Remember when Donald Trump—then not a lock as Republican presidential nominee—proposed his Muslim ban? Many leading Republicans denounced the plan as “offensive and unconstitutional” (that’s now-Vice President Mike Pence) or said they did “not think it is reflective of our principles, not just as a party, but as a country” (that’s House Speaker Paul Ryan). Well, that was then, and this is now. Now that Trump has put his offensive, unconstitutional, not-reflective-of-our-principles Muslim ban in place, Republicans are staying silent when they can and dodging and hedging when they can't. But Democrats are united in opposition and ready to fight.
North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, who Bloomberg’s Sahil Kapur points out is “facing reelection in a state Trump won by 36 points,” issued a statement saying in part that the “ban and requirement of a religious test puts Americans’ safety at risk” and that “we must continue to be the country that opens doors for those seeking opportunity and refuge.”
Many Democratic members of Congress joined protests at airports on Saturday, with New York Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Nydia Velazquez showing up to push for the release of a detained Iraqi who had served as an interpreter for the U.S. Army in Iraq. They weren't alone. Sen. Elizabeth Warren was at Boston’s Logan Airport. Rep. John Lewis was at the airport in Atlanta. Reps. Suzan DelBene and Pramila Jayapal went to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Sen. Cory Booker was at Virginia’s Dulles International Airport, as was Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Attorney General Mark Herring. In Philadelphia, Sen. Bob Casey and Gov. Tom Wolf showed up.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats were considering legislation to overturn the ban. Democrats don’t have the votes to pass such a bill on their own, but it would be a challenge to Republicans who’d condemned then-candidate Trump’s plan. At this point, just a handful of Republican lawmakers have issued tepid statements suggesting maybe possibly Trump has gone too far.
It’s great to see Democratic members of Congress showing up and joining with thousands of protesters to oppose this monstrous ban. It’s great to hear them strongly condemning the ban. But there’s something else they can do: oppose everything. Don’t normalize Trump by looking for ways to support his least offensive actions. This is not normal. Don’t act like it is.