Complicity with Trump Will be Graham and Scott’s Central Legacy
When we look back at this time in history, there will be certain events that will stick out of the historical account. At the very top will be a president who sought to overthrow American democracy leading to a mob on the capitol. Not only will Trump be viewed as the worst president in U.S. history, there will also be disbelief as the members of his party, by and large, let him off the hook. Therefore, as much as Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham may want it to be different, their legacies will not be defined by “opportunity zones,” bipartisan DACA legislation, or certain economic policies. They will be defined first and foremost by their complicity with both the Trump presidency and the unwillingness to hold him accountable even when he incited a mob to overthrow an election.
Their decisions are ones first and foremost of cowardice. They know they would receive untold pushback from a Republican base that still adores Trump. Therefore instead of completing their Constitutional responsibility, they choose to just ignore it. Any moment they stand up to speak for any issue over the next several years should be seen with derision. Any half hearted attempt to repair their image should be ignored.
Their decisions, especially Graham’s, is also based on opportunism. Scott has largely silently supported Trump where Graham has been his greatest defender to the point of possible committing a crime for him(in his conversations with Georgia’s Secretary of State). Graham wants the spotlight and somehow thinks getting that attention is worth defending a demagogue. History will not look to kindly on him.
In a time we needed some courage from legislators to hold the president from their own party responsible, we by and large received cowardice with a few notable exceptions. Those who did find that courage like South Carolina Rep. Tom Rice will probably be voted out in the primaries for not giving their fealty to Trump. Scott and Graham will keep their seats, but their legacy will be a lesson in cowardice and opportunism for decades to come.
