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In Private, Republicans Admit They Acquitted Trump Out of Fear

cigaretteman

HR King
May 29, 2001
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One journalist remarked to me, “How in the world can these senators walk around here upright when they have no backbone?”

By Sherrod Brown

Mr. Brown is a Democratic senator from Ohio.

  • Feb. 5, 2020
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Fear of President Trump guides many Republicans in Congress. Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times
Not guilty. Not guilty.

In the United States Senate, like in many spheres of life, fear does the business.

Think back to the fall of 2002, just a few weeks before that year’s crucial midterm elections, when the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq was up for a vote. A year after the 9/11 attacks, hundreds of members of the House and the Senate were about to face the voters of a country still traumatized by terrorism.

Senator Patty Murray, a thoughtful Democrat from Washington State, still remembers “the fear that dominated the Senate leading up to the Iraq war.”

“You could feel it then,” she told me, “and you can feel that fear now” — chiefly among Senate Republicans.

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For those of us who, from the start, questioned the wisdom of the Iraq war, our sense of isolation surely wasn’t much different from the loneliness felt in the 1950s by Senator Herbert Lehman of New York, who confronted Joe McCarthy’s demagogy only to be abandoned by so many of his colleagues. Nor was it so different from what Senator George McGovern must have felt when he announced his early opposition to the Vietnam War and was then labeled a traitor by many inside and outside of Congress.


History has indeed taught us that when it comes to the instincts that drive us, fear has no rival. As the lead House impeachment manager, Representative Adam Schiff, has noted, Robert Kennedy spoke of how “moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle.”

Playing on that fear, the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, sought a quick impeachment trial for President Trump with as little attention to it as possible. Reporters, who usually roam the Capitol freely, have been cordoned off like cattle in select areas. Mr. McConnell ordered limited camera views in the Senate chamber so only presenters — not absent senators — could be spotted.

And barely a peep from Republican lawmakers.

One journalist remarked to me, “How in the world can these senators walk around here upright when they have no backbone?”


Fear has a way of bending us.

Late in the evening on day four of the trial I saw it, just 10 feet across the aisle from my seat at Desk 88, when Mr. Schiff told the Senate: “CBS News reported last night that a Trump confidant said that Republican senators were warned, ‘Vote against the president and your head will be on a pike.’” The response from Republicans was immediate and furious. Several groaned and protested and muttered, “Not true.” But pike or no pike, Mr. Schiff had clearly struck a nerve. (In the words of Lizzo: truth hurts.)

Of course, the Republican senators who have covered for Mr. Trump love what he delivers for them. But Vice President Mike Pence would give them the same judges, the same tax cuts, the same attacks on workers’ rights and the environment. So that’s not really the reason for their united chorus of “not guilty.”

For the stay-in-office-at-all-cost representatives and senators, fear is the motivator. They are afraid that Mr. Trump might give them a nickname like “Low Energy Jeb” and “Lyin’ Ted,” or that he might tweet about their disloyalty. Or — worst of all — that he might come to their state to campaign against them in the Republican primary. They worry:

“Will the hosts on Fox attack me?”

“Will the mouthpieces on talk radio go after me?”

“Will the Twitter trolls turn their followers against me?”

My colleagues know they all just might. There’s an old Russian proverb: The tallest blade of grass is the first cut by the scythe. In private, many of my colleagues agree that the president is reckless and unfit. They admit his lies. And they acknowledge what he did was wrong. They know this president has done things Richard Nixon never did. And they know that more damning evidence is likely to come out.

So watching the mental contortions they perform to justify their votes is painful to behold: They claim that calling witnesses would have meant a never-ending trial. They tell us they’ve made up their minds, so why would we need new evidence? They say to convict this president now would lead to the impeachment of every future president — as if every president will try to sell our national security to the highest bidder.

I have asked some of them, “If the Senate votes to acquit, what will you do to keep this president from getting worse?” Their responses have been shrugs and sheepish looks.

They stop short of explicitly saying that they are afraid. We all want to think that we always stand up for right and fight against wrong. But history does not look kindly on politicians who cannot fathom a fate worse than losing an upcoming election. They might claim fealty to their cause — those tax cuts — but often it’s a simple attachment to power that keeps them captured.

As Senator Murray said on the Senate floor in 2002, “We can act out of fear” or “we can stick to our principles.” Unfortunately, in this Senate, fear has had its way. In November, the American people will have theirs.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/...TO8Ysh5Q6u4Y2b9URbgt3xRN9rPLHj3K-wAxKw-KLbLmE
 
I'm sure many Republicans have a lot of ambivalence toward Trump. It wouldn't surprise me if there were a few "what if we voted 'yes'?" type of discussions behind closed doors.

In time, there might be more than a few Republicans who regret their vote.
 
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This is ridiculous...I don't comment on politics often because neither side will be convinced their leaders could be wrong. But this is just a load of shit. This article quotes Schiff's comments of "head on pikes" (seriously...in 2020) I am sure any comment made by Trump that would be even semi-close to this would be front page news.
This is the same Schiff who also said "Trump could sell Alaska to the Russians," or "Trump could place Kushner in charge to make decisions." Schiff should have absolutely zero credibility after making outlandish statements like this.

To top it all off the reader is supposed to believe a democratic senator when he says that republicans are only acting out of fear. The readers must also believe that republicans would openly admit to a democratic senator that they are voting to acquit because they are afraid of repercussions. They know that admitting this would undoubtedly lead to a bigger story in the media.

Just tired of the divisiveness. Politics are rarely about tackling issues and solving problems to help tax payers. All it has become is a pissing match between two parties. The media plays an extremely large role in this issue, but I think fingers can also be pointed to house reps and senators who let their hate of Trump consume any motivation they may have to make our country better. Just because you do not like the Pres doesn't mean your obligations to represent the tax payers of your districts (both conservative AND liberal) change in anyway. Enough is enough. Vote out the extremists on both sides of the aisle. Talib, AOC, Ilhan, Waters, Gaetz, Jordan, etc. Start fresh with a new group of reps who put America and America's interests first.
 
I don't comment on politics often because neither side will be convinced their leaders could be wrong...

This is the same Schiff who also said "Trump could sell Alaska to the Russians," or "Trump could place Kushner in charge to make decisions." Schiff should have absolutely zero credibility after making outlandish statements like this.

Just tired of the divisiveness.

Schiff is only the second democrat to win his district since 1913. The guy is as down the center as it gets. But now that the right wing smear machine has put him through it, here you are taking his comments out of context for, um reasons? You claim to be tired of the divisiveness, but you add to it. Maybe go back to not commenting on politics.
 
This is ridiculous...I don't comment on politics often because neither side will be convinced their leaders could be wrong. But this is just a load of shit. This article quotes Schiff's comments of "head on pikes" (seriously...in 2020) I am sure any comment made by Trump that would be even semi-close to this would be front page news.
This is the same Schiff who also said "Trump could sell Alaska to the Russians," or "Trump could place Kushner in charge to make decisions." Schiff should have absolutely zero credibility after making outlandish statements like this.

To top it all off the reader is supposed to believe a democratic senator when he says that republicans are only acting out of fear. The readers must also believe that republicans would openly admit to a democratic senator that they are voting to acquit because they are afraid of repercussions. They know that admitting this would undoubtedly lead to a bigger story in the media.

Just tired of the divisiveness. Politics are rarely about tackling issues and solving problems to help tax payers. All it has become is a pissing match between two parties. The media plays an extremely large role in this issue, but I think fingers can also be pointed to house reps and senators who let their hate of Trump consume any motivation they may have to make our country better. Just because you do not like the Pres doesn't mean your obligations to represent the tax payers of your districts (both conservative AND liberal) change in anyway. Enough is enough. Vote out the extremists on both sides of the aisle. Talib, AOC, Ilhan, Waters, Gaetz, Jordan, etc. Start fresh with a new group of reps who put America and America's interests first.

It was first reported by CBS.
 
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They sure hide their concerns well. The East Room looked and sounded like a locker room after their team won the championship. The only thing missing was them spraying champagne on each other.
 
I missed the part about Republicans admitting anything in the article like the headline says.
 
They sure hide their concerns well. The East Room looked and sounded like a locker room after their team won the championship. The only thing missing was them spraying champagne on each other.

Deplorable violators of their oaths of office one and all, who betrayed our country and continue to aid and abet our lawless president.
 
Schiff is only the second democrat to win his district since 1913. The guy is as down the center as it gets. But now that the right wing smear machine has put him through it, here you are taking his comments out of context for, um reasons? You claim to be tired of the divisiveness, but you add to it. Maybe go back to not commenting on politics.


Maybe you should re-check your information before commenting my friend...in California's 28th district 3 out of the last 4 representatives (after restructuring of their districts), have been democrats (Julian Dixon, Howard Berman, and now Adam Schiff). I do not know ANYONE who even jokingly entertains the idea that Schiff is as down the middle as you say.
Also not sure how you can take a quote such as "Trump could sell Alaska to Russia to gain electoral support," out of context. Seems as pretty straight forward as it gets.

However, this is exactly my point...if the tables were turned and repubs like Jordan or Gaetz were doing this to democrats, I would still have the same reaction...get rid of them and their bs antics. It is ridiculous to look for crimes to impeach instead of trying to make our country better. That is where you and I seem to differ.
 
Maybe you should re-check your information before commenting my friend...in California's 28th district 3 out of the last 4 representatives (after restructuring of their districts), have been democrats (Julian Dixon, Howard Berman, and now Adam Schiff). I do not know ANYONE who even jokingly entertains the idea that Schiff is as down the middle as you say.

In 2000, Schiff challenged Republican incumbent
Jim Rogan in what was then the 27th District... Schiff unseated Rogan, taking 53 percent of the vote to Rogan's 44 percent. He became only the second Democrat to represent this district since its creation in 1913.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Schiff
 
In 2000, Schiff challenged Republican incumbent Jim Rogan in what was then the 27th District... Schiff unseated Rogan, taking 53 percent of the vote to Rogan's 44 percent. He became only the second Democrat to represent this district since its creation in 1913.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Schiff


Stated in the previous post, Schiff runs the 28th district. As I also mentioned, the districts have been restructured multiple times, however, the 28th district (which Schiff currently represents), has proven to be a liberal district based upon their selections in the past.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California's_28th_congressional_district
 
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