We live in a time of deep partisan division, though not unprecedented in our history. I grew up in a Republican family in a deeply red state, and I remember times that were less divided. As a current graduate student in public administration and longtime student of history, I have faith that the things that have held our nation together in the past must, and can, hold us together now. We, regardless of party, have been held together through a common respect for the Constitution, respect for those who are public servants, commitment to national sovereignty and common decency.
In the course of the recent impeachment proceedings, we have seen each of these attacked by the president. He refused to allow his staff to comply with subpoenas from Congress, thereby frustrating its efforts to carry out its constitutional duties. He tasked his own personal lawyer with creating an “irregular channel” to Ukraine, circumventing the work of lifelong public servants in the foreign service. He invited the interference of a foreign government in our election, thereby compromising our national sovereignty and security. He tweeted insults about Ambassador Yovanovitch during her testimony before Congress, crossing the most basic lines of common decency.
As the impeachment process moves forward, we call for a recognition of the thing that have defined us as a nation. I, and millions like me, call for lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to put the Constitution over party, respect for public servants over party, national security over party; to truly put country over party.
Annalee Zeidner
Cedar Hills