By LaKeshia N. Myers
Representative LaKeshia Myers
I wondered when enough would be enough. Publicly mocking a disabled reporter didn’t do it; neither did calling white supremacists in Charlottesville ‘very fine people’; and it most definitely wasn’t the blatant disrespect for women. It wasn’t even enough after making 29,508 verifiably false or misleading statements. But it seems as though inciting a seditious insurrection at the United States Capitol may be the straw that will finally break Donald Trump’s back.
In the wake of his failure to concede the election results of Nov. 3, Trump has consistently urged his followers toward the brink of a second civil war. On Wednesday, Jan. 6, he got his wish. Trump, along with the rest of the world, watched as MAGA loyalists waged an assault on our democracy in a last-ditch effort to override 232 years of electoral protocol to anoint himself king. Not since 1814 had the U.S. Capitol been stormed by a mob and looted. Trump supporters, smeared blood on statues, broke windows and defaced property, one even stole a rostrum adorned with the gold-plated seal of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
It was not until he was publicly lambasted by President-elect Joe Biden, did President Trump address the nation. And when he did, it was a taped message in which he doubled down on the falsehood that he won the election by a “landslide” and expressed his love for the riotous bunch. But by then, it was too late—his Congressional compatriots had seemingly had enough. According to the Washington Post, the fallout on Wednesday was immediate, stunning the world, the country and, perhaps most of all, political Washington. Former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton joined Republican Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) in denouncing Trump for provoking the mob, while Twitter, Facebook and Instagram all temporarily banned him from their platforms (Washington Post, 2021).
Several conservative lawmakers, who had planned to object to Biden’s certification, announced that they had changed their minds. Upon returning to the senate chamber, Lindsey Graham said, “All I can say is count me out, enough is enough.” If Graham has had “enough,” I wonder if it is truly the end of the Republican Party as we know it. Long gone are the days of the Reagan-era fiscal conservatives who sought civil discourse; the Republican Party of today is the party of Donald Trump—lies, malfeasance, incorrigibility and blatant white supremacy. There is no way to recover from this abyss. I wish I could say I was surprised, but the handwriting was on the wall. Insurrection had to be the end goal, and with 14 days left in his presidency, Trump played his “trump card” and his chickens came home to roost.