RIP, RBG. You will be remembered as a moral hero, one of the greatest this nation has produced. I will let others praise you at length but especially now, it is crucial that focus be brought on your peers who are not moral heroes, those who lack your bravery and integrity.
Trump has an uncanny ability to bring out moral cowardice in those around him. And he extracts it not only from weak-willed individuals like, say, Michael Cohen. He has the capacity to turn some of the most powerful people on the planet — America’s politicians and media elite, for example — into chickenshit.
It’s incredible: If any president but Trump had said that ingesting bleach might be a way to treat Covid-19, the calls for an immediate resignation would have have been broad, angry, and swift. And yet, as far as I can recall, not a single powerful national figure did much more than figuratively roll their eyes.
More recently, Trump’s open embrace of an insane pandemic control ”plan” that everyone who can operate a calculator knows will kill between two and six million Americans would, with any other leader, lead to his immediate removal. But once again, not a single influential person in this country openly called, as far as I know, for him to leave for proposing, and possibly implementing, such a perverted idea.
The refusal by those with power to fully stand up to Trump’s combination of bullying, stupidity, incompetence, and insanity is one of the most striking aspect of his reign. It will puzzle historians for centuries (assuming humans survive). Yes, there was impeachment, some court cases, a few indictments, and there have been millions of appalled words written.
But the obvious conclusions — that every minute he is in office, Trump is a danger to the entire world and must leave immediately — is rarely voiced by anyone with influence. Weirdly, the failure to openly call for his stepping down continues despite widespread whispered consensus among the powerful and influential that the situation is very dangerous.
This is the very definition of moral cowardice. What is astounding is that Trump has caused otherwise take-no-quarter politicians to pull their punches, politicians who may be ruthless but who would nevertheless never tolerate such wanton disregard for American lives.
Their rationalizations have changed but the cowardice has been there from the beginning.
Remember this one, from Anonymous? I do: “No need to call for his resignation. There will be grown ups in the room who will restrain him.” How’d that work out?
Just last week, the excuse was: “It’s less than two months until election. We just need to wait.” After yesterday’s news, I can only worry about what’s next.
And then there’s this very common one, the most outrageous and openly cowardly rationalization of all: “There isn’t the political will to remove him.”
On matters of important principle, on matters of life or death, on matters of sheer basic morality, such cynical strategic calculations don’t matter. If you have an opportunity to speak publicly and widely, you have an obligation to call upon Trump to step down (or resign or be removed by the Senate) when he is blithely advocating, if not implementing, a plan that could kill up to 6 million of your fellow citizens. Including, of course, you, your children, and your parents.
Let’s be clear: this is not about strategy. If openly demanding Trump’s resignation or removal from office results in sparking a groundswell, naturally that would be fantastic. But whether it does or not, as Masha Gessen once wrote, the truth needs to be plainly spoken to authoritarians even at personal risk. That is what moral heroism looks like.
We are living with the consequences of this era’s moral cowardice. The latest disaster, of course, is that the extreme right will control the Supreme Court for at least a generation. Would it have made a difference if powerful people had overcome their cowardice and called, early and often, for Trump’s removal? No way to know, but what is certain is that an attitude of “let’s just wait for the election” did nothing to avert catastrophe.
I have no idea how Trump brings out so much deep moral cowardice in so many very powerful people. But even now, it is critical that they (and we) not give into terror and speak the truth we all know. For the good of this country and the world, Trump needs to leave office now. Today. Only a few prominent voices have said so publicly. But they all know it’s true and it’s shameful they’re not saying so