Tulsi Gabbard’s decision to vote present on the two articles of impeachment yesterday is sure telling. Not sure what she is, but she’s no progressive. Some say that she is considering a 3rd party run.
At Snapper Magee’s yesterday — a local, no frills watering hole in Kingston where some customers are headed toward drunk at 3 o’clock in the afternoon — and things almost went south as opinions clashed over Trump’s impeachment. But before that happened, the conversation got reined in and each of us resumed what we were doing previously. Me listening to the juke box and dialing while drinking. That habit, I guess, I picked up from my father who was a notorious drunk dialer.
By the way, only one of Snapper’s patrons, as far as I could tell, supported Trump.
The force of events – the Ukraine “quid pro quo” and everything surrounding it – and the political wisdom and moral integrity of House Democrats explain to a large degree yesterday’s impeachment vote. Popular opposition had a hand in impeaching Trump too, but we shouldn’t suggest that it was the only (or the main) factor. Such an explanation doesn’t conform with how things rolled out over the past 3 months, not least the role of Trump’s own outrageous and self-incriminating behavior in strong arming Ukraine and the principled role of Democrats in prosecuting Trump’s violations of elementary constitutional and democratic norms.
If anything beyond the halls of Congress figured in an outsized clash of competing political coalitions, it was the results of the midterm elections.
What can progressive governments do when millions espouse views that are contrary to the norms of and claims for democracy, justice, and equality? The simple answer is that they should make sustained efforts to change minds and hearts, but, at the same time, and, actually and the first place, they should enact and enforce laws that preserve, protect, and expand democracy, justice, and equality.
The most enduring solvent to entrenched racial attitudes is actual equality, that is, equality in fact, in every sphere of life.
