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Harrop: Convention was all about survival of democracy
By Froma Harrop
Published: August 26, 2024, 6:01am
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The Democratic National Convention was a lively dance party featuring the usual lineup of partisan speakers. Barack Obama, as usual, charmed the crowd, mocking Donald Trump’s obsession over crowd size with a subtle but unmistakable hand gesture.
One of the most moving speeches, however, was a quiet address by Stephanie Grisham. Trump’s former White House press secretary, Grisham made headlines by abruptly resigning on Jan. 6, 2021, after her boss refused to call off the rioters savaging the U.S. Capitol.
Also former chief of staff to Melania Trump, Grisham texted the first lady during the mayhem. “Do you want to tweet that peaceful protests are the right of every American, but there is no place for lawlessness & violence?” she wrote. Melania said, “No.”
Bear in mind, Grisham was not intending to cause trouble for Trump. On the contrary, Trump defenders at Fox News also urged him to call off the thugs. They thought the scenes of violent destruction were not in Trump’s interest.
Grisham’s other descriptions of Trump’s character were of little surprise. That he lacked empathy and lied. That he made fun of his followers as “basement dwellers.” That he resented cameras at the ICU focusing on dying patients rather than himself. A Trump supporter, Grisham hung in through all of that.
It was his encouraging of the criminals desecrating the Capitol in an effort to overthrow the results of an election. “Now here I am behind a podium advocating for a Democrat,” she said, “and that’s because I love my country more than my party.”
Donald Trump is who he is, but the enduring mystery is why so few other Republicans would put country over party. We know that many were appalled by the events of Jan. 6, with some squeaking out criticism of the former president’s refusal to intervene. But when the MAGA hordes made defending Trump’s role in that outrage essential to career survival, they ran right into their rabbit holes.
Not all, of course. Adam Kinzinger, a former Illinois representative, also was on the DNC speaker list.
John Giles, the Republican mayor of Mesa, Ariz., gave an especially memorable address. Giles could never forgive Trump for trashing the reputation of a war hero and fellow Arizona Republican, the late Sen. John McCain.
“I have a confession to make,” Giles said. “I’m a lifelong Republican, so I feel a little out of place tonight, but I feel more at home here than in today’s Republican Party.”
Giles had already endorsed Kamala Harris in an op-ed column in the Arizona Republic. That took guts but also smarts. Arizonans, Republicans included, have grown testy over Trump’s efforts to interfere with their electoral process.
None of this has much to do with policy. This wasn’t a discussion of abortion rights, child tax credits or tariffs. This was all about the survival of the democracy.
The good thing about a democracy is that if the elected leaders don’t do what you want them to, you can vote them out of office. Without elections, the public must live with what they get. Trump’s efforts to undermine the sanctity of the vote should scare those who share his worldview as well as those who don’t.
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