My email and social media channels erupted over my last column, “Forget Trump and impeachment, focus on rescuing Americans from pandemic, economic distress.”
The impeachment trial of former President Donald J. Trump is a waste of opportunity and political capital at a time when the nation cannot afford it. Most readers vehemently disagreed, with some delivering profanity and Trump-like vitriol (and that was from Democrats). They want you to know that:
History will not look kindly on a country that would allow a president to incite an insurrection during the final approval process for an election that he lost.
There needs to be a record of accountability for the members of the Republican Party who will vote not to impeach a president that almost caused them to lose their life, or at the least come to bodily harm during the insurrection.
“I may be naïve but it is hard for me to understand how so many Republicans can give up all ethical and moral standing now, and in the future, to support Trump. What happened to the Republicans like Dwight Eisenhower, Nelson Rockefeller, Edward Brooks, Everett Dirksen and Chuck Percy.”
Harold Morrison, Evanston
“You sound like Trump should not be held to account for his treacherous as well as traitorous attempt to retain his presidency [when] he incited a riot in which five people were killed.
If we, as you plead, ‘move on’ and Trump is not held to the codes of law, then future equally evil-minded politicos will render America more deeply divided, more disrespected and more demeaned as they greatly believe that they will not have to suffer the consequences of their actions.”
Paul Mahalek, Chicago
“Trump must be held accountable for his treasonous actions even at the risk of further division. It is past time for the Democrats to drive their own train and stop letting the Republicans dictate where the train is supposed to go while they run everyone else off the tracks.”
Marie Tyse, Chicago
“A president should not be allowed to do what he did with impunity. Going forward, we must make democracy stronger, not continue to normalize criminal actions. The president is not above the law.”
Anita Hugg, Los Angeles
“This will be the tedious argument of the right over the next four years. ‘Don’t look back’ because a) the GOP plans absolutely no soul-searching on this or any other issue and b) they don’t want to discuss their hyper-partisanship as they negotiate their new status of minority party. Anyone who falls for this hasn’t been paying attention for the past 30 years.”
Geoffrey Baker, Tucson, Ariz.
“I feel like we (Democrats) were benevolent and forgiving and let a lot of people off the hook in 2009, and that worked out very very badly. The behavior of the right this time was far worse. If they are allowed to again walk away from the injurious and largely illegal harm they’ve done, what’s next?”
Michael Stoyanov, Fountain Valley, Calif.
Michael E. Fryzel of Chicago was one of the paltry few who agreed with me. “President Biden has laid out his agenda and said we must move to unite our country. I would hope he would be more forceful and let his party leaders know the discussion must be the future and not the past. We face many issues in our country that must be addressed now. To focus on anything else prevents us from getting there as quick as we should.”
Let’s get back to the nation’s real business.
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