Trump’s second impeachment highlights whose safety is recognized — and prioritized | Helen Ubiñas

Before the giant middle finger most Republicans lawmakers gave democracy this week by voting to grant Trump a pass for inciting an insurrection, there were the tears we were told only we “libtard snowflakes” shed.

Rep. David Cicilline, one of the impeachment article’s coauthors, told reporters that Republican lawmakers told him they feared for their safety and the safety of their families if they supported the measure.

On Meet the Press, Rep. Jason Crow told host Chuck Todd that he had lots of conversations with Republican colleagues who expressed similar anxiety.

“A couple of them broke down in tears saying they are afraid for their lives if they vote for this impeachment.”

Crow’s response?

“Not to be unsympathetic, but — welcome to the club.”

Allow me to be unsympathetic — because that club Crow is talking about is founded by and filled with women, particularly of color, who don’t have the luxury or privilege of cowering and relying on someone else to do the right thing.

Take it away, AOC.

On Twitter, a white reporter wrote that he knew “for a fact several members *want* to impeach but fear casting that vote could get them or their families murdered.”

“Not spinning or covering for anyone,” he said. “Just stating the chilling reality.”

To which Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded with some chilling reality of her own about politicians who were fine with the threats hurled at female Democratic colleagues until they were on the receiving end, too.

“I get it, but some of us just spent the last 2 years taking stances that have led to repeated attempts on our lives,” she tweeted. “It’s a privilege if this is their first time.”

It got me thinking about how we’re shown every day, in small and big ways, of just whose lives are deemed to matter by how institutions recognize and prioritize their safety.

For years now, the Squad — a diverse group of Democratic women elected to Congress that includes AOC — has faced threats and harassment from the president and his fanatical followers, including Fox News pundits.

But it wasn’t until that intimidation was directed at mostly white Republican lawmakers that it was suddenly taken seriously.

What? Public servants are being threatened? Bring in reinforcements, including new metal detectors at the Capitol that some of the more morally corrupt Republicans made a big show of refusing.

Here’s what that spectacle overlooks: This kind of obscenely juvenile behavior puts everyone at risk.

It shouldn’t be this hard for adults to understand that things are better for everyone when everyone’s mistreatment is taken seriously.

Consider how differently things at the Capitol might have gone had anyone listened to the hundreds of Black Capitol Police officers who have sued the department for racial discrimination that included white officers calling Black colleagues racial slurs and subjecting them to unprovoked traffic stops.

“We got Jan. 6 because no one took us seriously,” a former Capitol Police officer told ProPublica. At least 12 officers are under investigation for their parts in the riots incited by Trump.

When Trump deemed news “fake” and declared the media the enemy, he made all journalists (including white men) a target. But he also unintentionally revealed a similar hypocrisy.

Women, especially of color, who have suffered these attacks have long been told that it was part of the job. Get a thicker skin, they said.

But once men were facing similar levels of vitriol, the threats and harassment were swiftly deemed legitimate.

These women, whether lawmakers or journalists, deserve a lot of credit for not breaking under pressure that includes the added injury of long-standing lack of support. (That includes the journalists you’ve probably heard of: Yamiche Alcindor, Abby Phillip, Weijia Jiang, Cecilia Vega, but also many more you haven’t from a local newsroom near you.)

It’s a testament to their courage, no doubt. But it’s also confirmation that they are used to standing on their own.