Pardons, Politics, and Peace: Navigating the Season Amidst Tensions 

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Reflecting on Past Concerns and Planning Ahead 

If you go to podcast 61, you will find what I said about Trump last year and the concerns we had then. Now, he will be the next president of the U.S. So, what I plan to do for the next few weeks into the first week of January is to present some things we can consider when we look at the political scene, and then what we can do to take care of ourselves for the holidays. 

Why Pardons Matter for the Future of Democracy 

“Hunter’s Pardon isn’t the Issue. What Matters are pardons for everyone else—Trumps campaign of revenge must be blocked” appeared in The Washington Post, on December 5, 2024, and was written by Jennifer Rubin. As She says, “It is not the worst pardon ever (recall President Donald Trump sparing in-law Charles Kushner, Michael Flynn and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, to name a few). Any pardon is an exception to the normal operation of the justice system, so decrying this one as an infringement on the rule of law is nonsensical, especially coming from the MAGA crew that has subverted the system at every turn. That said, the reason given (selective prosecution) rankles, as it echoes MAGA’s disingenuous criticism of Trump’s prosecution. In fact, the better justification for the pardon applies not only to Hunter Biden but to scores of Americans; reasonable fear that a weaponized F.B.I. directed by a vengeful president will carry out threats to pursue his enemies.” 

“Fortunately, the pardon power specified in the Constitution is exceptionally broad. Historically, it has been used to exempt a specific individual, such as Richard M. Nixon, from any crimes within a specified period of time (‘for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard M. Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969, through August 9, 1974). It has also been invoked to describe larger categories of individuals, including all those prosecuted for federal marijuana charges, or, in the case of Jimmy Carter, all those who evaded the Vietnam-era draft by going to Canada (‘all persons who may have committed any offense between August 4, 1964, and March 28, 1973, in violation of the Military Selective Service Act or any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder’).” 

I will provide more information in a moment form Rubin’s article; however, I want to go to The New York Times that has an article by Michelle Goldbert on December 6, 2024, entitled “Trump’s F.B.I. Pick Has an Enemies List. Biden Should Pardon Everyone on It.” Kash Patel (Pre tel), a thuggish lackey who has spent years fantasizing about taking revenge on Trump’s enemies” is Trump’s choice to head the F.B.I. “Patel has helpfully provided us with a list of people President Biden should pardon before he leaves office. Here are more comments from this article: 

“Patel’s 2023 book, ‘Government Gangsters: The Deep State, The Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy,’ purports to show how government employees who defied Trump constitute a shadowy cabal (Kuh bal) that is ‘the most dangerous threat to our democracy.’ The ‘deep state,’ in Patel’s telling, is ‘as treacherous and evil as the villains portrayed in books and movies.’ Virtually every investigation of Trump and his allies, Patel suggests, is part of a monstrous plot against ‘the people’s president.’ The book strongly implies that Jan. 6, ‘the insurrection that never was,’ was encouraged by ‘deep state’ agitators and then used as a pretext to persecute patriotic Trump supporters. In a blurb on the book jacket, Trump wrote, ‘We will use this blueprint to help us take back the White House and remove these gangsters from all of government.” 

“Who are these gangsters? Patel lists 60 of them in a useful alphabetized appendix. It is not, as he acknowledges, exhaustive, since he limits himself to the executive branch, leaving out ‘other corrupt actors of the first order’ like the former Republican House speaker Paul Ryan and ‘the entire fake news mafia press corps.’ His catalog of the ‘deep state includes Patel’s bureaucratic foes from when he served in Trump’s first administration, like Bill Bar, who as attorney general said that Trump could make Patel the deputy F.B.I. director only ‘over my dead body,’ and Wray (Ray), the man Patel would replace.” 

Patel also lists both the current secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, and Trump’s secretary of defense Mark Esper (mark eh spr), Cassidy Hutchinson, the brave young former aide to Mark Meadows who testified before Jan. 6 committee, is on the list, as is Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former Trump staff member who often criticized her old boss on ‘The View.’ Naturally, Biden, Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton are on it as well. “ 

In The Washington Post, with an article written by Peter Baker and Erica L. Green on December 5, 2024, entitled, “Biden Team Considers Blanket Pardons before Trump’s Promised ‘Retribution’”—White House officials believe President-elect Donald J. Trump’s selection of partisan warriors for top enforcement jobs indicates that he will pursue revenge against his perceived enemies. White House officials do not believe the potential recipients have actually committed crimes, but they have grown increasingly worried that Mr. Trump’s selection for top Justice Department positions indicates that he will follow through on his repeated vows to seek revenge. Even an investigation that results in no charges could drag on for months or years, costing those people hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees and crippling their career prospects. 

Here are the statements about his choices to run the Justice Department. “But the choices of Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general and Trump surrogate, to run the Justice Department and Kash Patel, a former Trump aide and far-right provocateur, to be director of the F.B.I. have put the issue front and center.” 

Here are some of the other names in this article that were not listed in Goldbert’s article: “Among those whose names have been floated are former Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming, who was vice chair of the bipartisan committee that investigated Mr. Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol; Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the former top infectious disease expert for the government whose advice on Covid-19 made hm a target of far-right attacks; Jack Smith, the outgoing special counsel who prosecuted Mr. Trump; and Senator-elect Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California, who was a lead House prosecutor at Mr. Trump’s first impeachment trial.”  

“Olivia Troye, a former adviser to Vice President Mike Pence who has been a leading critic of the president-elect, was threatened by a lawyer for Mr. Patel just this week in a letter saying that ‘litigation will be filed against you’ if she did not retract her criticism of him during a television interview. ‘I haven’t committed a crime,’ she said in an interview. But ‘these are very different times. It something that we’ve considered and are concerned about? Yes. But all I’ve done is tell the truth. I’ve not done anything wrong, and I haven’t committed any crimes, and that’s where it’s a complicated issue. These are unprecedented times. That’s what makes this so hard.” 

Here are the words of Trump: “He has said on social media that Ms. Cheney ‘should be prosecuted for what she has done to our country’ and that the whole Jan. 6 committee ‘should be prosecuted for their lies and, quite frankly, TREASON!’ He has promised to ‘appoint a real special prosecutor to go after’ Mr. Biden and his family, He has suggested that Gen. Mark A. Milley, the retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, deserved execution. He has said that Letitia James, the attorney general of New York who won a $450 million judgment against him for business fraud, and Justice Arthur F. Engoron, who presided over the trial, should be arrested and punished accordingly. He shared a post saying that the police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 ‘should be charged and the protesters should be freed’. He has said that if Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, does anything deemed illegal, ‘he will spend the rest of his life in prison.” 

Paul Rosenzweig, a homeland security official under President George W. Bush and a senior counsel to the independent counsel Ken Starr in his investigation of President Bill Clinton has said in this article, “Trump and Patel’s threats of prosecution are real. Biden has a moral obligation to defend all of those who risked their livelihoods for him and protect them, as best he can, from Trump’s authoritarian impulses. He should issue a pardon to anyone on Trump or Patel’s enemies list. It’s the least he can do.”  

“Some Democrats have echoed the argument. ‘The people they’re targeting include law enforcement officers, military personnel and others who have spent their lives protecting this country.’ Representative Brendan F. Boyle of Pennsylvania said in a statement, ‘These patriots shouldn’t have to live in fear of political retribution for doing what’s right.” 

There are many opinions expressed in these three articles. You will need to read all three of these articles or Patel’s book in his appendix to get his list. I am going to take some final words from Ruben’s article to finish this discussion about Biden needing to pardon as many people as he can before Trump comes into office. She says, “Trump’s announced threats of vengeance against an array of Americans whose only ‘crime’ was seeking to hold Trump accountable” need to be pardoned. Protecting the potential targets of a wrathful president would serve the interests of democracy, effectively short-circuiting Trump’s revenge agenda. If Biden’s mercy extends beyond his son, his pardons may be seen as more high-minded and politically savvy; namely, limiting Trump’s reign of vengeance.  

Standing Strong and Caring for Ourselves 

I have spent years going through elections, since I am 82 years young. No, I am not old. I am an active and vibrant female that will stand for human rights and against any position Trump takes to eliminate the rights of others or attempt to destroy our democracy. I know people who will do the same, and I believe you know some as well. In the podcast to come, I will offer all kinds of things to take care of yourself, your family, and suggest actions that will help your friends during the holidays that be applied any time.  

The article, “What next? Activists on how to move past the grief of defeat. How to take care of your mental health and regain a sense of purpose after the election” by Heather Kelly in The Washington Post, on November 10, 2024, at 9:05 AM EST presented to me sound and thoughtful statements that I want to share with you. I want you to hear the story of Kylee Sunderlin, who is the legal services director for If/When/How, a nonprofit abortion and reproductive legal rights group. She helps manage it ‘Repro Legal Helpline.  

“The morning after the election, Kylee Sunderline shuffled her two kids off to school, ate a bowl of oatmeal and logged on for her job helping people navigate abortion laws across the country. 
 

“I know that people are scared, and I am scared, too, but it’s my job every day—including today—to let people know they’re not alone,” said Sunderlin. 

Kelly provides these comments. “Americans are processing the results of Tuesday’s election in different ways. Those who didn’t support President-elect Donald Trump or are disappointed in other results may be feeling angry and energized, or tired, sad and dissociated, says Claire Greenwood, a licensed marriage and family therapist in California. Some people who did support winning candidates or didn’t vote may be struggling with rifts in their own families or how divided the country seems. Tuning out politics entirely and moving on isn’t an option for those most likely to be impacted by potential Trump administration policies, say activists. We asked people who work year around on reproductive, immigration and climate rights about how they’re moving forward. There’s the advice they’d give anyone reeling from Tuesday’s election.” 

I am going to summarize and provide the actions that they present to us combined with my experience of moving through disappointments.  

  1. Balancing self-care with resistance and action. As listeners, I know you have been interested in the campaign or you would not be listening to my podcasts. The suggestion in this article to balance self-care with resistance and action is to accept that we may choose to take care of ourselves during the holidays and realize that we can gain energy to keep helping the causes that we care about after the holidays. 

Anger is a draining feeling; however, it needs to be expressed and processed through. I believe that anger can be a powerful force that encourages action whether it means “protesting, running for office, fighting legislation in court, organizing or protecting vulnerable people.” I do believe it is also time to find places to have fun and feel joy, since it helps the anger or other feelings to keep you moving forward. 

Here is a remarkable story about Marielena (Mary Elena) Hincapie (Hin ca pie). She “started meditating after Trump won in 2016 and has kept up the practice ever since. As an immigration attorney, professor at Cornell Law School and former executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, Hincapie has been working for immigration rights for decades. She says she has learned the importance of taking the time and space to grieve. At the same time, Hincapie is already planning for what’s coming in the next four years, including a possible mass deportation and undoing of Biden-era immigration programs. She said shifting the energy of loss into action is important because, ultimately, you want to mobilize. 

  1. Learning From the Results to Prepare for the Future. One of the things I am doing is turning my anger into spending time reading everything I can to determine what happened and fully understand what occurred. I felt astonished, and I am concerned about the threats to people I care about due to the outcome of this election. I am well aware after all the research I do to prepare these podcasts that I did not know the world of politics in the U.S. as well as I thought I did.  

I have been involved with Cultural Competency, Diversity and Social Justice programs for over 55 years. I feel stunned at the blind spots that we Democrats had about how people viewed America. I feel more comfortable with the unpleasant truths I am discovering.  I am not staying in my anger, disappointment, dismay, and disgust I felt the day after the election. The more I read; the more I share with each of you; the more I realize what we did not see and understand about these diverse culture we live in allows me to become even more determine to find more meaningful and thoughtful ways to address the issues that Trump will bring to our country. 

  1. Fostering Connection Amidst Division. One of the suggestions in the article is make it simple and “Go talk to your neighbors and get to know more people in your community. This doesn’t need to be a political activity—you’re not seeking out people to argue about the election.” Jeremy Friedman, a campaign strategist for Third Act, a progressive organizing group for people over 60, says “getting to know your neighbors is a very good antidote for despair.”  

This is not a time for arguments. We need to be committed to having courageous conversations that bring meaningful communication and understanding from those we decided to talk with. The word “with” is an important word in having these conversations. Another word that I want to carry into my discussions is curiosity. If I want to continue learning what has happened, then I need to be curious about what others think and how they made decision to vote for the party or individuals that they voted for. 

  1. Building Resilience Through Meaningful Action. Instead of investing only in ways to fight what is coming, it is also important for me to pick things that are sustainable for me to keep doing for the long run. I am looking at organizations that will make a difference in the political process and determine how much time I will give to it. Right after the election I went to a political meeting in my neighborhood and found a talented group of people that talked honestly about what they felt and thought about the election. Through those conversations I made friends with some of them, and I am now moving toward being a member of this group and doing more to support positive actions in the future. 
  1. Look beyond big elections and Make Local Impact Every Day. From the article, “Electoral work is only part of how people can change their community and country,” say activists. Seek out ongoing opportunities on a different scale that aren’t only every four years. We are going to be impacted by this election every day, so it is not something we are going to forget. There are organizations in our cities and towns that we can get involved in. Our food bank needs help, and this includes local schools and public libraries. There is a site “Volunteer Match” that the article mentioned that I am familiar with. It gives you a chance to see where you may volunteer. Some of the greatest impacts we can have is getting involved with your school board and in local issues. These are often overlooked, since they are not flashy; however, they can have a substantial impact.  

Conclusion 

As we navigate through the challenges this election has brought, it is vital to remember that we are not powerless. We have the ability to balance self-care with action, embrace the lessons from the reality we face, and build stronger connections within our communities. By choosing sustainable ways to help and focusing on making meaningful changes at a local level, we can create ripples of impact that outlast the headlines. Let this holiday season be a time not only to recharge but to recommit ourselves to the causes we hold dear. Together, we can find peace amidst discomfort and continue working toward a more equitable and just future. 

References for Podcast 110:

 

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