Among the amazing scenes in our Capitol during the failed insurrection of Jan. 6, few were more remarkable than a brief speech by Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of Georgia, shortly after Congress reconvened.
Loeffler, addressing Vice President Mike Pence, said, in part: “Mr. President, when I arrived in Washington this morning, I fully intended to object to the certification of the electoral votes. However, the events that have transpired today have forced me to reconsider, and I cannot now in good conscience object to the certification of these electors. The violence, the lawlessness and siege of the halls of Congress are abhorrent and stand as a direct attack on the very institution my objection was intended to protect, the sanctity of the American democratic process.”
In Washington political calculation is often confused with good conscience, but I choose to believe that Loeffler was speaking in good faith, demonstrating that conscience still has relevance in American politics. Her speech embodies a latent hope for the redemption of a sorely needed, rational Republican Party, freed from the beguiling thrall of Donald Trump.
