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Friends,

It can happen here. It almost did. We have two fundamental problems with our democracy. The first is its structure. Thanks to the Electoral College, a shift of less than 22,000 votes across three states could have made Donald Trump the lawful winner even though he would have still lost the popular vote by more than seven million. The U.S. Senate is an archaic institution that does not reflect the will of the people and U.S. House districts are gerrymandered throughout the country. We have a largely unregulated campaign finance system and voter suppression occurs regularly in many states.

The second problem is us. What happened last week should have surprised no one. A clear line of violence and antisemitism connects the dots of Trump's presidency. Instead of standing up to Trump, for four years, the Republican Party followed him. And why not? He said out loud what they've been dog whistling for years. He epitomized what the GOP is all about: Economic policies that favor the wealthiest 1% and stoking bigotry, hatred, and cultural resentment for votes. Nearly half the country voted for Trump.

Some of our friends voted for Trump, but we didn't let a little cruelty and corruption stand in the way of a good laugh or fun dinner, did we? We chalked it off to reasonable minds can differ, two sides to every story, but they're nice people, they daven nicely, and aren't they generous, so let's not let politics ruin a friendship, as if there was no line and values meant nothing. And yet we wonder, still we wonder, how Germans could have looked the other way during the Shoah and how the U.S. could have turned away Jewish refugees. Turns out it's pretty easy to look the other way when it's not happening to you.

What we saw last week in DC is what the Republican Party is and what it stands for. Shame, shame, shame on anyone who voted for Donald Trump and does not now apologize. There is no equivalence. There is no "both sides." If you are nonpartisan after all this, then you too are complicit and you too should be ashamed. If some Jewish and pro-Israel organizations could not stand up and condemn Trump for fear of losing their 501c3 status or angering donors, then they should reconsider their mission. And we should reconsider whether they deserve our support anymore.

Never Forget. Never forget the 121 Republicans who, even after the rioting in the Capitol, voted against certifying Biden's victory in the freest and fairest election in our history. Never forget the 11 Republican Senators, led by Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), who vowed to oppose certification and the eight who voted against after the riots. Never forget that every Republican Senator except Mitt Romney (R-UT) voted to acquit Trump of all charges and never forget that not one House Republican voted for impeachment. Yes, Ben Sasse (R-NE) and others can talk a good game when they want to. But where were their silver tongues for the past four years?

Unless they take full accountability for their roles, they are forever unworthy of our support. Changing one's mind and admitting error is a strength, not a weakness, and we should welcome anyone willing to do genuine tshuva.

If you still support an organization that contributes to candidates on a nonpartisan or bipartisan basis, now is the time to withdraw your support from those organizations--especially if they ever contribute to any of the above-mentioned Republicans. If you feel more threatened by a six-person "squad" than these Republicans, you need to look in the mirror and ask yourself what you are really afraid of.

Let's not forget the Jewish communal institutions and leaders who failed in this moment. Some said nothing. Others issued statements that would have made as much sense if, instead of talking about violence, they were talking about a hurricane--no mention of who provoked this violence, no mention of what led to this assault on our democracy--only milquestoast calls for thoughts and prayers and unity, as if what happened last week was some natural disaster beyond our control and all we could do is offer comfort against these uncontrollable forces. Thoughts and prayers are necessary, but not sufficient.

Let's not forget the racism we saw on display in our nation's capital. The Capitol Police treated the insurrectionists like they were entering Disneyland. Some took selfies and some helped the rioters down the stairs. No clubbing, shooting, or teargassing these white faces. No knees on the neck. No beatings. The police proved when Black Americans protested racism that they know how to use force. But against an angry mob of deplorables, the police were unprepared and unwilling to stop what everyone knew was coming.

Some of the insurrectionists wore shirts with antisemitic slogans. Avowed white supremacists and Holocaust deniers were among the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol. But since they were carrying Confederate flags and not Palestinian flags, they escaped condemnation from our right-wing friends.

Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) offered a weak apology for praising Hitler, but what was she thinking? How does someone say this in the first place? To use "pro-Israel" as a defense against antisemitism only makes it worse. The Illinois Legislative Jewish Caucus has demanded her resignation. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Marie Newman (D-IL) called on Miller to resign. Jewish Democratic Council of America termed Miller's apology insufficient and demanded her resignation.

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) successfully elevated the envoy to fight antisemitism to ambassador level last week. Trump left this position vacant for the first two years of his term; Biden will quickly appoint a qualified envoy. After four years of Trump, we need more than ever to fight racism and antisemitism effectively.

What's the answer? Changing the system takes time. Changing people takes time. Last week illustrated that we have an ugly strain within America easily triggered by demagoguery. We need to put it back under the rock where it belongs. No one can now doubt that words matter, especially coming from the President of the United States.

We need to work every day, every election, to elect candidates who share our values. We need to support institutions that share our values. We need to recognize that in today's political climate, party affiliation is itself a values statement, perhaps the most important values statement because elections matter. Nearly 400,000 Americans have died from COVID because of who we elected in 2016. Politics is not a game and we should not treat it as a game.

Trump should have been removed from office long ago, and he should be removed now by whatever means is fastest and surest: 25th Amendment or impeachment/conviction. In a Friday event convened by JDCA, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Reps. Mike Levin (D-CA), Brad Schneider (D-IL), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) all called for Trump's removal.

Georgia taught us the way forward. Georgia is a purple state. But instead of running toward the center and pretending to be faux-Republicans, Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff ran on their progressive principles and won. Democrats everywhere can win not by appealing to hatred and resentment, but by focusing on what everyone wants--good jobs, affordable healthcare, and a safe world for our children and grandchildren.

Rev. Warnock said on Wednesday that “I think Abraham Joshua Heschel, the rabbi who said when he marched with Dr. King he felt like his legs were praying, I think he and Dr. King are smiling in this moment and we hope to make them proud.”

Mitch McConnell will no longer run the Senate. Ossoff is the first Jewish Senator elected from Georgia, Warnock is the first Black Senator elected from Georgia, and thanks to their victories, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will become the first Jewish Senate Majority Leader.

The violence last week reminds us that we can never become complacent, but the victories of Warnock and Ossoff remind us that brighter days lie ahead and that we can make them happen--if we work for it.

Last week's newsletter.

ICYMI. Trump and the trashing of the American republic.

Tweets of the Week. Jon Favreau and Judd Apatow.

Twitter Thread of the Week. Seth Mnookin.

Rabbinic Posts of the Week. Rabbi Sharon Brous and Rabbi Betsy Forester (read to the end for the bonus d'var from Benjy Forester) modeling rabbinic leadership.

Photos of the Week. Responses to Black Lives Matter and Rev. Raphael Warnock protests. Not quite what we saw last week. What could the difference be?

Video Clip of the Week. Lincoln Project--Bloodlines.

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The Fine Print: This newsletter usually runs on Sunday mornings. Unless stated otherwise, my views do not necessarily reflect the views of any candidates or organizations that I support or am associated with. I reserve the right to change my mind as I learn more. Intelligent, well-informed people may disagree with me; read opposing views and decide for yourself. A link to an article doesn't mean that I agree with everything its author has ever said or that I even agree with everything in the article; it means that the article supports or elaborates on the point I was making. I take pride in accurately reporting the facts on which I base my opinions. Tell me if you spot any inaccuracies, typos, or other mistakes so that I can correct them in the next newsletter (and give you credit if you want it). Advertisements reflect the views of the advertisers, not necessarily of me, and advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their advertisements. I read, value, and encourage replies to my newsletters, but I don't always have time to acknowledge replies or to engage in one-on-one discussion. Don't expect a reply if your message is uncivil or if it's clear from your message that you haven't read the newsletter or clicked on the relevant links. © 2021 Steve Sheffey. All rights reserved.