Waiting for Cicero—The Growing Danger of Donald J. Trump

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Cicero addresses the Roman Senate

by Glenn R. Geist

It would be hard to downplay the influence of the Roman Republic on our country’s Founding fathers. Many passionately read Roman history formally and on their own, and amongst Romans, Cicero stood out as the man they wanted to be like. As many still know, that great orator played a significant role in defeating the attempted takeover of the government by a man called Cataline at a time when the tension between the elite aristocracy and the ordinary citizenry was great.

Our Founding Fathers were waiting for a new order for the ages, fostered by a new American Cicero and some of them aspired to be him. Perhaps we are once again waiting for Cicero.

“How far wilt thou oh Cataline! Abuse our patience? How long shall thy madness outbrave our justice?” So declaimed Cicero in the Senate. “You cannot possibly remain in our society any longer.” Do we even have an assembly today where our aspiring emperor could be thoroughly denounced? We have become a country where nothing that doesn’t feed popular prejudice will be believed no matter how unimpeachable. Said or unsaid, true or false, the voices come from all directions and places while all men and all things are praised, damned, lauded, or lamented at the same time. Is any savior, hero possible, or any chance for redemption?  It’s hard to have hope when everyone has his own truth.

And so the mind contemplates that question this morning as Trump’s cohorts study ways to throw out valid ballots, endlessly seeking endless recounts and still refuse to recognize the validity of a scrupulous election. They file endlessly fantastic lawsuits devoid of evidence in the hope that Trump will be able to remain in office long enough for our republic to fall to him and his allies, foreign and domestic. No outcome seems too far fetched: war, famine, fear, pestilence. We already have two and war seems only a presidential directive away. The criminal madman and foreign agent can’t possibly remain in our society any longer and have it remain as a free Republic. 

“There is not any longer room for lenity [lenience]; the business itself demands severity,”  Said Cicero and when Cataline was defeated, his remaining conspirators were strangled.   Such severity doesn’t seem likely here and now. The Republic of Rome was a much more severe place but these people slashing away at law and democracy and order certainly cannot remain.

 

About Post Author

Glenn Geist

Glenn Geist lives in South Florida and wastes most of his time boating, writing, complaining and talking on the radio
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3 years ago

[…] finds an ancient parallel to Trump and company in Rome, several decades before Julius Caesar, as participants in the Cataline conspiracy are dealt with harshly. Cicero, for one, was quite irritated. […]

Holte Ender
3 years ago

Who will save America? Trump portrayed himself the only hope, him and his MAGA, which should have read MAWA (Make America White Again). He lost and is breaking everything he can before he vacates the premises.

Biden/Harris are not saviors. They’ll spend the first two years fixing broken furniture and cleaning up debris, the likes of which no incoming President has ever inherited.

The country is in a perilous position. Someone will appear, a savior, a unifier, a person who speaks sense, a person who can get both sides of the divide nodding in approval. I think I prefer things the way they are.

UnTrump
3 years ago

Cicero was beheaded years later and by different rebels in a different war.

Howard T. Grant
3 years ago

As I recall Cicero was beheaded?

Joe Hagstrom
3 years ago

I think trump is getting rid of all the people that aren’t destroying the evidence. Surprised trump hasn’t hired Oliver North yet.

jess
Reply to  Joe Hagstrom
3 years ago

He has enough bootlickers in place he has no need Joe.

jess
3 years ago

Well we now know why he fired all those Pentagon and DoD mucky mucks. he wanted yes men in there so he could draw down troops (which is a good thing) but he did it to stick it to Biden where Biden may have no choice but to do something. Waiting till the last second to fuck things up like a baby was on my bingo card.

Admin
3 years ago

…and yet they go on and on, throwing out the law on obeisance to their leader. It’s frightening because it isn’t over.

Bill Formby
3 years ago

So be it.

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