Really in the past?

What’s your take on the impeachment of President Trump?
As Rafiki says to Simba in The Lion King movie after walloping Simba in the head, “It doesn’t matter … it’s in the past.” Every kid (and grandparent with Disney+) knows this line. But what follows is equally important. When Simba says, “But it still hurts,” Rafiki replies “Yes … but you can either run from it or learn from it.”
In my view, this impeachment process just concluded provides some guidelines on what not to do. Do we run or learn from this?
First, I’m still confused. Our constitution describes impeachment as a judicial proceeding; the Senators are jurists. But this recent exercise was not like a real trial. I challenge anyone seeking truth to explain how ignoring subpoenas for documents and refusing to allow witnesses to testify helps build public confidence in our government. To the contrary, this is a big reason why the average man on the street hates politics.
Secondly, impeachment should be executed in a manner which overshadows any election campaign cycle. This is a big ask, since all the players directly involved are elected officials, but this is the litmus test on determining how to proceed. If this is elusive, do not proceed.
Senators (and others) in support of Trump argued that Trump cannot be removed because impeachment would usurp results of the last election. This is off target. Our Founding Fathers instituted impeachment as a safeguard. By definition, impeachment leading to a removal from office ALWAYS overturns the results of the last election. To say otherwise argues that our Founding Fathers failed to understand the obvious.
Thirdly, the “fix was in.” Acquittal was nearly guaranteed before the proceedings started. Trump always had the GOP in his hip pocket (certainly our Sam Graves, Josh Hawley and Roy Blunt). The outcome was certain. Even an English major can do that math. Like our elections in general, the focus is more about who wins than truth or policies of governance. This breeds widespread disgust and apathy in response to calls to “get out the vote.”
Some senators shirked their duty by saying the House failed to do its duty. This concerned the legal battle over admitting witnesses. These senators argued this matter should have been settled before the impeachment process was handed over to the Senate. But voters know “pass the buck” finger pointing when they hear it. So, another confirmation, this impeachment process was never about the search for truth but the politician’s search for ways to escape politically unscathed.
And there’s worse. Some senators like Marco Rubio publicly stated Trump was guilty but then added: “Just because actions meet a standard of impeachment does not mean it is in the best interest of the country to remove a president from office.” Mitt Romney excepting, where are the statesmen willing to put country above self? Aren’t these senators just as guilty as what Trump is accused?
Furthermore, there’s just so much unfamiliar noise. Trump and his loyalists accused John Bolton of trying to sell a book and make money in seeking to testify. Perhaps so. But well-known writers such as Bolton are typically paid upfront by their publisher in advance. If that’s so, then it wasn’t Bolton but his publisher who might benefit from Bolton’s testimony. So, is the forthcoming book from the walrus-ian mustached man something seriously to consider or should the man be condemned as just another dollar-chaser?
There is no high road here. Total disgust is what is felt by a generation of Americans whose imaginary hero embodied truth, justice and the American way. The impeachment process just concluded disregards the search for truth, puts justice in question, and defines the American way as “politics as usual.”
Let me be clear. President Trump’s Administration has done some good things. Trump is not the cause of our divided nation. He is the symptom of a rigged system that was already dividing us. I wish for a Republican Party to be led by a more capable “Presidential” leader going forward. Perhaps naively, I believe personal character matters in a leader. I fear Trump breeds more Trumps.
Trump was elected by riding a wave of anti-establishment fervor among voters. And, it now seems, his re-election is nearly guaranteed. For Trump the truth is whatever he decides it will be. Should we simply shrug?
It is ironic that Trump is embraced by so many middle class Americans: a self-proclaimed billionaire (he’s never opened his financials for public scrutiny like all those before him) who provides tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks to the rich while convincing the working class that he’s on our side. The Dow Jones and other economic measures may be “perfect” for those with money. But try convincing the person working three part-time jobs to pay off a medical debt or someone having to choose whether to buy food or medicine that the economy is the best it’s ever been. Or, if you prefer less personal references, what’s good about our national debt hitting $100 trillion by 2037 (yes, that’s “t” in trillion) if left unchecked?
I fear too many of us get views on all things political from Saturday Night Live or other comedians, with scant or no pursuit in seeking reliable news sources. Yes, thankfully, the impeachment process is over, and I agree we must move on. But are we learning anything?
I know most of us hate politics, think the pursuit of a single educated vote is a waste of time, and hope that only the first part of Rafiki’s wisdom applies: “It doesn’t matter, it’s in the past.” But somehow the problems this impeachment brought out aren’t all that likely to just go away. And, dumb as I am, this worries me.