Thursday May 30 was not a good day for America. I think that is true, regardless of what politics you hold.
Let me begin now with a re-statement of what I have been saying for some time now: I was never in favor of prosecuting Donald Trump for any crimes. The primary reason I feel this way is not because of him, but out of respect for the millions of people who voted for him, twice, and the untold who support him so fervently. The second reason is respect for historical precedence. We’ve never done this before, and don’t tell me we’ve not had people commit crimes before who were running, in office, and after office. It is likely that both Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan broke the law at some point in their many scandals. But we don’t send presidents to jail. We do have a long history of sending their lackeys — just look at the number of people who have gone to jail from the Trump Administration, the Clinton Administration, The Nixon Administration and so forth. Chuck Colson comes to mind. A third reason is the respect I have for the office of the president. It is greater than the person, but the person is certainly part of it.
It would be better to prosecute vigorously all those around him rather than to go straight to Donald Trump. Better for whom? Better for America. This feels like a sort of Rubicon, although I freely admit since the arrival of Donald Trump on the scene we’ve had one Rubicon after another.
Yet now, the deed is done, so to speak. I would like to see the governor of New York intercede and issue a pardon or a commutation if Judge Merchan actually imposes jail time. I also would like for President Biden to advocate for this publicly. We can’t go to the place where former Presidents are jailed, especially when they are running again. It is a dark place.
To my Democratic friends I ask you to not gloat or take glee. This is sad. Even if you think he is guilty as sin and did all of these things, surely you can see the long-term repercussions of this? The question is not did he deserve it. The question is do we deserve this? Do we deserve to live in a country where after every election there will be some prosecutor somewhere coming after the former President. New York did it now. Do you not think Alabama, or Texas, or Florida will not try it with Biden? Even if it unsuccessful, it is a terrible price to pay.
With careful leadership this can be fixed. For all their faults, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter show us a way forward for healing these kinds of scars. But it will take gutsy leadership, and what I find is we face a crisis of true leadership.
To my Republican friends, primarily the MAGA Republicans, I ask two things. First, stop with the disgusting memes comparing the trial and crucifixion of Jesus to that of Trump. Donald Trump may not be guilty of all they say, but he did indeed sleep with a porn actress while his wife was pregnant with his son and then he attempted to give her money to keep it quiet. He may be many things, but he is not innocent. Just like Eisenhower was an adulterer, and John Kennedy was a perverted womanizer, and Bill Clinton should have been kicked out of office for abuse of power, former President Donald Trump is a man of very low morals who has nothing in common with Jesus other than the overlapping Venn diagram of some followers.
To everyone, I ask we respect the legal process. I’ve sat on two juries in my lifetime. Sure, they were nothing like this, but I can tell you getting twelve people to agree to convict someone of a crime is not easy. Most jurors are looking for any kind of out for the defendant, even if they find him against their own values. Yet, in spite of their decision, there is an abundant appeals process. If it is overturned, those who cheer the system today need to cheer it then, saying truth has won. If it fails, then we need to recognize the jury was accurate in its assessment.
All the defense needed was one. Just one juror who couldn’t be swayed. Yet, in light of the evidence, they found him guilty of all thirty-four counts. They didn’t find him a little guilty, they found him very guilty.
Politically, things are dicey. The problem Donald Trump has is there is a percentage of the population who simply will not vote for him now that he is convicted. What is that percentage? I don’t know. But in a close state like Arizona, or Georgia, or Wisconsin, two to five percent could be the difference. There is nothing that can be done to change this, either. To continue our Rubicon reference, alea iata est, the die is cast.
The Democrats, I think, have a worse problem. Joe Biden has not shown himself as competent as he proclaims himself to be, and he is becoming incredibly feeble. His unpopularity is almost as much a shackle as Trumps. If anyone else were running for them, I think this would be a slam dunk for the Democrats in the fall, especially with abortion rights, the Supreme Court, and IVF hanging in the balance. If Biden does poorly in the 78 year old verses the 81 year old debate later this month, look for the Dems to pressure Biden to step away, release his delegates, and thus enter into a brokered convention in August. What fun that would be!
Actually, I hope the GOP does the same.
Is it too much for a man to hope to be able to vote for someone who doesn’t need to take a dementia test?
Is it too much to hope to never hear about Stormy Daniels again? Or Hunter Biden’s laptop? Or Access Hollywood? Or can he walk up the stairs to the plane? Or that thug Michael Cohen? Or . . .
Again, politically, if we end up with a Biden or Trump choice in November, then we deal with the fact both candidates have lost voters, and we will find out who has lost the most. I don’t know, and until November 7 or 8 no one will know. What we do know is it will likely come down to a handful of states: Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Nevada, North Carolina, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Biden needs three or four of those, Trump needs five. It took him pulling an inside straight in several close states to win in 2016. He would need to do that again. He could, but who knows? The electorate is irritated, and how they turn is anyones guess. I remind you, that in 1980, three or four weeks before the election, it looked like Jimmy Carter was cruising to a fairly easy victory, until he didn’t because America was irritated. I suspect a lot of people will not decide until the night before.
Speaking of hope, that is a good place to wrap this up. Regardless of who wins this year, in 2028 there will by necessity be a new cast of actors. It is only four years from now, but the electorate will be dramatically different then as America continues to age and transition. Biden will be out of the picture and so will Trump — if he wins he is ineligible to run again, and if he doesn’t he will be 82, and likely past the moment. If Biden wins, he will likely not make it through the term, and if he does, then likewise he will be ineligible.
Can we survive four more years of either one? Sure we can, because our nation is strong. Remember two things. First, What makes the United States great is not our politicians, but our people, and the people of the country are the best — both blue and red people. Second, and most importantly, as a person of faith, my hope is never tied to machinations of power and politics, but on the grace and power of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the one true King.