There Must Be Accountability

On the attack at the U.S. Capitol yesterday, Main Street Alliance Board Members and Executive Leadership had this to say:

Yesterday's attack on the Capitol was incited by a president who refuses to accept that millions of us turned out to stand with and for each other and elect Joe Biden by overwhelming margins. This is what treason looks like: an unhinged president inciting riot by an angry mob of armed white vigilantes. The threat to our government and the assault on our democracy was abetted by Republican leaders whose complicity in this attack must carry consequences including removal from office. Every official responsible, from the president to Senators, House Members to state legislators, who fed, fueled and fomented these attacks must be held accountable.

Accountability is necessary to ensure our democracy remains intact. Small businesses across the nation are appalled at efforts and attempts to undermine our elections - whether that be through voter suppression, bad faith lawsuits designed to make ordinary people believe there is an electoral controversy when there is not, or violent acts such as the invasion of the Capitol that we saw yesterday or the civil rights protest suppression and police brutality this summer. This instability affects our communities, our democracy and our economy. The world is watching.

Yesterday's events did not happen in a vacuum, they resulted from long term efforts to undermine the credibility of our elections. President Trump's lies, actions and incitement are an indication of his inability or unwillingness to perform his job as president. We are calling on Congress to support articles of impeachment for President Trump and full investigation.

Ultimately, we must heal our democracy, and rout out the corruption that has continued to hold our democracy hostage. A first step would be to pass urgently needed pro-democracy reforms, like the For The People Act (HR 1), as well as the John Lewis Voting Rights Act (HR 4). These have been left languishing in a Republican controlled Senate for too long.