WATERGATE II

OK, the novel is finished, (a fictional story about a vice president charged with a crime) and if I get a publisher, you'll be the first to know.  Now back business.

1n 1970, it was discovered that the President of the United States, his White House Counsel, his Chief of Staff, his Attorney General, and their minions, were behind a scheme to spy on the Democratic party.  The facts rolled out slowly, but when they were plainly evident, there was such an outrage against this move against our democracy that leaders in the president’s own party forced his resignation, and everybody else involved in the scheme went to jail.

But if you want to be depressed -- and I do not see how you could be anything but –take a look at where we are 50 years later. It has been disclosed that the sitting President of the United States had employed minions from his ever-obedient Attorney General to spy on Democratic congressmen who had led the fight for a clearly earned impeachment of the president.

In 1970, if you wanted to read someone’s mail, you broke into their space at the Watergate complex.  In 2020, if you wanted to read someone's mail, you broke into their space at Apple. No need for burglars’ tools or duct tape, just a cooperating Department of Justice.

The 2020 Republicans rejected their predecessor’s response. This time, they just said, “Eh, so what?"

The latest outrage is even worse. On January 6, we had an insurrection riot at the Capitol building in the midst of a vote by both houses of Congress to certify the results reported by the Electoral College. What could be more basic to our Constitutional democracy than to certify the people’s choice as their next President?  While there seemed to be no reasonable doubt as to who was involved, and what the purpose was, a small but vocal group raised a lot of smoke and dust.  The result was a call for an inquiry. Legislation to create a non-partisan investigatory commission was rejected by the Republicans who, by reason of the filibuster rule, have a veto over most legislation coming to the floor of the Senate.

The heroine of the day was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who basically said, ”OK, we’ll go around the Senate and will have a bipartisan committee of the House of Representatives do the inquiry.”

 “Nope”, said the House  Republicans, “we refuse to participate.” 

So Pelosi said, ”OK, I will appoint a select investigatory committee, and I will even consult with the Minority leader (who will be a witness adverse to Trump!) about whom he recommends as the Republican members of the committee. Surprise, surprise, the Minority leader rejected the proposal, and the Republicans, having refused to participate in a bipartisan committee, now accuse the Democrats of going it alone without their participation!

Pelosi will appoint the Democrats and Republicans she wants.

Bottom line: Our democratic processes have fallen to a new low and it becomes absolutely imperative for the Democratic party to accomplish four things in the next 16 months:

1. 1.Gain a firm majority in the House.
2. 2.Gain a firm majority in the Senate.
3. 3.Revoke the filibuster rule.
4. 4.Add four additional justices to the Supreme Court (See today’s NYT:                  “Court sustains Arizona restrictive voting rules.”)

Get busy!

 

A bientot.

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