In the Midst of a Political Emergency

THE REVELATIONS AT the end of the summer from journalist Bob Woodward and from the anonymous administration official writing in The New York Times provided more evidence, as if more were needed, of the unhinged, immoral, chaotic, and deeply corrupt nature of the president and his administration. They also underscored the absolute necessity of creating and bolstering whatever checks and balances are possible to this administration’s power—not merely because of political exigency, which is dire enough to fairly name it as a constitutional crisis, but because the integrity of our faith is at stake as well.

While I’m convinced that the very soul of our nation is under threat by this administration and its actions, it’s not just policy or even character issues per se that have brought us to this point—as important as they are. Those issues include racial bigotry that overtly denies the image of God in all people; the denial and destruction of truth itself; a reversal of Jesus’ leadership values of service over domination; our unity in Christ as opposed to oppression based on race, gender, and class; whether we put “America first” or affirm the global character of our faith and relationships; and the real danger of growing autocracy and authoritarian rule over our democracy.

The moral corruption of this administration is staggering and presents increasing danger to the health of our society and the institutional balances of our republic. On top of all that, because of the Faustian bargain he has made with many white evangelicals, the Trump era has also created a defining moment for people of faith, not only a constitutional crisis but also a crisis of conscience. For Christians, that raises the stakes even beyond what they would be if this were “only” about a political catastrophe.

I AM HARDLY alone in asserting that the stakes are this high. Many conservatives who are usually dependably Republican have warned that the checks and balances built into our system of government simply aren’t working, and that this is a critical moment for our country.

For instance, the fiercely conservative columnist George Will wrote about what he sees as a constitutional crisis: “The congressional Republican caucuses must be substantially reduced,” Will wrote. “So substantially that their remnants, reduced to minorities, will be stripped of the Constitution’s Article I powers that they have been too invertebrate to use against the current wielder of Article II powers. ... And to those who say, ‘But the judges, the judges!’ the answer is: Article III institutions are not more important than those of Articles I and II combined.”

These are remarkable sentiments coming from such a staunch and consistent conservative as Will. Few conservatives have actually advocated the defeat of their party at the congressional level, not the least because of the importance they place on a conservative judiciary. Will is saying that judicial preferences do not outweigh the need to have limits on the dangerous excesses of this president.

Michael Gerson, a former speechwriter for George W. Bush, put the stakes in even starker moral terms. He wrote:

American politics is in the midst of an emergency. ... If Republicans retain control of the House in November, Trump will (correctly) claim victory and vindication ... And he will gain many more enablers and imitators ... The possible outcomes this November come down to this: Trump contained, or Trump triumphant ... In this case, a Republican vote for a Democratic representative will be an act of conscience.

These are not indictments that either Will or Gerson make lightly. But it has become increasingly clear that Trump has engaged in criminal, and unconstitutional, behavior. He is a self-interested man instead of a public servant, one who regards nothing as larger than himself—even the country he was elected to serve. He is actively contemplating plunging the country into a constitutional crisis to avoid accountability and to retain his personal hold on power.

President Trump’s base of white voters, in their fearful and sometimes hateful backlash to American multicultural diversity, supports virtually everything Trump does. Afraid of changing demographics, their core white nationalism could effectively spell the end of democracy in this country, or at least will be its severest test in the days ahead.

With the rule of law, the importance of truth, the nature of leadership, social equity and equality, and the threat of autocracy over democracy now all at stake, we cannot squander any opportunity to genuinely check this president’s frightening power—to hold Trump accountable to the law, to freedom of the press, and to constitutional government, and to protect the most vulnerable people from the president himself.