Mountain Times - Vol. 50, Number 2, Jan. 13-19, 2021

The Mountain Times • Jan. 13-19, 2021 OPINION • 13
COMMENTARY
The chilling assault on our
constitutional republic
By U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Jan. 6, 2021, will forever mark
a day of infamy for our nation. It
will be remembered because our
beloved Capitol building — the
very heart of our democracy —
was stormed and laid under siege.
Rioters broke through windows,
doors, and security barriers in both
the Senate and House wings of the
Capitol, assaulting Capitol Police officers,
leaving a wake of destruction,
and forcing me and other Members
of Congress to temporarily delay
fulfilling our constitutional duty to
certify the presidential election.
It will be remembered because
the President of the United States
encouraged his supporters to
commit these felonies — to march
to the Capitol, “to show strength,”
and “to fight.” And it will
be remembered because,
even before all of that,
more than 100 members
of the House and a dozen
Senators supported a ploy
to deprive the states and
the American people of
their constitutional role to
choose our next president.
This political stunt
amounted to nothing less
than an assault on our
constitutional republic.
The president’s obscene and
cynical claim that the election was
stolen from him, which he continued
to spout even while his rioting
supporters roamed the halls of the
Capitol, has been flatly disproven
time and again. And his reliance on
voters’ mistrust in the election as
grounds for overturning the election
results is particularly disingenuous,
given that such mistrust is based
on relentless false propaganda
spread by President Trump and
his allies. It is not based on the
evidence. Not on the facts. And
not on the sober assessments of
state election administrators,
both Republicans and Democrats,
who actually oversaw these
elections and know what they are
talking about.
Attempting to reverse the election,
President Trump and his
allies lost more than 60 cases in
courts across the country, by judges
of every political stripe, including
those appointed by the President.
The lopsidedness of these decisions
was extraordinary. It has been nothing
less than a wholesale rejection
of the President’s false claims. But
this was also not surprising. The
president’s own attorney general
said there is no evidence of
widespread fraud. His own Dept. of
Homeland Security described it as
the “most secure election in American
history.”
The events of Jan. 6 crystallized
what we have known for some time.
President Trump serves no one but
himself. He is not a custodian or
guardian of our democracy. He is a
man whose every decision is driven
by his own shallow self-interest. I
did not expect him to be gracious
in defeat. I expected him to throw
tantrums. I’m not even surprised
that his rhetoric incited violence, as
it did on Jan. 6. That’s who President
Trump is. Yet I was surprised and
disappointed that so many members
of Congress let it get this far.
Our obligation on Wednesday
was simply to count the electoral
votes, and to certify that Joe Biden
Attempting to reverse the election,
President Trump and his allies lost
more than 60 cases in courts across
the country, by judges of every
political stripe... It has been nothing
less than a wholesale rejection of
the President’s false claims.
won the election. By pretending
that Congress could effectively
overturn the will of the American
people, these members of Congress,
predictably, poured gasoline on an
already lit fire. We must now get to
work to put this fire out. I am glad
that — just hours after the president’s
supporters had been cleared
from the Capitol, and in the middle
of the night — Congress took the
On Jan. 6... we stood
together, Democrats and
Republicans, to reject the
President’s recklessness
and incitement, and to
demand accountability for
the attack on our Capitol.
first step by certifying Joe Biden
as the next president. But the next
step will be harder. The only way we
stand a chance of coming together
as a country, let alone making progress
for the American people, is by
working together.
I am thankful to the many Senate
Republicans who forcefully rejected
their colleagues’ dangerous political
stunt, even before the violence.
Their words had meaning, and sent
a message to the country that our
democracy will endure.
I have served as a senator for
46 years and am the dean of the
Senate. I can tell you that history
will remember Jan. 6. Americans
— along with the rest of the world
— will not soon forget the brazen
destruction within the very temple
of our democracy, the president’s
incitement of the lawlessness, and
those in Congress who so casually
attempted to overturn the will of the
American people.
But my hope is Jan. 6 will also be
remembered as a day our nation
stood together, no matter our political
leanings, in defense of our democracy.
We stood together, Democrats
and Republicans, to reject the
president’s recklessness
and incitement, and to
demand accountability for
the attack on our Capitol.
In the Senate, we stood
together and overwhelmingly
rejected the handful
of Republicans who still
pursued their dangerous
political stunt to undermine
the election.
We still have a long way
to go. I have long believed
that President Trump is a threat to
our constitutional republic. And
he will remain so until Joe Biden is
sworn in as president on Jan. 20.
President Trump should immediately
resign or be removed from office.
I also share the sadness and anger
of so many of my fellow Vermonters
about the events on Jan. 6. There
were times on that day when I feared
for the strength of our democracy.
While I rushed through the corridors
of the Capitol, I could not
believe my eyes and ears. People
were frantic and scared; I could
hear the rioters making their way
to the Senate floor. But, as Americans
have throughout our history,
it is in our hour of need that we
come together. It is often through
strife and grief that we emerge
stronger. I am hopeful that we did
just that on Jan. 6.
When I emerged from the
Capitol in the middle of that
night, I was surprised by my sense
of hope. We are not through the
storm yet, but this dark chapter in
American history is nearing its end.
Vermonters are committed to ensuring
that brighter days are ahead
for this good and great country that
we love. As a U.S. Senator from the
proud state of Vermont, I will always
stand with Vermonters, and for our
cherished heritage of freedom and
democracy.
Covid recovery and
renewal – building
a proposition for the
future of Vermont
By Paul Costello
As we come out of the crucible of the pandemic and look
to a new year, we need more than recovery, we need to work
together to advance renewal and resilience for our communities
and economy.
The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD)
has been asking Vermonters what recovery will look like.
Almost universally Vermonters say that we can’t just go
"back to normal" in 2021—there’s no way to go backward,
and we need to learn from this crisis. We must go forward
to answer some of the fundamental challenges we faced
before Covid-19 and also to prepare for the challenges from
climate change that we are already seeing and that science
predicts will intensify.
We are asking Vermonters what we should do in the next
three years to build success for the next 30. What do we
need to do today to build foundations for the success of the
next generation of Vermonters? What should we prioritize
for action? To catalogue the ideas we have heard so far from
over a thousand Vermonters, we have built a very preliminary
first draft of a Vermont proposition.
The proposition in its current draft is made up of 10
statements. Today, we are testing these statements and
want to hear thoughts for improvements, additions and
deletions suggested by Vermonters. What are your propositions
for the future of Vermont?
Here’s our draft list so far (which will certainly change!):
• Part 1: Vermont must ensure universal broadband and
cellular access, while using digital tools to promote
community, civility and democracy, and to advance
local commerce and economic opportunity
• Part 2: Vermonters must oppose racism, renew and
expand our collective identity, and welcome new
Vermonters
• Part 3: Vermont must advance creative economic solutions
to climate change
• Part 4: Vermont must reduce economic disparity, advance
economic opportunity and rebuild the middle
class
• Part 5: Vermont must re-localize energy, agriculture,
and business investment for a resilient economy
• Part 6: Vermont must ensure all children have access to
affordable, quality child care and education
• Part 7: Vermont must strengthen business vitality by
advancing entrepreneurship, investment, workforce
and rural innovation
• Part 8: Vermont must reform regional coordination
and governance and advance efficiency and foresight
in state planning
• Part 9: Vermont must protect our lands and waters and
advance the economy of the working landscape
• Part 10: Together, Vermonters must renew civic
engagement and strengthen trust, civility, democratic
decision-making, and empower young Vermonters
There are a lot of ideas and potential strategies behind
each of these; think of the proposition as a book-length action
plan, with these as chapter titles. What are we missing?
What have we gotten wrong? What needs to change?
Send us your ideas by taking the Proposition Survey
at futureofvermont.org or contact us for a paper copy
at info@vtrural.org. Sign up to stay in touch with the next
stage of this initiative!
Let’s turn into the new year with hope and mutual dedication
to build the best possible future for the next generation
of Vermonters!
Paul Costello is the executive director of the Vermont
Council on Rural Development