Garrett Graff writes:

I have always believed that one of America’s greatest strengths is its institutions; they are meant to be the keepers, generation to generation, of long-term values and norms in public life — the pillars of our communities, both local and national. Many of us spend much of our professional lives investing in these organizations — giant long-lasting companies, nonprofits or NGOs, or colleges and universities. Never have we seen so many of them fail the most basic of tests. Law firms, universities, and media companies have kow-towed to Trump one after another — often inexplicably, at great reputational cost, while getting almost nothing meaningful in return.

Plenty of American CEOs have proven themselves to be quite morally flexible; plenty of them appear willing to pay once-unthinkable bribes if it helps their business, even unconstitutional export taxes! Automotive executives stood silently behind Trump last week as he continued to say reprehensible things about Somali-Americans and a major American city. Jeff Bezos showed up to a gala dinner honoring the man who ordered the killing of one of Bezos’ own employees.

That fundamental cowardice and weakness stands in sharp contrast to the many Americans who have bravely stood up at an individual level — from the “Portland frog” to the many who have shouted down ICE and CBP officers in their local neighborhoods, sometimes at great personal risk.

This all stands especially true of the Democratic Party leadership: It’s impossible not to notice how many rank-and-file and up-and-coming Democrats, from the Newark mayor to Illinois congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, who was beaten by ICE officers, to New York comptroller Brad Lander, have put their bodies on the line, even as Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries continue to pretend that they’re operating in some normal situation on Capitol Hill. [Continue reading…]