Crisis & Action Defined
Thanks to all of you who responded to my last blog, I’M SCARED. Many of you felt I was speaking your own thoughts. Some of you thought I was overreacting, even a bit hysterical. Some of you thought it was better to ignore the violence and threats, that giving them attention only inspires the perpetrators. I haven’t answered most of you yet, but I will.
Writing that blog exhausted me in a way that no other writing has. I think it was a combination of just facing what scared me, and then trying to figure out how to communicate it in a clear and compelling way. True, I hadn’t slept well the night before. But I rarely sleep well, and it doesn’t cause me to feel tired the next day.
Besides the exhaustion, I felt a deep satisfaction that I had attempted and completed something that was very difficult.
Today I’m looking at the reverberations of the latest suit to overturn the election that the Supreme Court rejected.
SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn) DEFINES THE CRISIS.
In this 14-minute video, Senator Murphy clarifies how perilous this moment is for our country. When he gave this speech, the Supreme Court had not yet announced its decision. Murphy wasn’t worried about what the Court would do. He knew it would throw out the Texas Attorney General’s ridiculous lawsuit. He is certain that Biden will be inaugurated on January 20.
HOWEVER, he was very disturbed about these two things:
- This suit was NOT seeking a recount or a do-over of the Presidential election in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin. It was asking the Supreme Court to throw out 20 million votes (!?!) and hand the decision to the Republican legislatures in those states, who would then appoint electors who would make Trump President again.
- Although this lawsuit was the fantasy of a crackpot right-wing politician, it was supported by 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives, 19 actual states — and two imaginary states (“New California” & “New Nevada,” invented especially for the occasion).
This is what Sen. Murphy found extremely disturbing in terms of what it might mean for future elections.
Because of the great support for this suit from the mainstream Republican Party, Senator Murphy sees this as the BEGINNING of an assault on our democracy: “It’s not enough to just punt here, to say, “The President’s got a right to go to court. Let’s just see what happens.” Because when the overthrow of democracy is beginning and you’re sitting on the sidelines, you’re a collaborator.”
REP. BILL PASCRELL (D-NJ) DEFINES AN ACTION THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CAN TAKE.
In an article in COMMON DREAMS, Representative Pascrell makes a very strong case that all the Representatives who signed their support of the Supreme Court lawsuit have violated their oaths to support the Constitution, and should be forbidden from taking their seats in Congress.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states:
- No person shall be a senator or representative in Congress….who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress… to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same. (I’ve deleted all the stuff that referred to other elected offices.)
Pascrell says:
“The text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that.”
“Fine,” you say. “I couldn’t agree more,” you say. “But what the fuck can be DONE about it?” you say. “We’ve already tried impeaching Trump and couldn’t get it through the Senate!”
WELL…..
Pascrell ALSO cites Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution, WHICH GIVES EACH CHAMBER OF CONGRESS FINAL AUTHORITY OVER MEMBERSHIP.
Hmmm…. Each chamber of Congress…. and these 126 traitors are all members of the House of Representatives….. AND THE DEMOCRATS HOLD A MAJORITY IN THE HOUSE!
That’s right! WE hold a majority in the only democratically elected body in the federal government.
SO…..
Representative Pascrell wrote a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Zoe Lofgren, the chair of the 46-member California Democratic Congressional Delegation.
According to COMMON DREAMS, Pascrell urged Pelosi and Lofgren to exercise their power to figure out how they can respond to these constitutional violations and, if possible, refuse to seat incoming members who, in his words, are “seeking to make Donald Trump an unelected dictator.”
Their actions “must be repudiated in the strongest possible terms,” he argues. “The moment we face now may be without parallel since 1860. The fate of our democracy depends on us meeting this moment.”
“Oh, come on,” you say. “Too far-fetched. It’ll never work,” you say.
But I say to YOU:
WOULD THE REPUBLICANS DO IT TO THE DEMOCRATS IF THEY COULD? YOU KNOW DAMNED WELL THEY’D TRY! When will the Democrats stop playing patty cake while the other side plays football?
Look, elected politicians need to be held accountable for their actions. These 126 Republicans signed their names to an attempt to destroy our democracy. And yet, they expect to take their place in a democratically elected body.
NO!
THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO PLAY BOTH SIDES OF THIS GAME!
Please contact these members of Congress to tell them you support Rep. Pascrell’s idea. You want the Democrats in the House to refuse to seat the 126 Republican traitors.
Rep. Bill Pascrell
Phone: (202) 225–5782
hours: M-F 9–5:30pm
Thank him for his courage and vision and ask him what you can do to help.
(I think you can only email him if you live in his district.)
Rep. Nancy Pelosi
Email (https://www.speaker.gov/contact)
Phone: (202) 225–4965
Hours: M-F 9–5:30pm
Zoe Lofgren
(202) 225–3072
https://lofgren.house.gov/contact (only if you’re in her district — Santa Clara County)
HERE IS THE LINK SO THAT YOU CAN CONTACT YOUR OWN REPRESENTATIVE, & TELL HER/HIM THAT YOU DO NOT WANT TRAITORS SEATED IN THE PEOPLE’S HOUSE!
Don’t miss the CRACKPOT CRONES PODCAST with Terry Baum and Carolyn Myers.
