Will we all drown with Trump’s sinking ship?
A DEMOCRACY is only as strong as the people who believe in it. Donald Trump incessantly chips away at that belief. The survival of a democracy depends upon a peaceful succession of power when the people choose to replace a sitting president. Our form of government has survived nearly 250 years because past presidents believed in the Constitution and the sanctity of their office and voluntarily stepped down. This president has no such beliefs.
The concern by (Herbert J.) Hoffman in a recent Journal op-ed (Oct. 18) is shared by many, including some close to the president, like the president’s one-time lawyer Michael Cohen. As Hoffman pointed out in his op-ed, who would be in a position to remove the president if he loses his election or impeachment trial and decides it was all a rigged fraudulent hoax and refuses to give up his office?
The president’s protection detail is sworn to protect the president at all costs and, though the military is sworn to defend the Constitution and the lawful orders of the president of the United States, under this administration, the Constitution and our laws mean whatever Trump says they mean.
If this scenario actually plays out — a real possibility — then our nation will have experienced its first coup.
Our democracy is ever more rapidly being eroded by the relentless attacks on its foundation by this president, and time is running out. The feckless, spineless Republican Party — excuse me, Trump Party — has tied its fate to Trump and will not stand up to him and do their sworn duty to the Constitution and the American people until it is in their selfish self-interest to do so. The rats will not scurry off the ship unless it sinks, so it is up to us, the American people, to see to it that this pirate ship is sunk.
But, don’t be deceived, Trump’s ship will go down sooner or later because the treacherous always fall, but it is up to us to decide whether it sinks with only the rats or it takes us all down with it.
RON SPENCER Los Lunas