Robinson: Congress must stop a 'bad' president's 'bad' decision
“Our government may at some time be in the hands of a bad man. When in the hands of a good man it is all well enough. … We ought to have our government so shaped that even when in the hands of a bad man we shall be safe.”
Frederick Douglass said that in 1866, as Andrew Johnson — until now, clearly the worst president in U.S. history — tried his best to undo the verdict of the Civil War, encouraging white supremacists to re-impose brutal oppression of African-Americans in the former Confederate states. An irate Congress responded by passing the nation’s first federal civil rights legislation, over Johnson’s veto, and approving the 14th Amendment guaranteeing equal protection under the law. How will Congress respond now?
Once again, with President Trump in the White House, our government is “in the hands of a bad man.” Once again, Congress has a duty to act — not rashly but responsibly, dealing with concrete issues in concrete ways.
Which brings us to the ongoing government shutdown over Trump’s “big beautiful wall” or “steel barrier” or whatever he decides to call it next. If the real-world impacts were not so dire — the possibility, for example, that food assistance will lapse — the whole thing would be a joke. Indeed, watching Trump and his minions try to come up with justifications for a border wall does provide much-needed comic relief.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/robinson-congress-must-stop-a-bad-presidents-bad-decision/?utm_source=DAILY+HERALD&utm_campaign=477e32fdeb-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81d073bb4-477e32fdeb-228635337
