Jamie Raskin

Congressman Jamie Raskin ended 2020 and began 2021 in one unimaginably tragic and difficult week. On the last day of the year his beloved son, Tommy, committed suicide. And the day after he buried his son and went back to work at the Capitol was January 6.

Raskin, understandably, spends a great deal of the book talking about that first and more personal event, and his son's physical absence but continually felt presence permeates everything that follows. Tommy Raskin really does seem to have show more been a special and rather inspirational person, and I appreciate that his father wants to share those things with the world. But while the tribute to his son is touching, I have to admit that some part of me found it a little awkward to read, just because it feels so much like what it no doubt is: a man therapeutically processing his grief in the form of writing, a process that I can't help feeling that I, a total stranger, should perhaps not be quite so deeply involved in.

I'll admit, I picked this book up mostly because I was interested in Raskin's account of living through the events of Jan. 6 from inside the Capitol. That part of the narrative, however, is not especially detailed or vivid. In retrospect, this isn't necessarily all that surprising. As disturbing and frightening as it was for those hiding from the insurrectionists, they didn't actually know all that much about what was happening at the time.

Much more interesting and substantial, however, is Raskin's account of leading the impeachment trial that followed. This is a good chunk of the book, and certainly the most interesting and worthwhile part, as he lays out very clearly and convincingly all the legal arguments they used and describes the decisions that he and the other impeachment managers made and the reasons behind them. Maybe a lot of it isn't likely to be unfamiliar to most readers, but as someone who honestly couldn't deal with following the news too closely at the time, it did fill in some gaps for me in ways I very much appreciated.

My main feeling about this book, though, is that... Well, mostly I really, really wish I'd gotten around to reading it before the election. Because right now, even though I'm sure this is not in fact the reaction Congressman Raskin would want me to have, it just makes me feel despairing and depressed. Raskin repeatedly raises a rhetorical question here: "Is this the America we want?" Do we want an America of racism, of corruption, of lies and authoritarianism and violence? Well, America seems now to have answered that question, and the answer is yes. What the hell am I supposed to even do with that? What was the point of any of this? Only that you have to try, I suppose, but at the moment that's rather cold comfort. show less

If you were watching the events that took place at the Capital on January 6. 2021 as they unfolded, or if you followed the second Trump impeachment proceedings, you won't learn much that is new from Raskin's book--but that's not to say that it isn't worth reading. Raskin does give us some interesting behind the scenes looks at how the House committee planned its strategy and presentation. But what makes this book memorable is the way he weaves memories of his son Tommy into his account of show more the insurrection and impeachment. On New Year's Eve, this brilliant, creative young activist succumbed to the depression he had suffered from for several years, taking his own life in the basement apartment of the Raskin family home. Tommy was laid to rest just a few days before Congress was to meet to certify the presidential election results. The Raskins are a large, closely knit extended family, and they came together from all parts of the country to mourn. When Raskin decided that he was obligated to attend and cast his vote in person, his daughter Tabitha and his son-in-law (married not to Tabitha but to her sister Hannah) came with him to lend support. Little did they know that they would end the afternoon hiding under a desk in Steny Hoyer's office as a crowd of angry insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capital. I won't belabor the events of that day; suffice it to say that Raskin's firsthand account is chilling.

Just a few days later, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called Raskin to repeat her condolences--and to ask Raskin if he would chair the second impeachment committee. Despite the personal tragedy that had just occurred, as one of the few Constitutional lawyers in the House, his inclination was to agree, but he asked for a little time to consult with his wife and daughters. They were vehemently opposed, fearing that the position would put his life in danger and that they could not withstand another loss. But Raskin believed that his son's spirit was with him, encouraging him to take on the task for the sake of American democracy, which had been threatened on January 6. After assuring them that his security team would be even stronger than that provided for Adam Schiff, chair of the first impeachment committee, because of the Capital breaching, he accepted the position.

Raskin walks us through every step in the process leading up to the final vote in the Senate: the selection of committee members, establishing rules, determining press protocol, lining up key witnesses, and planning the final presentation of facts. As I said abovee, there's nothing too unexpected here, but nonetheless, Raskin makes it interesting, and Tommy is with him every step of the way. The memories he shares highlight his son's intellect, his love of America, his passion for justice, his concern for the environment, for animals, and for the less fortunate. Somehow, Raskin manages to bring together the personal and the political through Tommy in a way that seems natural, not forced. Memories flash in the midst of the events of the day, much as one would expect them to do in the mind of a grieving father, but they serve not to distract him from his difficult task but to illuminate it. It's not hard to see why this book is dedicated to Tommy Raskin.

Unthinkable is not your typical dry political read. It's the very human account of a man dealing with two tragedies, one personal and one political, and of how his love for his son and their mutual love for the American democratic system continue to inspire Jamie Raskin. show less

Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy
by Jamie Raskin

Wow, I needed tissues to read part of this book! This was a deep and moving book. Raskin is one of my favorite lawmakers, I wish we had one like him for my state but I have the fools like Hawley!

Raskin is a man of duty, common sense, and compassion. Having him described the death of his son, and the terrorists attack on the Congress just made my heart ache. He felt like he should have seen both coming. Like there show more would have been a way to stop both. That is a big burden to carry.

I can't help but compare that to the other party that encouraged and denied that the attack was really an attack! How can two parties be so different?

As I read this book, I had hope again that there are people fighting for Democracy despite all their own personal problems, and his was heavy indeed. We forget, or at least I do, that these lawmakers also have battles to fight personal and they fight for us. At least some of them do!

I didn't want to read this at first although I really like Raskin. I wanted to forget politics for a while and I didn't want this book to bring me down. But this actually made me feel stronger. If Raskin can battle for me and the US while dealing with sorry and grief, then I can continue to write letters to congressman and try to get changes done. I don't have money to donate. I am not able to go on marches. I will still do my part. show less

There were two major life changing events that happened within a week of Congressman Jamie Raskin’s life. Both were unthinkable.
On December 31, 2020, his beloved son Tommy committed suicide. They were the only two people home at the time.
On January 6, a mob of violent insurrectionists, prompted by Donald Trump, stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the US. Raskin, one of his daughters, and his son-in-law were in the House show more Chambers when the mob tried to break in.
UNTHINKABLE interweaves both stories.
Tommy was a 25-year-old Harvard law student at the time of his death. Bright, good looking, caring, and well-liked, he had fought mental illness for several months, the last few during the Covid pandemic. But like many people suffering with depression, he hid it very well. Even his doctor, who he had met with regularly, including shortly before his suicide, missed any clues about what Tommy was planning. Once he had his plan in place, his mood improved, a very common occurrence. In the note he left for his family he wrote “Please forgive me. My illness won today.”
After the Insurrection, the House of Representatives realized they had to investigate what happened to try to prevent it from happening again. Before he and his family were able to work through the trauma of Tommy’s suicide, Speaker of the House Nancy Polosi asked Raskin to head up the committee investigating the attack. It helped him get through his first crisis by focusing on the second, using his son’s intelligence and introspection as guides.
UNTHINKABLE takes us behind the scenes in how the political for the impeachment and trial of Donald Trump was organized. Jamie Raskin presents detailed account of what happened with his son and family and the U.S. Congress. He writes about Tommy how had responded to difficult situations, mostly political, and what had happened not only on January 6th but what lead up to it and what happened afterwards.
He reminds the readers of the March on Michigan Capitol April 17, 2020, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building in an attempt to kidnap and kill the governor. It was a practice for January 6, 2021.
He how the House committee built its case and how it strategized its presentation to the Senate (and the viewing public) to lead to the second impeachment of Donald Trump, which, for political reasons, didn’t happen.
TIDBITS:
A friend of his: “ Feelings are like the weather, and you let the weather happen without taking it personally.”
“Tommy as a ninth grader re: Machiavelli. When the going gets tough, the politician embedded in love will have a lot more support to fall back on than the politician who is simply feared.”
The political situation has not improved in the year+ since January 6, 2020. UNTHINKABLE helps readers better understand what they saw, heard, and read. To understand why that is important, realize that a h 53% of Republicans still believe that Biden is not the real President. And reading the comments of the book on Amazon, most of the people who give it a very low rating are among those people. show less