lead to will be up to Republican leaders. They must find their line, end this presidency and restore the damage done to our democracy.