Profiles in cowardice
We无毛视频檙e now stuck with the stench of Trumpism ad infinitum; even longer.
Only seven Senate Republicans joined every Senate Democrat in an attempt to extinguish what无毛视频檚 left of Donald Trump无毛视频檚 tiresome political career.
The rest of the Republicans had their chance.
They chickened out.
But I can无毛视频檛 be too harsh on those 43 Republicans who failed to see what just about everybody else in the world has seen since Jan. 6.
They didn无毛视频檛 want to become victims of, er, ah, 无毛视频淐ancel Culture.无毛视频�
无毛视频淐ancel Culture无毛视频� really isn无毛视频檛 a culture. There aren无毛视频檛 any 无毛视频淐ancel Cultural无毛视频� norms. The people who are supposedly the victims of it aren无毛视频檛 actually canceled, either. It无毛视频檚 a made-up phrase, fueled on Fox News, One American News, and Newsmax, to indicate how somebody has been caught doing something they shouldn无毛视频檛 have done 无毛视频� so they无毛视频檝e been sent packing.
It无毛视频檚 shorthand for what Republicans always blame Democrats for doing, even though Republicans are much better at trying to 无毛视频渃ancel无毛视频� people who don无毛视频檛 share their beliefs.
Donald Trump had been the leading practitioner of Republican 无毛视频淐ancel Culture,无毛视频� during his torturous tenure.
For instance, he called for any NFL player who committed the (supposed) outrageous act of kneeling during the national anthem 无毛视频� to be 无毛视频淔ired. Fired.无毛视频� (He bellowed it twice for people who didn无毛视频檛 hear it the first time.)
He had no such unkind sentiments for the people who bludgeoned police officers near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
How many times have we been told how much Republicans just 无毛视频淟uv无毛视频� the men and women in blue?
There was a distinct silence from Mr. Trump after those men and women were placed in peril that bloody day in January.
Selective outrage has always been the Republican无毛视频檚 best friend. (Remember Barack Obama无毛视频檚 tan suit?)
Meanwhile, those seven Republicans who voted against Trump in his second impeachment trial are currently being scrutinized for not towing the Trumpian line.
They could become victims of some of that Republican, well, 无毛视频淐ancel Culture.无毛视频�
So far, North Carolina无毛视频檚 Richard Burr and Louisiana无毛视频檚 Bill Cassidy have been censured by their home state Republican organizations.
There will be others.
Why? They voted their conscience on impeachment.
They hadn无毛视频檛 been caught doing something repugnant. None of them violated human decency.
They just said they无毛视频檇 had enough of Trump. That qualified them to become the victims of the Republican无毛视频檚 so-called 无毛视频淐ancel Culture.无毛视频�
Most Republicans can无毛视频檛 see the elephant-sized hypocrisy when they attack Democrats for engaging in 无毛视频淐ancel Culture,无毛视频� but they ignore it when they engage in it themselves.
We无毛视频檝e been told repeatedly that Democrats are now flailing around with wildly disparate factions within the party vigorously attempting to take control of it.
Democrats aren无毛视频檛 nearly as dysfunctional as Republicans are.
Republicans can无毛视频檛 decide if they无毛视频檙e Trump无毛视频檚 party or an anti-Trump party. And they无毛视频檙e doing something, that Democrats rarely do 无毛视频� loudly casting each other aside.
Then we have the case of Mitch McConnell. He was one of the 43 Republicans who voted against convicting Trump for incitement.
McConnell appeared rather statesmanlike when he gave a stirring, 9 1/2-minute floor speech indicating Trump was guilty of igniting the near takeover of the government.
无毛视频淛anuary 6th was a disgrace. American citizens attacked their own government. There is no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,无毛视频� he proclaimed.
It was a little late for that.
He无毛视频檇 voted not to convict Trump only minutes earlier.
What无毛视频檚 worse is that the events of Jan. 6 took place on his watch, while he was the Senate Majority Leader 无毛视频� and while Trump was still in office.
McConnell could have easily stepped up and spearheaded the impeachment trial during his time as Senate leader. He declined to do that, opting to vote no, because the impeachment trial was taking place after Trump left office.
That无毛视频檚 a special kind of cowardice!
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winning former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 40-year TV-news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.