I’ve been a Democrat for 15 years. As a former Republican/Libertarian, I’ve always felt that the Democrats tend to be a bit wimpy compared to other political parties. But I never thought I would see the day when a retired general and convicted criminal, corruptly pardoned by the president, would have a meeting with said president in the Oval Office to discuss the possibility of a military coup to install the president as a dictator despite losing a democratic election — and yet, powerful Democrats are remaining silent.
I’ve been watching and reading the news, but I haven’t yet heard of President-elect Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, or any other prominent Democratic elected officials publicly condemning the seditious act of Gen. Flynn advocating an attempted coup and actually meeting with the president in the White House to discuss the idea.
When are these people going to grow a backbone?
They seem to think that by just ignoring the insanely anti-American and illegal activities of Trump’s political allies, it will all somehow magically go away.
Here’s what I think: They need to stand up and say that sedition won’t be tolerated. They need to call upon all patriotic Republicans to take a stand with them, in a broad nonpartisan coalition to protect and preserve American democracy and the rule of law. They need to call for Trump’s immediate resignation from the office of President of the United States. And they need to call upon the U.S. military to begin an investigation into the seditious activities of Gen. Flynn, with appropriate consequences for his actions.
If Democratic leaders don’t do this, they shouldn’t be surprised if many voters will be so turned off by their cowardice that they won’t bother to vote anymore. And I think that’s exactly what Trump is counting on, which could result in a comeback victory in 2024. Trump’s supporters are incredibly energized by his fighting spirit, viewing him as an epic hero. Democrats, on the other hand, risk demoralizing their supporters if Trump and his allies are allowed to get away with nearly killing our democracy.
We’re unlikely to get much in the way of progressive policy through a narrowly divided Congress during the Biden administration. But can we at least count on our Democratic leaders to stand up confidently for basic American values — really simple stuff such as that presidents and generals are not allowed to have meetings to discuss plans for a possible military coup?
Why do we even have to be discussing such things? In a sane country, Gen. Flynn would have already been under military arrest for what he did. Democratic leaders, please, start saying the obvious — stop being afraid of your own shadow — and earn the respect of the millions and millions of Americans who want politicians with spine.