Will the Trump impeachment define the careers of Senators and House members when they pass away in the years to come? A morbid thought, but Ryan Goodman, a lawyer in the Pentagon during the Obama administration, is warning on his website Just Security that "history" -- as measured by (liberal) media obituaries -- should make the president's defenders nervous about their legacy. These are "Lessons for Life."
Goodman began with former Rep. Thomas Railsback of Illinois, who died just before the Senate trial began. The headline for his obituary in the Associated Press read, “Thomas Railsback, congressman who broke with GOP to back Nixon impeachment, dies.”
The New York Times offered "Tom Railsback, Who Reconciled G.O.P. to Oust Nixon, Dies at 87."
The Washington Post was similar: "Thomas Railsback, Illinois Republican who helped write impeachment articles against Nixon, dies at 87".
Is this really the defining moment of Railsback's life story? Or does it merely show that journalists are still Nixon-obsessed?
Goodman insisted this is the pattern for "every obituary of every Republican member of the House Judiciary Committee who voted in 1974 for or against the Nixon articles of impeachment. If the reference is not made in the obituary’s headline, it still appears as a central point in the narrative of their lives as that single decision affected the course of history."
He lined up headlines to make his point:
-- “Former Rep. Joseph Maraziti, 78, Defender of Nixon on Watergate”
-- "Wiley Mayne; House GOP Member Who Voted Not to Impeach Nixon”
-- “Sandman, Nixon Supporter, Dies”
-- “Lawrence J. Hogan Sr., Md. Republican Who Called for Nixon’s impeachment, Dies at 88”
-- “M. Caldwell Butler, a Key Vote Against Nixon, Dies at 89”
-- “R. McClory; Backed Nixon’s Impeachment”
-- “Thomas Railsback, Congressman Who Broke with GOP to Back Nixon Impeachment, Dies.”
-- “Charles Wiggins, 72, Dies; Led Nixon’s Defense in Hearings”
This might be the territory where Trump-backing Republicans worry about the "moderates" who flaunt their indecision on whether they'll vote to extend the Senate trial by including more witnesses. They might be thinking about how they will be remembered down the road by AP, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
