Stop talking about impeachment
Nov. 9th, 2018 02:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
drwexLook, I get it. This is red meat for both bases. Also, there's a lot not to like about Nancy Pelosi and I do want to see new leadership for the Democratic party. But on this she is absolutely right: without Republican support, impeachment is a non-starter.
Let's imagine for a second you could somehow draw up articles of impeachment and get them passed. What, exactly, do you think the Senate would do? Did any of you watch even a sampler of the just-concluded Kavanaugh hearings? If that debacle did not convince you that the Rs absolutely will line up and support a criminal in the face of everything else then I don't know what to say to you.
What would happen is there'd be a quick "trial", Trump would get to make a lot of speeches and angry denunciations, and he'd be acquitted. He'd have a major triumph and we would look petty and stupid. Which, frankly, we would be. Maybe people are hoping the prospect would enrage this particular man-baby so much he'd have a coronary on the spot. So then you get President Pence, a man who thinks torturing people simply for being gay is OK, so long as you do it in some god's name.
Running against Trump is not the same things as being the "anything but Trump" or "at least we're not Trump" party. The former put a lot of wind in sails this November or we wouldn't even be having this discussion. I can't see any strategy right now that's better than forcing Trump to run on his record. Just produce some candidates he can't destroy, for the luvvapete.
The Democrats will be moving into a position to do more oversight and inquiries and they should do so. I hear Zinke is sweating bullets, as well he should. Lots of pressure can be put on, lots of light shone into corners this administration would rather keep dark. That's a way better use of time and resources than a doomed push for impeachment.
Like it or not, we're going to have to do this all over again in two years. By then we better have something worth running on.
Let's imagine for a second you could somehow draw up articles of impeachment and get them passed. What, exactly, do you think the Senate would do? Did any of you watch even a sampler of the just-concluded Kavanaugh hearings? If that debacle did not convince you that the Rs absolutely will line up and support a criminal in the face of everything else then I don't know what to say to you.
What would happen is there'd be a quick "trial", Trump would get to make a lot of speeches and angry denunciations, and he'd be acquitted. He'd have a major triumph and we would look petty and stupid. Which, frankly, we would be. Maybe people are hoping the prospect would enrage this particular man-baby so much he'd have a coronary on the spot. So then you get President Pence, a man who thinks torturing people simply for being gay is OK, so long as you do it in some god's name.
Running against Trump is not the same things as being the "anything but Trump" or "at least we're not Trump" party. The former put a lot of wind in sails this November or we wouldn't even be having this discussion. I can't see any strategy right now that's better than forcing Trump to run on his record. Just produce some candidates he can't destroy, for the luvvapete.
The Democrats will be moving into a position to do more oversight and inquiries and they should do so. I hear Zinke is sweating bullets, as well he should. Lots of pressure can be put on, lots of light shone into corners this administration would rather keep dark. That's a way better use of time and resources than a doomed push for impeachment.
Like it or not, we're going to have to do this all over again in two years. By then we better have something worth running on.
no subject
Date: 2018-11-09 09:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-11-09 09:33 pm (UTC)If nothing else, his cabinet of horribles are much more vulnerable than he is. Zinke and DeVos are top of my list, but there are others. And getting rid of them is likely to do real good for people who are being hurt today, and especially for our kids.
no subject
Date: 2018-11-10 11:30 am (UTC)You should edit this into a Letter to the Editor and a letter to your congressman.
no subject
Date: 2018-11-10 12:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-11-13 02:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-11-14 06:49 pm (UTC)Bingo -- I can't see any way that it wouldn't be an enormous strategic error.
I hold out modest hopes for impeachment eventually, but it's not a good idea until and unless Republican Senators start to feel that he's a liability to their election chances, and that would require something *truly* remarkable, well beyond the current boiling frog. In the meantime, investigate, investigate, investigate...