Times that try men’s souls

Conventional wisdom has long advised against introducing politics into professional settings. For many years, that approach seemed sensible. People hold a range of viewpoints, and avoiding contentious topics generally helped build business relationships and productive workplaces.

At this moment in our history, I no longer find this tenable.

President Trump and a captive and docile Republican Party are pursuing authoritarian power. As a citizen who loves our country deeply and a lawyer who has sworn to support and defend the Constitution, I have a responsibility to speak out—including here, on my professional website. I have also shared my views in two published opinion pieces in major newspapers.

My goal is to encourage people of good faith, whatever their political views may be, to recognize the stakes and to take necessary actions. A senior lawyer whom I respect recently explained to me that his firm decided to take a public stand against the current administration because, in his words, “the prospect of losing self-respect was more intimidating than the prospect of losing clients.” I agree. I am not trying to lose business, but losing my country would be worse than losing business.

If my views put anyone off, I regret that. I welcome respectful disagreement, whether or not we work together. I’m glad to hear from anyone who believes I am wrong.

What we face today is not simply policy disagreement but a deeper breakdown—an erosion of democratic institutions, the rule of law, and the norms that have sustained the American republic for nearly 250 years. We’ve seen efforts to normalize conduct that violates legal and ethical standards: suppressing votes, denying election outcomes, undermining Congress and the judiciary, giving corrupt pardons (including of convicted January 6 insurrectionists and former Republican officeholders), accepting payments in return for favors, treating courts with contempt, deporting people without due process—or for their political views—and installing grossly unqualified loyalists. None of this is normal. We must not let it become so.

The rule of law may seem abstract, but what it has delivered to this country is anything but. It has safeguarded our essential rights and created a stability that underpins decades of economic prosperity. We dare not take these for granted. Many voters understandably focus on immediate concerns. But authoritarianism (many call it fascism), and the corruption and incompetence that accompany it, are corrosive—and they will not long be confined to “other people.” Just 100 days into this new administration, we have already seen the beginnings of potential catastrophes in our economy, our individual freedoms, and our national security.

I’m an optimist at heart. I believe we can weather this storm. But that outcome is not guaranteed. It will take courage, effort, and clarity. It will take a lot of people speaking up. As President Eisenhower put it: “History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.” Each of us has a role to play. Find yours.

Categorised as: Current events, News and Views