Profiles in cowardice
We鈥檙e now stuck with the stench of Trumpism ad infinitum; even longer.
Only seven Senate Republicans joined every Senate Democrat in an attempt to extinguish what鈥檚 left of Donald Trump鈥檚 tiresome political career.
The rest of the Republicans had their chance.
They chickened out.
But I can鈥檛 be too harsh on those 43 Republicans who failed to see what just about everybody else in the world has seen since Jan. 6.
They didn鈥檛 want to become victims of, er, ah, 鈥淐ancel Culture.鈥�
鈥淐ancel Culture鈥� really isn鈥檛 a culture. There aren鈥檛 any 鈥淐ancel Cultural鈥� norms. The people who are supposedly the victims of it aren鈥檛 actually canceled, either. It鈥檚 a made-up phrase, fueled on Fox News, One American News, and Newsmax, to indicate how somebody has been caught doing something they shouldn鈥檛 have done 鈥� so they鈥檝e been sent packing.
It鈥檚 shorthand for what Republicans always blame Democrats for doing, even though Republicans are much better at trying to 鈥渃ancel鈥� people who don鈥檛 share their beliefs.
Donald Trump had been the leading practitioner of Republican 鈥淐ancel Culture,鈥� during his torturous tenure.
For instance, he called for any NFL player who committed the (supposed) outrageous act of kneeling during the national anthem 鈥� to be 鈥淔ired. Fired.鈥� (He bellowed it twice for people who didn鈥檛 hear it the first time.)
He had no such unkind sentiments for the people who bludgeoned police officers near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
How many times have we been told how much Republicans just 鈥淟uv鈥� the men and women in blue?
There was a distinct silence from Mr. Trump after those men and women were placed in peril that bloody day in January.
Selective outrage has always been the Republican鈥檚 best friend. (Remember Barack Obama鈥檚 tan suit?)
Meanwhile, those seven Republicans who voted against Trump in his second impeachment trial are currently being scrutinized for not towing the Trumpian line.
They could become victims of some of that Republican, well, 鈥淐ancel Culture.鈥�
So far, North Carolina鈥檚 Richard Burr and Louisiana鈥檚 Bill Cassidy have been censured by their home state Republican organizations.
There will be others.
Why? They voted their conscience on impeachment.
They hadn鈥檛 been caught doing something repugnant. None of them violated human decency.
They just said they鈥檇 had enough of Trump. That qualified them to become the victims of the Republican鈥檚 so-called 鈥淐ancel Culture.鈥�
Most Republicans can鈥檛 see the elephant-sized hypocrisy when they attack Democrats for engaging in 鈥淐ancel Culture,鈥� but they ignore it when they engage in it themselves.
We鈥檝e been told repeatedly that Democrats are now flailing around with wildly disparate factions within the party vigorously attempting to take control of it.
Democrats aren鈥檛 nearly as dysfunctional as Republicans are.
Republicans can鈥檛 decide if they鈥檙e Trump鈥檚 party or an anti-Trump party. And they鈥檙e doing something, that Democrats rarely do 鈥� loudly casting each other aside.
Then we have the case of Mitch McConnell. He was one of the 43 Republicans who voted against convicting Trump for incitement.
McConnell appeared rather statesmanlike when he gave a stirring, 9 1/2-minute floor speech indicating Trump was guilty of igniting the near takeover of the government.
鈥淛anuary 6th was a disgrace. American citizens attacked their own government. There is no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,鈥� he proclaimed.
It was a little late for that.
He鈥檇 voted not to convict Trump only minutes earlier.
What鈥檚 worse is that the events of Jan. 6 took place on his watch, while he was the Senate Majority Leader 鈥� and while Trump was still in office.
McConnell could have easily stepped up and spearheaded the impeachment trial during his time as Senate leader. He declined to do that, opting to vote no, because the impeachment trial was taking place after Trump left office.
That鈥檚 a special kind of cowardice!
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winning former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 40-year TV-news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.