Sen. Romney,
Republicans are functioning like the enabling family members of an alcoholic as they cover for and defend the president’s erratic behavior and abuse of power.
Mr. Romney, you are the only senator who has sufficient courage to call the Republican family together for an “intervention.”
President Trump needs to hear the truth from his own family. He needs to hear, “We are not going to put up with your bad behavior anymore” without any family members sliding back into enabling excuse-making.
George Washington said, “Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness.” Licentiousness, as in “unprincipled behavior” and disregard for “accepted rules or conventions” (Oxford Dictionary).
If we continue to leave the car keys of arbitrary, unchecked presidential power in Mr. Trump’s hands, along with the key to the liquor cabinet of licentiousness, the president is going to wreck the republic and the American family.
Why not start the truth-telling with a discussion of last week’s foreign policy disaster. Surely, all elected officials can agree that Trump acted alone when, without seeking counsel, he abandoned our longtime faithful Kurdish allies to a Turkish dictator who wants to destroy them. This lone wolf decision by the president has alienated our allies, destabilized the Middle East and risked the potential release of thousands of ISIS ideologues to recruit and radicalize new followers to carry out terror attacks throughout the world. No amount of excuse making can explain away the unilateral, impulsive madness of that decision. Trump, who has repeatedly described himself as an “extremely stable genius,” possessing “great and unmatched wisdom” is capable of many more such reckless acts.
Mr. Romney, only you have a chance of being heard by patriotic Republicans in the Senate. They will plug their ears to the pleas of Democrats. Only you can help your esteemed colleagues to recognize the “elephant of evidence” sitting in the corner at the Republican’s Party. Only you can stir a majority of Republicans in the Senate to a point of heart-felt duty and courage, calling them to rise up to support and defend, not a president, but to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
If you do not act now to boldly call all party patriots to objectively examine the evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors and speak out in favor of impeachment, trust in American rule of law and democracy will erode and our republic may fall into tyranny.
This is the 10 question test for determining if you are enabling an alcoholic (or a president):
Do you ever make excuses for the alcoholic’s (or president’s) behavior?
Have you ever lied to anyone to cover up for the alcoholic (or the president)?
Have you bailed the alcoholic (or president out) or paid (for the consequences of his behavior or) his/her legal fees?
Do you avoid talking about the alcoholic’s drinking (or the president’s erratic behavior) out of fear of the response?
Have you paid bills (the consequences) that the alcoholic (or president) was supposed to pay?
Have you “loaned” the alcoholic money (or the president unwarranted trust)?
Have you tried drinking with the alcoholic (or tried going along with the president’s questionable behavior) to strengthen your relationship?
Have you given the alcoholic (or the president) “one more chance” and then another?
Have you threatened to leave (the president’s administration or withdraw your support) and then did not leave?
Have you finished a task the alcoholic (or the president) failed to complete?
Eric Hubner
Eric Hubner, Volcano, Hawai’i, received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brigham Young University, as well as a master of social work degree from the State University of New York. He is a retired mental health therapist and school social worker, who also worked in the addiction field and coordinated services for families at risk of child abuse and neglect.