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Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a conference call with Democrats to discuss the way forward after the Mueller report. It appears that Dem leadership is skittish about even using the word “impeachment” because they’re afraid of how voters will react and also the very real possibility that the Republican-controlled Senate will stand with Trump and further impact the Dems’ chances for reelection.
Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer are scared that impeachment proceedings will backfire with the voters in 2020.
Really? Why should they be so afraid?
The Mueller report clearly demonstrates that there was, and still is, criminal behavior in the Trump White House. It is also clear that the only reason that Trump was not indicted is because of a Nixon-era DOJ memo that a sitting president cannot be indicted.
Mueller left a “roadmap” for Congress to follow if Congress is willing to look at it and do its job.
So let’s take a look at what would happen if the House Dems decide to move forward with impeachment.
First of all, it’s the right thing to do. Even if you can make a case that there was no criminal behavior that meets the threshold of the law, there was and is at the minimum widespread corruption in Trump’s White House.
Impeachment, according to the Constitution, begins in the House. They file the Articles of Impeachment. And then send these Articles to the Senate who will then vote on whether or not to impeach. Impeachment is actually a trial, which is held by the Senate. If convicted by the Senate, the President is removed from office.
So let’s say the House goes through with filing Articles of Impeachment. It’s likely that the House will approve Articles of Impeachment, that’s if Democratic leadership decides to go for it.
But then what happens when it goes to the Senate?
The Senate Republicans will more than likely stand with Trump and reject the Articles of Impeachment.
And this potentiality is what seems to scare the hell out of the House Democratic leadership.
Why should it though?
If the only solution to criminal and corrupt activity by the President is impeachment and removal from office, the House will be doing the right thing by filing the Articles of Impeachment which lays out the charges against the President. Then it’s up to the Senate.
If the Senate doesn’t do the right thing and stands with a criminal President, how does that adversely affect the House Democrats? Answer: it doesn’t, it instead makes the Senate Republicans look bad.
And every voter will know the names of every Senate Republican who votes “no” on impeachment.
If the Democratic leadership in the House cowers and overthinks this and just looks the other way, deciding not to file impeachment articles, this will be what will hurt the Dems in the next election.
Trump is not changing for the better while in office. In fact he is getting worse. Right now he is doing a victory lap; he is relying on the Democrats being fearful (Dems have a history of overthinking things and backing away from doing what’s right). He will only feel more powerful the longer this goes.
Waiting for the next election is not the answer either, as some Dems are weakly saying. There might not even be an election as Trump gains more and more power. Trump is already talking about staying in office for decades.
While we still have a Constitution and the Law in place, it is time for the Democratic leadership in the House to step up and do the right thing! Politics aside.
