In 1957, Senator John F. Kennedy won the Pulitzer Prize for his book,Profiles in Courage, about U.S. politicians who took courageous stands to do what was right, not just what was expedient.
It was not a huge book; only eight US Senators were profiled for their courage, daring to take a stand that was right but unpopular. Today, a book titled “Profiles in Cowardice” would have to be a multi-volume set, featuring politicians who are silent in the face of a President who claims he does not know if he has a duty to uphold the Constitution.
Just a few months ago, Trump took the Oath of Office for the second time.
But when asked by Kristen Welker on Meet the Press if whether, as president, he needed to uphold the Constitution, Trump responded, “I don’t know,” and added that he would rely on his “brilliant lawyers” to follow what the Supreme Court said.
GOP office holders, who take the same oath of office, have been largely silent. The only cited Republican reaction is Senator Paul’s brief and somewhat ambiguous comment on Twitter (X): “We either [are] a society governed [by] the Constitution [or] we’re not,” but did not elaborate further He did not mention Trump by name or explicitly criticize him.
In a perfectly moral world, Trump’s nonchalance (at best) about taking his Oath of Office seriously would prompt top of the fold and very bold headlines, such as “Trump Waffles on Upholding the Constitution.” But now the media is intimidated, and the GOP politicians are intimidated. Why? They fear Trump’s “base,” a base which evidently does not care about the Constitution, but should.
Perhaps Rebecca Balint said it best a few days ago; on the floor of the House, she told GOP legislators that their “fear was keeping them small.”
If the leader of your party doesn’t know his official duties, it’s time to speak truth to power. But that would mean you have just a teensy-weensy bit of moral courage. Legal to stay silent, of course, but clearly, a most cowardly silence.