Will Sen. Grassley Step Up For America?

Many Iowans are not old enough to remember when 91-year-old Sen. Chuck Grassley began his political career in the Iowa House of Representatives in 1959, 65 years ago. More than a decade in the Iowa Legislature, three terms in the U. S. House of Representatives, and elected eight times to the U. S. Senate. Chair of Senate committees, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and now President Pro Tempore Emeritus. Grassley is the longest serving Republican in U. S. Congressional history. An amazing record!

After all of those votes, all of those position statements, all of those speeches, Grassley now has an opportunity to cement indelibly his role as a courageous American patriot in our nation’s history. An opportunity to amplify his reputation for bipartisanship and pragmatism.

Sen. Grassley knows American political history inside and out, at least the last half century or so of that history. He knows Washington D. C. and he knows Donald Trump. And he knows very well the existential threat that Trump presents to our democracy if he is elected to another term as President.

Sen. Grassley knows that Trump has promoted the ugliest themes in our political landscape … racism, nativism, misogyny, lack of concern for the disadvantaged, and isolationism. In his false accusations towards Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, for example, Trump demonstrated his racism for all to see. Even the Republican governor of Ohio repudiated Trump’s lies as did the mayor of Springfield.

Sen. Grassley watched Trump ridicule the bravery of soldiers, embolden autocrats everywhere including Vladimir Putin, Kim Jung Un, and Viktor Orban, and threaten to tear apart NATO, our nation’s most important international alliance.

Sen. Grassley knows Trump is a pathological liar with complete contempt for the truth. He knows Trump tried every possible means to deny the will of the electorate in 2020 including inciting a violent insurrection at the U. S. Capitol. Grassley was there.

Sen. Grassley knows that Trump 2.0 will be far worse than Trump 1.0. By Trump’s own admission, he will ignore the Constitution as he uses the Department of Justice to seek vengeance on his enemies. Sen. Grassley knows our country’s future, our rule of law, our democratic institutions, our very national character, and national security will be threatened if Trump is elected.

Sen. Grassley knows Donald Trump was twice impeached, found liable for sexual abuse, convicted of 34 felony counts, and faces many more state and federal charges. Sen. Grassley knows Iowa family values, and he knows that Donald Trump is about as far from those values as any person could be.

And our senator knows that half of the 42 cabinet secretaries who served in the Trump administration will not endorse Trump in 2024. Neither will former Vice President Mike Pence. More than 200 staff members from former Republican presidents and presidential candidates have endorsed Harris. Former Secretary of State Tillerson, Defense Secretaries Mattis and Esper, Chief of Staff Kelly, National Security Advisers Bolton and McMaster, and and Joint Chief of Staff Milley, all Trump appointees, regard Trump as a threat to national security and unfit for office. I’m sure Sen. Grassley knows every one of those men.

And there is a choice. Kamala Harris has consistently displayed lasting American values and deep commitment to the rule of law. She has exhibited far greater humanity than her opponent and her positions on the critical issues are thoughtful and rational. Our democracy would be safe with Kamala Harris.

Iowa voters do not have the inside knowledge that Sen. Grassley has. The Senator could provide invaluable leadership to all Iowans if he would publicly denounce Donald Trump as unfit to occupy the Oval Office. He could demonstrate extraordinary patriotism by telling his Iowa constituents the truth about Donald Trump. And, as the most senior Republican in the U.S. Senate, he might even save the Republican Party and launch a post-cult renewal of the GOP. He might even contribute significantly to saving our democracy. But will he?

Ralph Plagman is a retired educator, having worked as a teacher and administrator in Cedar Rapids Schools for nearly 50 years.