Editor’s note: This commentary is by Mike Woodfield, of Calais.
Some of us are old enough to have experienced the Watergate break-in, the subsequent investigation, the impeachment of Richard Nixon and ultimately his resignation from the office of president of the United States. Those were troublesome times for our nation and for both political parties.
The actions of Nixon and his enablers and co-conspirators were referred to by some as “dirty tricks.” Indeed, they were that and more. The dirty deeds perpetrated were done in the furtherance of political power. Whether those nefarious deeds had a material effect on the outcome of the 1972 presidential election is unclear. Nixon was reelected, and inaugurated for the second time on Jan. 20, 1973. But Nixon’s victory which he celebrated in typical fashion, smiling and raising his arms in the air and hands displaying his iconic victory salute would soon begin to unravel.
Not long after the inauguration, news of a botched burglary of the Democratic Party offices at the Watergate complex was reported by the Washington Post and other news outlets. Largely due to the tireless and undaunted reporting by two young reporters named Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein (popularly referred to at the time as Woodward and Bernstein) with the support of the leadership and owners of the paper, the facts came out. There were undoubtedly attempts by Nixon and his supporters to suppress and intimidate the press and any who would try to expose his corruption, venal behavior and crimes against the United States of America and its citizens.
As the facts of what had taken place started to come out, the United States Senate set up a special committee made up of seven senators to investigate. This committee became known as the Watergate Committee. The hearings were riveting and the revelations shocking. Nixon had his supporters, but as the committee did its work, the work of the American people, the truth came out bit by bit. It seemed that each day’s revelations were more startling than the last as the depth of the conspiracy and the cover-up became clear.
The committee’s hearings and its final report brought clarity to Nixon’s culpability and the illegal acts of many in his circle. During the impeachment hearings White House counsel, John Dean, remarked that there was “a cancer on the presidency.” This was an apt metaphor. Ultimately, the hearings and the committee’s final report exposed the whole sordid affair, unraveled the conspiracy spearheaded by a president who wanted to remain in power and to gain any advantage over his political opposition by illegal means.
After the Senate Committee did its work, the House of Representatives passed articles of impeachment. On Aug. 8, 1974, urged by fellow Republicans likely including his own vice president, Gerald Ford, Nixon resigned in disgrace.
Now comes a man named Donald Trump. A man with ambition, a man without contrition. Someone who in many ways is uniquely suited for the role he has chosen to play and the sway he holds over so many. He has recognized, embodied and stoked the worst characteristics among us. He has used his rallies to stoke the flames of disorder and as a place of recruitment for hate groups. It is a big tent indeed — including white supremacists, neo-Nazis, QAnon insanity, ordinary bigots and insurrection tourists. Donald Trump purports himself to be a man of the people yet we know that he reserves his love for one man only. Apparently, his followers agree.
Amazingly, as the story has unfolded, Donald Trump has given a synopsis in advance of each act in this terrible play that he has scripted. Last week the Trump rallies came to a climax — a bloody, insurrectionist one. Many who went to Washington to support the president and his attempt to take control of the government by any means are safely home now. They came by bus, by air and by car but they cannot claim to be patriots. Are we in the final act of this tragedy? Who can put an end to this? Will the expiration of his term as president suffice?
Watergate has become a synonym for abuse of power. That deplorable chapter ended and underscored emphatically the principle that no man is above the law. Republican leaders at the time affirmed this and ensured that Nixon would not remain in office. Yet, this man, Donald Trump, who has laughed in the face of our democratic process, trampled on our principles, denounced and degraded so many with callous disregard for the rule of law and basic decency, tried to strong-arm Congress into doing his bidding and brought us to the brink of literal destruction as a democratic society has just been gleefully reaffirmed as the head of the Republican Party. Four more years or eight more years or however many more years of politics based on hate and the mobilization of fascist and un-American groups.
Please forgive me a personal aside. I am not a historian, I am not a politician, I am not a leader. I am just an ordinary citizen. I have considered myself to be a Democrat most of my life. Nevertheless, I have voted for a number of Republicans over the years including the current governor of Vermont, Phil Scott. In the past I also voted for former Sen. Jim Jeffords and before that Sen. Bob Stafford, both Republican senators who represented Vermont and the nation admirably and honorably.
“A cancer on the presidency.” Today that metaphor has even more weight because the cancer has spread. Its malignant effects are evident in the Republican Party and especially in those who continue to carry water for Donald Trump. It’s time for Republicans to remove Donald Trump from the presidency which he has desecrated and from their own party which he has damaged. Some Republicans are saying that it is time for healing. Let them begin by healing their own party. The sickness must be rooted out. Republicans need this, America needs this.
