It’s a firmly documented fact that on Jan. 6, 2021, there was a physically violent, seditious assault on our nation’s Capitol building and our democratic institutions and processes.
The GOP had done a great job of turning out their faithful base on that day, and they did this in the open. The violence was a direct result of the then-president of the United States, with the full funding and support of the GOP, spending years regurgitating the nonsense the only way he, the Republican’s dear leader, could lose was by massive fraud on the part of everybody but himself and them, his loyal adherents. For that matter, this particular president achieved office only because the Republican Party spent decades building and empowering what I call the GOP’s Limbaugh/Palin/Trump-inspired racist and violent philosophy.
A notable reality about our GOP-aligned Gov. Phil Scott is he has stood passively on the sidelines throughout the many years of the above. There’s well-learned silence on the part of those in the GOP who would dare to threaten or even push back against the racism and violence, and Scott has learned to compliantly live with this existence. For example, our governor has given two major addresses in the past couple of weeks and in neither speech, has he even pretended to address the damage his political party and its politics are doing to our democratic institutions, processes and principles — not even to mention that violent, bloody attack of Jan. 6, 2021.
A person will be known by their deeds — and that includes the lack thereof.
Rama Schneider lives in Williamstown, Vt.
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