FLOTSAM & JETSAM: The new confederacy

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

The new confederacy

Sam Smith – At least the south in the Civil War seceded from the Union. Donald Trump, although his actions are treated as a miscarriage rather than intentional  treason, was out to overthrow the Union. The only way he could have gotten the second term he sought would be if Congress and the Constitution were destroyed in his behalf.

Our political and media language do not permit us to face the real reality of what Trump was up to, but if we are to avoid such madness in the future we need to recognize that his actions are unprecedented in American history and were, in fact, potentially as serious as the Civil War. A modest way to recognize this for starts is to refer to every senator who voted not to convict Trump as an act by a member of a new confederacy. There is no way to explain this in traditional political terms. It must be seen as what it is; not a defense of Trump, but a betrayal of the basic principles of our nation. We should refer to those who cast their votes for Trump as neo-confederates – willing to surrender their country to a despicable dictator.