For many who have watched Trump’s second impeachment trial in the Senate, the last four days have been a rollercoaster of contradicting upheavals. Despite knowing that Trump will not get convicted, people still held hope that somehow, miraculously, there were at least 17 decent Republican law makers that would vote to convict him, especially after witnessing newly-revealed details on how he and his cronies specifically promoted January 6 as the day where they will attempt to forcefully overturn the will of the majority by stoking and nurturing an insurrectionist mob, and providing an expanded permit giving the violent mob access to better breach the Capitol.
The world witnessed the harrowing clips, body camera angles, and first-hand accounts by law-enforcement officers who were attacked, mercilessly beaten, and murdered, and just how close many members of Congress as well as the Vice President of the United States came to being lynched on the spot.
There is no doubt that Democrats were prepared for this moment. Their strategy was strong, built on the effort to humanize the victims of January 6, to express the utter terror of the Capitol under siege, and most importantly, to prove that the mob was following the orders of Donald J. Trump. Insurrectionists booked travel and lodging for the January 6 event organized and promoted by Trump and his pardoned convicted criminals; they travelled to Washington D.C. with the clear intent to “Fight For Trump” on specifically January 6; they breached the Capitol to halt the electoral college certification and to murder members of Congress that dared stand up to Trump on January 6; and many arrested later would admit to being there on specifically Trump’s request, and the whole mob stopped their attack on the Capitol and retreated only because Trump told them they were special, they were loved, but that they needed to go home.
Emotions were riding high after the Democrats’ presentations and they did not subside after the embarrassing and frustrating joke that were the Trump lawyers. Their lies only served to deepen a majority’s conviction of Trump’s hand in aiding, abetting, and leading the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol. And then there was one Trump lawyer fib too many which pushed Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler to release a statement confirming details of Trump’s conduct during the January 6 attack. And from then on, all hell broke loose. The few hours between early Saturday, February 13 a.m. and the vote to convict later that afternoon were absolute chaos with every pundit taking it upon themselves to pretend understanding yet unrevealed negotiations regarding witnesses that were not included in the original draft of impeachment rules, as well as threats from Trump’s lawyers to overwhelm the Senate for weeks on end with hundreds of useless witnesses. Also:
And so the truth was very much a reflection of the very ideologies that define the key differences between both parties:
Republicans wanted to make a bigger mockery out of the trial, knowing full well that stretching it for weeks on end would not only halt the transfer of committee power to the Democratic majority, but would also stall the Biden-Harris agenda to pass the most significant relief in years. While Democrats – witnessing first-hand Republicans in the Senate openly making threats, feeling no shame or a modicum sense of accountability that signaled any will to convict despite watching their own lives being put at risk in service of Trump’s ego – understood that nothing will change the minds of 17 Republicans to vote against their party leader; Democrats opted to rather move on to the next stages of their agenda pushing for pandemic relief and bills that would significantly expand Voting Rights, as well as addressing comprehensive gun-control legislations and Police Reform.
And so Donald Trump was given an unearned win because only a majority voted against him instead of two-third majority. And amazingly following that very much expected moment, White Privilege lashed out, not against Mitch McConnell who did not vote to convict Trump but still gave a speech condemning Trump for his guilt in causing the insurrection; White Privilege lashed out not against the shameless, conscienceless, seditious Republicans who voted against convicting Trump; instead, White Privilege lashed out against the diverse group of House Impeachment Managers who did an incredible stellar job to convince a Bipartisan majority of Trump’s guilt. During Black History Month no less, and following an astoundingly courageous coalition of diverse and marginalized people who toppled a dictatorship in the making. The same White Privilege that shamelessly quotes Civil Rights Giants as proof of their dedication to fighting against inequalities and for Voting Rights attacked the Party of Black People, of Indigenous and People of Color, and of LGBTQIA2+ Communities, because they didn’t get exactly what they wanted, when they wanted it.
Pictured here Dr. Martin Luther King’s now infamous moment where he gave up and demanded Civil Rights warriors woo his fragile entitled ego off his couch to stand in line and vote. /snark
On a more serious note, and especially following the trial, it amazed me how fast White Privilege was quick to erase the hard work of Democrats; as quick as they often are to appropriate the Democratic Base’s most notable wins as their own while viciously carrying water for White Supremacy anytime Democrats don’t pointedly pander to their entitled White Privilege.
I find it disturbing this conditional support that greatly depends on centering white fragility, because if there was one thing to take away from this trial was the introduction to the astounding pool of talent within the Democratic Party ranks; the most thrilling of realizations was witnessing that despite ignorant rhetoric of the bigoted political punditry and podcasting Outrage Merchants, the reality is that Democratic Leadership is thriving on a more inclusive diverse representation in every field and battle, and is very much passing the torch to magnificent trailblazers. I hope that entitlement and privilege will choose to get rid of that white-supremacy lens with which they still view diversity, and to finally notice the blazing torch many are attempting to viciously snuff out. Because it really should reassure everyone that the future of the Democratic Party is in amazingly brilliant, competent, and passionate hands.
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