John,

This is day one.

Yesterday’s vote closed the door on this impeachment fight. It proved once and for all that craven politics rule the day in Mitch McConnell’s majority. It wasn’t the perfect cover-up McConnell had hoped for, as Senator Romney put country over party to vote for conviction, but it turned the page nevertheless. While this chapter of the Trump era has ended, the book is still being written and we are its authors.

So this is ‘day one.’ This is the first day of a likely phase of escalated attacks by President Trump and his allies against our democracy. Trump won’t stop abusing his power and he won’t stop undermining our elections, especially now that Congress has shown that it will not hold him accountable. 

Need proof? Look at what happened on Trump’s last ‘day one.’ September 25th, 2019. The previous day Robert Mueller had testified on his investigation to the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, while Trump falsely claimed exoneration. And on the very same day, he picked up the phone and called the new President of Ukraine.

We didn’t know it at the time, but that was the first page in Trump’s next phase of corruption and abuse of power. That call so alarmed his staff, that a whistleblower felt the need to report the president’s scheme to solicit campaign help from a foreign government. As we would come to learn, the call was just the tip of the iceberg.

So here we are. Yesterday, Senate Republicans closed an impeachment trial after blocking evidence, witnesses and the truth. They abandoned their duty to the Constitution to shield the President from the consequences of his wrongdoing. But it isn’t over. It won’t be over until we have better elected leaders who will serve the country with integrity rather than debase it and their honor for the sake of their party.

So we must make today our day one too; our fresh start for a new fight. We know Donald Trump isn’t stopping. He’s ready to fight for himself, so we have to be ready to fight for our country. We must be prepared to meet this challenge ourselves by defending our elections and replacing Trump with a unifying alternative in 2020.

Day one of the next fight starts today. But we all have to be in it together. Republican, Democrat, Independent or otherwise, this is America’s fight. It’s our calling and our purpose to protect and strengthen the Republic. And it starts again today. Day one for new, more unifying American leadership and a new American vision.

Sincerely,

Stand Up Republic