Like most, I have been following the progress of a variety of state and federal legal institutions as they investigate and call Donald Trump to account. I also read the stories and saw some of the pictures released about his arraignment in a New York court and am saddened by the condition of the American presidency.
Among the pictures released is one of a door closing in the former President’s face that stands as a reminder that he is no longer in charge. The most telling is the picture of him sitting at the defense table as an accused criminal and alleged perpetrator of excesses that seem to characterize his entire adult life.
When Donald Trump came down the golden escalator in Trump Tower on June 16, 2015 to announce his candidacy for President, he attempted to degrade Latinos with awful words selected to brand the community as drug traffickers, criminals and rapists. Those words echoed in my mind as I saw the live and recorded pictures of his indictment on 34 felony charges.
The indictment appears to be just the beginning of a series of appearance in court to answer even more serious criminal charges in other federal and state jurisdictions. It is ironic that this is going on while Trump is actively campaigning for President again.
He is not only a candidate but also the front-runner to become the nominee of the Republican Party. The Republican base desperately wants him because he appears to represent the new ideals of a generation on the way out.
The fact that Trump was supported all the way to becoming President and is being backed for another run says a lot about the state of the presidency in the United States. There is a sense that decadence has set in on this and other major government institutions.
Congress is so divided that it cannot get out of its own way. When power is achieved in some form it is partly used for revenge and retribution against the loser. Also, the United States Supreme Court is finding out that it can no longer rely on the character of its Justices and their sense of right and wrong. Justice Thomas’ uncovered wrong-doing is a prime example of that.
The presidency, an institution whose head stands as the leader of America and the world demands a level of integrity that is now in question. At a moment when our country and its allies are seriously challenged by adversarial nuclear powers like China and Russia and the ascendancy of the great Chinese economy, the need for institutional virtue and vigor is at its highest.
We can draw lessons from the Roman republic that lasted 482 years before autocratic rule took over followed by gradual decadence. One of the most important events in the demise of Rome came after the assassination of Commodus the son of Marcus Aurelius on New Year’s Eve, 192 CE. What followed was the “auction of the Empire” by the Praetorian Guard that awarded the throne to Didius Julianus as the highest bidder in 193 CE.
The event “reveals what eventually happens when a civilization succumbs to concentrated power and corruption.” Our country and the Western world sits on the crossroads of what can takes us into the hands of autocrats or find the will to continue the greatest experiment in self-government.
Presidents come and go every 4 or 8 years. However, the presidency, as enshrined in Article II of the Constitution is the ideal guardian of our liberty.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of La Voz Bilingüe. Comments and responses may be directed to News@lavozcolorado.com.
