Saxman: The President Fired Himself
By Chris Saxman
Republicans have a decision to make, but the good news for them is that Donald Trump has already made it for them.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said:
When you strike at a king, you must kill him.
Yesterday, the president struck at the sovereign of this nation – the people – and missed.
He must now be removed.
It was his choice.
He did that.
Three stories illustrate.
1) base level human behavior
2) political party caucus (group) decision making
3) Major League Baseball – one person’s decision
- Stop the biting
About twenty-two years ago, we had a problem in our house.
Our three-year old son, William, would not stop biting his five year-old sister, Mary Kathryn.
William, now 25 living in Pittsburgh and working for FedEx, has been one of the nicest, quietest, and best natured people I have ever known. And funny. William is REALLY funny. He was also the most coachable kid I ever coached and was “the chemistry guy” on his teams. He just helped everyone get along and play better.
During his biting phase, however, he would turn on his sister with the quickest, most ferocious look on his face and chomp down on whatever body part Ditty (Mary Kathryn) had exposed. Arm, leg, hand, back…you name it.
It had to stop.
We tried talking to him and putting him in time outs but that didn’t work. Not even close.
I knew what I had to do and I didn’t want to do it. At all.
I had to bite William.
Now, before you go all “you should never hurt or injure a child” on me – I knew that too.
But, I had to do it.
So, after one of his viper moves on Ditty I sat William down and said very calmly, “William, if you bite Ditty one more time, Daddy is going to bite you.” Then I opened my mouth as wide as it could go and showed him the potential size of the bite. His eyelids disappeared and chin dropped simultaneously.
I had his attention and hoped for the best.
Unfortunately, whatever DNA is present in kids that makes them bite other kids won out and – yup – he bit his sister again.
I then said very calmly, “William, because you bit Ditty again, I am going to bite you.”
William starts running around the house screaming and crying, “Nooo…Nooo….” but I just walked slowly behind him waiting for him to run out of house which he eventually did in the kitchen.
Cornered, he turned around wailing, “Nooooo!”
I took his arm and placed it in my mouth and pressed down on it gently enough to leave a dental impression. I was never going to BITE my kid. C’mon man…
Man, did he wail after that! But leaving that dental impression solved the problem.
William made the decision. Not me.
The biting stopped. Thank you, Dr. Pavlov – negative reinforcement works.
Wikipedia Reinforcement:
In behavioral psychology, reinforcement is a consequence applied that will strengthen an organism’s future behavior whenever that behavior is preceded by a specific antecedent stimulus.
- Political Party Caucus Decision
In 2002, six months after being sworn in as a member of the House of Delegates, our majority caucus was faced with a decision about the Speaker of the House, Vance Wilkins, who had settled out of court on a sexual harassment case for $100,000.
For the uninformed – that man built our majority almost single handedly.
The caucus gathered in Richmond in the State Capitol Building to hear the man out. There was a heated discussion. But the decision had been made, Vance had to go as Speaker.
He made it.
Driving north to DC on I-95 that night, I received a call from a reporter from my hometown paper, The Staunton News Leader.
“What happened in there?” I was asked.
“Nothing I heard this evening makes me believe this man is unjustly accused.”
It was his decision, not mine. We just held him accountable for it.
- Grady Little’s 2003 ALCS Game 7 Decision
In the 2003 American League Championship Series, the cursed Boston Red Sox faced their old nemesis the New York Yankees in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium. The deciding game.
Leading 5-2 in the 8th inning, Red Sox manager Grady Little left in his starting pitcher Pedro Martinez who had thrown over 100 pitches that night.
Martinez was done. It was obvious to everyone watching. Little let him start the inning and Martinez gave up a double to Derek Jeter and a single to Bernie Williams.
Grady Little then calls time out and goes to the mound. Everyone watching is thinking “Stick a fork in him. He’s done”, Little MUST be pulling him for a fresh left handed relief pitcher in Alan Embree to face left handed batter Hideki Matsui.
NOPE.
Little stunned everyone and let Martinez stay in the game. Doubles to Matsui and Jorge Posada followed tying the game which then went into extra innings. The Yankees won in the 11th on Aaron Boone’s walk off home run.
OH. BY. THE. WAY.
Listening to sports talk radio the next morning, the question was raised whether or not to fire Grady Little for his decision to leave Martinez in the game.
One announcer said:
They should have fired him on the way to the bus!
The decision had been made by Little, not Red Sox management. They just carried it out.
IF you are still here, you probably know where I am going with this.
The Republicans have a decision to make regarding the President of the United States, but the good news for them is that he has already made it for them.
Donald Trump has fired himself and he cannot be allowed to serve out his term in office.
After speaking for one hour and twelve minutes yesterday to tens of thousands of his most ardent supporters, the President of the United States said this:
So we’re going to, we’re going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue, I love Pennsylvania Avenue, and we’re going to the Capitol and we’re going to try and give… The Democrats are hopeless. They’re never voting for anything, not even one vote. But we’re going to try and give our Republicans, the weak ones, because the strong ones don’t need any of our help, we’re going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.
What followed was one of the most tragic episodes in our Republic’s history.
We lived it together in real time.
We, the eventual jury, saw it all.
The President of the United States – after losing an election – told his supporters to march to the Capitol – our seat of government – and undo the election by giving “them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.”
His. Words.
Republicans are left with carrying out the decision of a president who led a march on the Capitol which holds the duly elected representatives of the people of the United States.
One more time:
The president led a march on our democratic republic’s seat of government.
That is the antecedent stimulus that will be reinforced with either Positive Reinforcement – allowing the President to get away with his actions or Negative Reinforcement – holding the President accountable for his actions.
There are several options:
A. Censure – the cowardly way out.
B. Impeachment.
C. Invoking the 25th Amendment.
D. Both B and C. *raises hand* Hopefully on the same day.
E. Letting the people decide for them at the voting booth. (this I wouldn’t suggest)
This one is on the Republicans since the votes necessary for removal from office rest with them. We know where the Democrats are.
If the Republicans choose not to follow through on what has already been decided by the President, then the people will later hold them accountable.
.The events of January 6, 2021 cannot be allowed to go unpunished. If they are not met with the removal of the sitting president during his term, the next time we are faced with a similar crisis, it will be even worse. Much worse.
The line has been crossed. This cannot be enabled to occur again. Period.
It’s time for the Republicans to ask themselves what they believe.
Do they believe in the rule of law?
Do they believe in the Constitution?
Do they believe that the people are sovereign?
The president led an attack on the people – the sovereign – yesterday.
And failed.
Like this scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, we see the Leap of Faith that is needed to save Indiana Jones’ dying father. To be saved, Jones must step out into an abyss with no visible bridge to the other side where he can use the cup of Christ to save his father.
In politics, there is no physical bridge between the people and their elected representatives. The bridge is metaphysical.
It’s there.
Trust. Us.
They just need to have faith and trust in the people so that we may have, once again, faith and trust in them.
Chris Saxman represented the 20th District in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002-10. A businessman and active member of the community, he is Executive Director of Virginia FREE, a non-partisan, non-profit that informs the business community in order to advance free enterprise and responsible, pro-business government. He and his wife Michele live in Richmond.
