It has become sadly apparent that the primary duty required of our Congressional delegation — upholding the Constitution of the United States — has been utterly abandoned.
What will it take for Congress and other elected officials to stand up to Trump? His long history of criminal and abusive behavior was not enough. His alleged collusion with foreign governments for political gain was not enough. His apparent corruption of the office of the President of the United States for the personal gain of his family and his associates was not enough. The abuse of power to punish “never-Trumpers” was not enough. The threat he poses to the security of the United States with his blundering lack of statesmanship was not enough. The utter disaster of his response to the COVID-19 pandemic was not enough. Three and half years of divisive, racist, sexist, hate-filled, violence-inciting language was not enough.
And now this: using exceptional force — tear gas and rubber bullets — to attack peaceful demonstrators and staff in St. John’s Episcopal churchyard to clear a path for a photo op of a man waving a Bible but not exhibiting a shred of Christian values. Episcopalian Church leaders quickly expressed outrage across media outlets. World leaders such as Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were left speechless. Worldwide protests damning the United States are taking place. And Trump’s response: Deploy military forces against Americans legally protesting injustice and threatening military takeovers in states that do not follow his law and order lead. And this, too, is not enough.
[Murkowski slams Trump, congressional delegation weighs in]
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has commented “He can stay, he can go. He can be impeached, or voted out in 2020. But removing Trump will not remove the infrastructure of an entire party that embraced him; the dark money that funded him; the online radicalization that drummed his army; nor the racism he amplified and reanimated.”
Americans are reaping what Republicans have sown by their ongoing endorsement of this exhausting and depraved administration. This has magnified the realization that maintaining power is so crucial to some that they will forego their principles and sworn oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States to support a man and his administration that is bereft of compassion, rational thought and honor.
While it appears there is no lower limit to the degradation many Republicans will withstand to maintain control, many Americans, whether Republican or Democrat, have simply had enough. Our Alaska congressional delegation must speak up and Congress must actively suppress Trump’s blatant abuses of power.
We must also focus on electing a president and a congressional delegation that stand for justice and upholding the Constitution because this is not only about removing those who have colluded in this debacle during our next election cycle. This is about picking up the pieces of our United States before recovery is no longer possible.
• Deborah Craig is a 38 -year resident of Alaska.
