Congressional Republicans attempting to defend President Trump from impeachment were quick to point out that Democrats were being hypocritical on a wide range of issues. Of course they are — we already knew that. The point is that Republicans are supposed to be better. They cannot simply trot out the Tu Quoque logical fallacy as a defense.
“For months, our cities burned, police stations burned, our businesses were shattered, and they said nothing,” Rep. Matt Gaetz said, in what became a common refrain from House Republicans. Indeed, Democratic mayors and governors excused riots happening under their watch. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris promoted the bail fund for rioters and looters in Minneapolis. Rep. Louie Gohmert correctly noted that Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in the past, wondered why there weren’t more uprisings against the GOP and called them “domestic enemies.”
It’s also true that Democrats are hypocrites about election certification. Whether it was Florida in the 2000 election, House Democrats objecting to Ohio’s votes in 2004, or their continued denial that Trump won in 2016, Democrats have refused to accept losses in every presidential race since 1988. The lead impeachment manager this time around is Rep. Jamie Raskin, who objected to Florida’s votes in 2016.
Along with other partisan hacks such as Reps. Ted Lieu and Joaquin Castro, Eric Swalwell is also one of the impeachment managers. As you might recall, Pelosi has done her best, with the help of her allies in establishment media, to bury the fact that Swalwell was compromised by a Chinese espionage operation.
So yes, Democrats are hypocrites on riots and on accepting and certifying election results, and even on foreign interference in American politics. And yes, of course impeachment is a partisan game for them. But those criticisms are only meaningful if Republicans hold themselves to a higher standard. They claim they do so — and that means Republicans need to take this impeachment seriously.
The bizarre notion that “this is why we lose” also doesn’t hold water. Republicans held the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019, and the Senate from 2015 to this year. In fact, Republicans just lost control of the Senate by engaging in the same temper tantrum about election results in Georgia that Democrats throw periodically when they lose.
Republicans like to claim they hold themselves to a higher standard. In part, they have to, because they lack the allies in establishment media or cultural institutions that Democrats have to cover for them. But the GOP can’t litigate Democratic hypocrisy while engaging in its own double standard. The GOP has already given up its argument against Democrats accepting election results. It shouldn’t be giving up another argument by excusing or downplaying Trump’s role in encouraging the riot at the Capitol.
