Political Tug of War (Archive)

In a dimly lit conference room, the carpets are worn, and the air is cold. A U-shaped row of desks flanks one end of the room, facing towards a straight row of smaller but no less antiquated tables. Adorned on each of the U-shaped desks are microphones, all arrayed like black arrows pointing towards heavenward.

It is hard to think that in such a place, drama could ever occur, and indeed even in the age a Trump presidency, it seldom does. But these past few days have been different. Different, because today the room is filled with reporters, aids, agitated spectators and beleaguered senators. And indeed, there is much cause for excitement. These politicians are about to determine the course of the U.S. Supreme Court, and thus of American justice, for decades to come. But one other thing that permeates these chambers are echoes, not only of sound but of memory.

 

A murmur in this cavernous room can quickly turn into a firestorm. Such has been the case with the confirmation hearings for prospective Supreme Court Justice, Brett Kavanaugh. In the past few days information has come to light which further brings into question Kavanaugh’s qualifications to serve in the highest office of law in the land. Once again, a man handpicked by the Trump administration to hold an office of power has been faced with an allegation of sexual assault.

The severity of this allegation is matched only by the crass insensitivity with which many conservatives have reacted to the situation. It seems the new ethos of party above basic decency prevails in the most conservative corners of the Republican party. Individuals, such as Donald Trump Jr., have debased and ridiculed the allegations. The extent that some conservatives have gone to protect Kavanaugh by attacking Dr. Ford are truly appalling. But the most disheartening aspect of the Kavanaugh debacle is that no matter what happens, Brett Kavanaugh will likely be our newest Supreme Court Justice.

Regardless of whether you believe Dr. Ford or not, the truth of the matter is that we have already been at this crossroads before. The crossroads which offers us the choice between political expediency and moral rectitude. The only difference was that the accuser was Anita Hill, and the man in the hot seat was Justice Clarence Thomas. We have seen this story before, and unfortunately, we know how it ends. Then, the system failed a former Office of Civil Rights worker and Brandeis University professor. Exhausted and disheartened, Hill was stuck in limbo because of her testimony, unable to return to normal life and unable to attain justice. Then Democrats held both the House and the Senate, and Senator Joseph Biden was the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The question that inevitably escapes exasperated lips at a time like this are familiar. Why has politics become so entrenched in tribalism and petty bickering that we cannot all rally behind the right decision, not the decision most beneficial to the ideological goals of a political party? Why are those who dare to speak out against their attackers immediately shot down, not just by the powerful perpetrator, but by partisans who support him at all costs? Why are the scales of justice inexorably tipped in favor of the wealthy and the unprincipled?  

How long must we be locked in a senseless tug of war between morality and politics?

Over and over, these questions echo, like the voices of tourists filling through the Dome of our palatial Capitol building. The architects of this Greek Revival structure intended it to be more than just a symbol of power. It was also meant to be a symbol of justice, fairness and equality before the law. Nowhere is that exemplified better than by the colossal bronze statue of a woman which crowns the Capitol building’s dome. Her name is freedom, and at her feet is inscribed one of our timeless mottos: ‘E. Pluribus Unum’. If Freedom could talk, what would she say of us and the current predicament of our country?

Well, some of our prominent leaders have spoken. Former Vice President Joseph Biden speaking at an annual dinner hosted by the Human Rights Campaign stated in a recent speech “We are in a fight for America’s soul”. And if the presence of so many corrupt, self-interested and greedy politicians in Washington D.C. desperate to defend Trump is any indication, we are losing that fight.