As the old saying goes: Those who do not remember history are condemned to repeat it!
I remember our history, American history. In the 1950s, when communism indeed was fearsome, some self-centered Republican politicians, led by Sen. Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin, used that fear to spread all manner of lies. McCarthy rocketed into the headlines by calling anyone who disagreed with him a “communist.” The U.S. Senate website reminds us of Joe McCarthy’s fate: That tyrannical politician finally was stopped when he picked a fight with the Army, which hired Boston lawyer Joseph Welch to make its case.
The site adds, “At a session June 9, 1954, McCarthy charged that one of Welch’s attorneys had ties to a Communist organization. As an amazed television audience looked on, Welch responded with the immortal lines that ultimately ended McCarthy’s career: ‘Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness.’ When McCarthy tried to continue his attack, Welch angrily interrupted, ‘Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?’”
History now is repeating itself, with Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., an ardent Trumpster, taking the role of disgraced and defeated Joe McCarthy. McConnell apparently refused to meet with the mother of the late Brian Sicknick, who died defending him! Even after saying a commission should study what caused the riot and the violent attack on the Capitol building Jan. 6 and Democrats agreeing to the terms proposed by McConnell, because Donald Trump told him to, Mitch has flip-flopped and will not support the formation of such a commission. The ridiculously stubborn hyper-partisanship we see today in American politics (mostly Republicans saying, “We will not agree to anything put forth by Democrats”) is hyper-unpatriotic.
How can we ever enact positive, good-for-America laws suggested by Democrats with this approach? How can we fix so many problems in our justice system with this approach? How can we adjust our out-of-whack “tax the poor and reduce the taxes on the wealthy” tax laws to be fairer with such an approach? Obviously, we cannot.
To those who support this policy of obstructionism, I say you are hyper-unpatriotic. You disallow benefits and improvements to our nation, and that certainly is unpatriotic.
Joe Biden and any legislators seeking bipartisanship, instead of spouting harmful, divisive, Trumpian rhetoric, are to be commended and should be encouraged to continue to work for the betterment of America.
History also has taught us (via Martin Luther King Jr.) that the time is always right to do the right thing!
Ken Abraham
Former deputy attorney general
Dover
