Founding father Thomas Jefferson expected churning waters in our democracy. Twice in 1820, he wrote about political unrest by noting, “The boisterous sea of liberty is never without a wave.”
The United States felt a huge blue wave — some say a tsunami — in a national rout in the midterm elections that rebuked two divisive years of Republican control and a Trump administration that has been cruel across the world.
Democrats seized control of Congress with stunning wins across the country — including a Senate pick-up by Annie Andrews in ruby-red South Carolina. Now they have a big job ahead to be the change that voters demanded in places that haven’t seen Democrats win in decades.
Yes, we are entering an unrivaled season of accountability. And it’s about time.
It’s about time that the Trump administration face the music for two years of corruption, ill-conceived tariffs, a nonsensical war with Iran, extralegal raids on communities and people by an immigration agency run amok, as well as harmful economic policies that led to unreasonably high prices on everything from gas to food.
The new Congress run by Democrats must rein in the presidential power assumed by Donald Trump when the GOP Congress failed to follow laws to keep him in check. But they need to do so using the rule of law and procedural standards in place for generations. They do not need to sink to retributive acts to return the country to normal. Rather, they must take deliberate, intentional steps that counter the kind of un-American leadership that led to the Jan. 6, 2020, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The new Congress under Democrats will have extra powers that the party hasn’t had for the last few years. It will have the power of subpoena. Democrats must use it to demand secret documents from the administration. They must use it to have hearings in the clear light of day to make administration officials testify about harmful, illegal and abusive policies by agencies from the Justice Department to Defense Department. They must use it as the foundation for impeachment and conviction of officials who broke the law.
Simply put, retribution isn’t needed. Outing bad actors in the Trump administration using the rule of law and powers granted to Congress in the Constitution is sufficient and steady. There will be enough retribution by moderate Republicans who are shaking in their boots because of their failures to hold the Trump administration accountable. Look for a shocking season ahead of finger-pointing, back-stabbing and excuses from a GOP that has already started scurrying away from Trump like cockroaches in light.
As the administration’s cabinet officials start heading for the door, the Democratic Congress can use its new powers for more. The Senate, in fact, can veto administration nominees who don’t meet the measure of being shining lights of public service. Congress also can start using its power over the federal purse to rein in outrageous building projects envisioned by Trump to distract Americans from problems in urban, rural and suburban communities.
The obliteration of the Republican agenda in these midterm elections is just the start of the nation’s return to political normalcy seen under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Democrats keep their eyes on the ball — true accountability for Trump, his cronies, his cabinet, his family and bad actors in his party. Now is the time.
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