Harris Speaks From the Scene of Trump’s Disgrace - Rob Horowitz

Harris Speaks From the Scene of Trump’s Disgrace - Rob Horowitz

It is no disgrace to lose an election. In fact, we teach our children that losing graciously—no matter how bitter our disappointment—is a sign of character. That nearly all of our losing presidential candidates have accepted defeat, congratulated the winner, and cooperated in the peaceful transfer of power is one of the signature strengths of our democracy. 

 

The one glaring exception, of course, is Donald Trump. The former president refused to concede even after all the states certified the results, continuing an irresponsible, lawless, and falsehood-filled effort to discard the votes of 81 million Americans.  Mr. Trump recklessly attempted to cling to power by any means necessary, going as far as pressuring his vice president to reject the election results, going beyond the ceremonial role spelled out in the Constitution for his duties on January 6. As Vice President Pence recounted, “President Trump demanded that I use my authority as vice president presiding over the count of the Electoral College to essentially overturn the election by returning or literally rejecting votes. I had no authority to do that.” 

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To put more heat on Mr. Pence, as well as to disrupt the proceeding, the former president incited the crowd that he had recruited to join him that fateful January 6th day to march to the Capitol. He then stood by and did nothing to stop their subsequent rioting, watching the unprecedented, violent attack on Congress that directly resulted from his actions on that day and the days leading up to it, which resulted in injuries to more than 140 police officers, with a measure of satisfaction.

 

Tonight, Kamala Harris will highlight this disgrace by speaking from the Ellipse, the site near the White House where Trump delivered his infamous remarks on January 6, 2021. While his allies are doing their best to downplay January 6th and assert its ancient history, Donald Trump reminds us every day he is on the campaign trail of why it remains of vital importance.  The former president continues to insist that he won the 2020 presidential election, though all the audits and recounts he and his allies have sponsored have confirmed that Joe Biden won, appears to be laying the groundwork for once again, if he loses, attempting to overturn the results of a free and fair election, and is shamelessly working to rebrand January 6th, as “a day of love.”

 

Donald Trump’s failed coup serves as a sharp rebuke for his top campaign surrogates, who blithely retort that his increasing embrace of authoritarian actions, such as using the military on his political opponents and putting Liz Cheney in front of a military tribunal, are just “talk” or not what he really means.  As Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who opposed impeaching the president because he was already out of office, told the author of his biography, which will become available for purchase this week, "I'm not at all conflicted about whether what the president did is an impeachable offense. I think it is. Urging an insurrection and people attacking the Capitol as a direct result... is about as close to an impeachable offense as you can imagine, with the possible exception of maybe being an agent for another country."  President Trump has already shown the country he will not respect election results, so we ignore his continuing flouting of democratic norms and flirtation with authoritarianism at home and abroad at our peril.

 

Vice President Harris will drive home the high stakes in the election tonight, asserting that Donald Trump is not only unfit to be president but that the former president poses a clear and present danger to our democracy.  This argument has gained more political traction over the past several days with retired General John Kelly, a former Trump chief of staff, publicly coming forward to warn the nation that Donald Trump is indeed an authoritarian who meets the definition of a fascist.  This characterization of Trump as an authoritarian who had to be continually talked out of taking anti-democratic actions and reckless, ill-advised foreign policy decisions was backed up by the two secretaries of defense that together spanned nearly his whole term, retired General Jim Mattis and Mark Esper.  Thirteen other senior Trump staffers, all lifelong Republicans, have now come forward. In a letter released to Politico, they urged the public to “heed General Kelly’s warning.”

 

The issue of protecting and strengthening our democracy and the values that undergird it are not only of substantive importance; the issue packs an underestimated political punch.  Failing to learn their lesson from the 2022 election results, the majority of the pundit class is once again discounting the salience of the issue to the electorate. In fact, in that midterm election--with the election denier-in--chief Donald Trump himself not on the ballot--it was one of the top 2-to-3 issues people considered when deciding upon whom to vote. It remains a key reason that a slice of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who are still on the fence are hesitant to vote for the former president.

 

Tonight’s speech on the Ellipse by the vice president will provide a well-timed reminder of why Donald Trump should never be returned to the Oval Office. he so thoroughly and completely disgraced.