by Mayor Glenn Jacobs
When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon with his army — an act Roman law strictly prohibited — he is reported to have said, “Alea iacta est,” Latin for “the die is cast.” Caesar, one of history’s most brilliant military and political minds, understood there was no turning back, even though the outcome was uncertain and quite possibly catastrophic.
History will question whether, during his occasional moments of lucidity, Joe Biden or his hubristic Justice Department experienced any such epiphany before crossing an American Rubicon, the indictment of a former President and Biden’s chief political rival, Donald Trump.
During his term in office, Trump suffered through numerous scandals manufactured by the “Resistance:” Russiagate, Ukraine, to name a couple. They turned out to be baseless conspiracy theories. However, like the adage goes, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. After much trying the Uniparty finally got its man.
The excitement among coastal elites is palpable. It’s easy to imagine the euphoric clapping of backs at exclusive cocktail parties. Meanwhile, the woke keyboard warriors crow their victory on Twitter, “Finally! We got him! “ and the Political Class heaves a sigh of relief now that they can go back to the business of ruling…er, sorry, governing.
The 74 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump in 2020 feel somewhat differently, once again, marginalized, disenfranchised, and maligned by an arrogant, out-of-touch political establishment concerned only with ensuring its own power and existence. It was this frustration that first brought Trump to political prominence. If anything, it’s only become more pronounced.
In large swaths of the country, Trump enjoys a bond with his supporters not seen since FDR. But instead of attempting to understand why, the political establishment, bolstered by experts with master’s degrees in political science, writes off this phenomenon as a cult of personality among people who just aren’t that smart. They think it’s all about Donald Trump, and if they remove him from the picture, everything will go back to normal and we can forget this awful episode during which an outsider seized the levers of power.
To Trump supporters, on the other hand, the lesson is clear: if they can do this to a former President of the United States, what chance do the rest of us stand?
This indictment illustrates everything wrong with the political system. Hillary Clinton — who did not possess the authorities or protections afforded a President — allegedly used an unsecured server in her bathroom to email sensitive information and destroyed evidence to cover up those indiscretions. Instead of being tried under the Espionage Act, however, the authorities cleared Clinton of any wrongdoing though noting that, yes, there were multiple security violations. While Trump effectively faces life in prison if convicted, Clinton smugly dons her “But Her Emails” baseball cap, reminding the Basket of Deplorables that it pays to be part of the system.
Then there’s Bill Clinton’s sock drawer, Joe Biden’s garage, and emerging accusations of Joe and Hunter Biden engaged in influence peddling schemes. All of this is blown off as no big deal. Meanwhile, Trump gets the book thrown at him.
That’s not “what aboutism.” It’s precedent and selective prosecution. It’s a hypocritical attack on the tenents of “liberty and justice for all” and offends one’s sense of fair play.
For Trump supporters, it’s more evidence — as if they needed any — that the system is rigged against them.
Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon ushered in the end of the Roman Republic, fundamentally altering the system of government in that country. Now that it is apparently acceptable to imprison one’s political opponents for partisan purposes, we are forced to wonder what will happen to the great American republic.
The die is cast, indeed.
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Glenn Jacobs is the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee
Photo “Donald Trump” by Donald J. Trump. Background Photo “Courtroom” by Carol M. Highsmith.
