A "Never Again" Moment in History

There are few “Never Forget” moments in history. World War II/the Holocaust is one; The Civil War is another. The January 6 insurrection and the madman who instigated, cheerleaded, and inspired it is a third. January 6, 2021, is a date that will live in infamy.

Recently, I met a young Black couple at a party. I rarely discuss politics with people I don’t know, but one of them mentioned that they were upset at the lack of a “good choice” for president in 2024. They had conservative leanings and preferred to vote Republican. I wanted to ask: “What about Donald Trump could appeal to an African American citizen?” but I did not. Instead, I opined that the 2024 election is not about Democrats or Republicans, Conservatives or Progressives. In 2024, the choice is obvious: Do you vote for a gentleman with the country’s best interests at heart, even if his politics differ from yours? Or do you vote for a bigoted criminal narcissist who betrayed his country and cares only about himself? I recommended they read Liz Cheney’s outstanding memoir, Oath and Honor.

While I am pleased that Donald Trump finally sits in a courtroom as a criminal defendant, I am displeased that the Stormy Daniels “hush money” case is the one to break his criminal trial virginity. Don’t get me wrong—I believe he is guilty, and his jury will ultimately agree. However, as was true with former president Bill Clinton, a wealthy person lying about an extramarital affair and, perhaps, paying off the woman he cheated with is not uncommon. In this case, Trump may have used campaign dollars, but ultimately, the case focuses on Trump lying about an extramarital affair and trying to cover up his lie. His criminality in the case pales compared to his criminal actions and inactions following the November 2020 election. I would have loved to see the January 6th insurrection case go first.

Oath and Honor is about Trump’s final days in the White House and his unethical, unconstitutional, evil, and seditious attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Cheney’s book and the report of the House Committee investigating the 2020 election, the insurrection, its aftermath, and the subsequent fallout for anti-Trump Republicans should be required reading in all college-level political science and high-school American History classes.

Liz Cheney and I agree on almost nothing regarding political leanings or ideology. However, one vital issue unites me with the former Wyoming Congresswoman and other brave constitutional conservatives: Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to our Democracy and should never be president again.

In one of Cheney’s first interviews about the book, she opined:

“People really, I think, need to understand and recognize the specifics, the details of what he tried to do in terms of overturning the election and seizing power and the details and the specifics of the elected officials who helped him.”

Indeed, if Republicans had embraced and acted upon their opinions of Trump in the immediate aftermath of the January 6 insurrection, Trump would have been impeached and convicted—he would never again be permitted to threaten our Democracy. As Cheney’s account reveals, numerous ranking Republicans, including Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy, were repulsed by the tactics, rhetoric, and incendiary lies Trump used to remain in office. The insurrection, death, and injuries to Capitol police officers and citizens caught up in the uprising were Trump’s responsibility.

“I do think it’s very important for people to understand how close we came to a far greater constitution crisis—and how quickly and easily—in a way that is, frankly, terrifying.”

As for the future, now that Trump is the presumptive 2024 nominee of the Republican Party, Cheney says:

“All of these things that we know Donald Trump and those who enabled him did before, they will do again . . . People who are willing to abide by that, including Republicans in Congress, can’t be trusted with power . . . That’s something that voters need to have at the forefront of their minds when they go into the voting booth in 2024.”

Members of Congress take an oath to support and defend the Constitution. They do not pledge allegiance to any one man or president. However, in the 3 + years following the November 2020 election, especially in 2024, that is precisely what congressional Republicans have done. Even though they were forced to run for their lives and stay in lock-up for several hours on January 6, today’s Republicans are willing to support a man who instigated a violent insurrection. Why? Because they fear his retribution. How sick is that? What’s become of their sacred oath?

Ms. Cheney, who lost her leadership position and her congressional seat for opposing Trump, makes many points we need to listen to. She paints unflattering pictures of various members of Congress—pictures that call their fidelity to the Constitution, honesty, and sense of honor into question. She makes a compelling case that former President Trump engaged in a systematic attempt to subvert the election and hold onto power (i.e., steal the election) using a variety of illegal means, including deceit, fraud, threats, extortion, and incitement to riot. Cheney does not engage in character assassination; she proves what she writes with solid evidence.

Oath and Honor demonstrates the vast difference between what we want our politicians to be and what some have become. Belief in and fealty to the Constitution is crucial, not just for our elected officials (who swear a solemn oath to support and defend it), but for every citizen. It is the instrument that protects our freedom.

Many Republicans call Liz Cheney a traitor. On the contrary, she is a conservative, faithful to her Party and the Constitution. While the House Committee report on January 6 reveals uncontroverted evidence that Donald Trump is a sociopath and a traitor, Liz Cheney stands out as a patriot in a political party that has lost its way.

I encourage all patriotic Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to take the time to read this critical memoir. Even the most partisan reader will see the objective, ugly truth. Instead of focusing on family values and economic conservatism, the current GOP is focused on fund-raising and pleasing the former criminal-in-chief. The Party could do and be so much better—in her book, Liz Cheney demonstrates the how and the why.

In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote one of the most important books in American history. Uncle Tom’s Cabin told the truth, transformed a nation, and helped millions of enslaved people become free citizens of the United States. One hundred seventy-two years later, another woman, Liz Cheney, has written a truthful account of a dangerous despot who, when confronted with a choice between self-interest or country, chose self-interest every time. America is not easy; our leaders must work hard to protect her, always putting the Constitution above personal or Party interests. Donald Trump was and still is incapable of performing these vital tasks.

In 1981, Ronald Reagan delivered his inaugural address. He spoke powerful words about the America all citizens should strive for:

“The orderly transfer of authority as called for in the Constitution routinely takes place, as it has for almost two centuries, and few of us stop to think how unique we really are. In the eyes of many in the world, this every-four-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a miracle.”

He thanked President Jimmy Carter for Carter’s “gracious cooperation in the transition process” and for showing the world “that we are a united people pledged to maintaining a political system that guarantees individual liberty.” Reagan and every other president before Trump understood these essential truths. Almost twenty years after Reagan’s speech, Vice-President Al Gore appeared on national television and cordially conceded an election decided by 537 votes in one state.

After 225 years of orderly transitions of power, Reagan’s “miracle” ended on January 6, 2021. Donald Trump stands alone as a president who put his quest for unbridled power ahead of his oath, duty to the country, and the Constitution. Worse, he pre-planned an event and unleashed a mob to invade the Capitol based on his lie that the 2020 election had been stolen. Precious property was damaged and destroyed. People, including police officers, were seriously hurt, even killed.

Liz Cheney does not hate Donald Trump or the Republican Party; she loves her country and the Constitution. She dreams that her Party will once again become the Party of Reagan. Ever the patriot, she put her oath to protect and defend the Constitution first—eventually sacrificing her congressional career to honor that oath.

At the end of Oath and Honor, Cheney quotes President John Adams, who spoke about the White House and its future occupants:

“May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.”

Cheney continues, ending the book with this:

“The character of our leaders matters . . . If Donald Trump is on the ballot, the 2024 presidential election will not be just about inflation, or budget deficits, or national security, or any of the other critical issues we Americans normally face. We will be voting on whether to preserve our republic. As a nation, we can endure damaging policies for a four-year term. But we cannot survive a president willing to terminate our Constitution.”

To the young Black couple I mentioned earlier, the couple who complained that the 2024 election offered “no good choice,” you could not be more wrong. People may disagree with Joe Biden on issues of policy, but on the vital issue of character, there can be no debate. Will We, the People, return a lying insurrectionist criminal fraud to the White House? All sensible Democrats, Republicans, and Independents must say “no.”