Great big nothing burger!
First, why would a Ukrainian electric company pay Hunter $50,000/month when he has no training in electricity generation? If the only sensible answer is access to his father than it is a national security concern and Trump has every right to demand it be investigated. If you add the payments being funneled through Cyprus and his father bragging about getting a Ukrainian prosecutor fired than this may constitute serious malfeasance.
Second, the government holds up foreign aid all the time. Unless you have evidence the aid was held up to force Ukraine to do an investigation than you got nuthin! Senator Graham says the Department of Defense held up the aid.
Third, all the Democrats have done since the election is careen from hysteria to hysteria, each time is the final straw that proves criminal activity or racism or collusion or whatever. When one doesn't pan just invent another. What happened to obstruction of justice? Oh yeah...according to the NYT HRC destroyed 30,000 emails after a subpoena. Textbook obstruction. Kind of harshes your self righteous mellow, doesn't it?
Fourth, he's not going to be impeached! You can't get 67 votes in the Senate when 53 Senators are Republicans? Why are you wasting our time and our money on another convoluted scheme to overturn an election you can't accept you lost.
I didn't vote for Trump, regardless I'd like to see our government work to improve my country.
Nothing but another sad bout of hysteria!
36
I'm with the do-what's-right rather than the _apparent_ pragmatic school. But the pragmatic and the ethical should be achievable, in any case.
Mr. Brooks argues:
"This is completely elitist. We’re in the middle of an election campaign. If Democrats proceed with the impeachment process, it will happen amid candidate debates, primaries and caucuses. Elections give ...Americans a voice in selecting the president....
"As these two processes unfold simultaneously, the contrast will be obvious. People will conclude that Democrats are going ahead with impeachment in an election year because they don’t trust the democratic process to yield the right outcome. Democratic elites to voters: We don’t trust you. Too many of you are racists!"
It's chop-logic to assert that all Trump supporters absolutely *will* think "you think we're too deplorable to see Trump's dishonesty," etc. Not "People WILL conclude..." but "People MAY conclude...." the worst of the Dems motives.
But if impeachment is ethically warranted, we'll all have to try to follow both strands. And the NYT could help by doing a better job of the proverbial gum-bike routine: offer good coverage of both the primary campaigns AND impeachment.
After all, a democratic republic functions best if the majority of the electorate is informed. During the Trump presidency, it seems impeachment is a necessary means of obtaining adequate new information about the incumbent.
17
Thank you very much for this column, it gives me hope that the gray Lady has not totally lost her mind.
Completely agree.
Trump baited the Democrats and they raced to take the bait like their life depended on it.
He knows very well that no matter the noise the Democrats make in Congress, the Senate will laugh at this and never pass any resolution that attempts to remove this president. He knows that, and the Democrats should have known that. Yet still, the Democrats have placed all their chips into this effort that is guaranteed to fail. One gets to wonder who is driving strategy for them, because launching your self against an undefeatable enemy is the dumbest idea.
Trump immediately ceased the moment, the text came into my phone in minutes, ‘join Trump’s defense team! Donate now!’ and people did. He already turned this into a win, he outraise every single Democrat last week using what tools the Democrats in the House gave him..
He also dragged Biden square in the middle of a corruption scandal. Questions and investigations about him, his son, and Ukraine will follow Joe well past 2020. It will be brought up over and over and over, and if he is elected, he will immediately face a Senate inquiry into his dealing in this matter, until the Senate urges congress to impeach Joe for corruption. Or if not, at the very least, wound him so bad he will have to remove himself from the race. And Warren cannot beat Trump
Four wins for Trump, courtesy of the Democrats. Unreal.
16
I don't always agree with Brooks about the positions he takes. That's because I don't share his "conservative" frame of reference, never have, never will. I put "conservative" in quotes because it is meaningless as a political philosophy, for this reason: I have yet to encounter anyone who wears that label who actually wants to conserve anything, they all want to turn the clock back and undo the progress that has been made, to various degrees. But that's another topic, for another time.
Nevertheless, I consider Brooks to be a deep and original thinker, and a humane and honest man. So when his take is more pragmatic than ideological, as in this column, I often agree with him. Based on the tenor of most reader comments, he is swimming upstream on this one. And I guess so am I.
Standing with the minority, I am reminded of Rudyard Kipling:
"If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs...
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!"
The most striking thing about the partisans of impeachment is this: with their moral indignation and righteous fury, they have concluded that Trump's relentless depravity has transformed impeachment from a choice into a necessity, consequences be damned.
They have thereby surrendered their initiative to their adversary... something you never, EVER do, if you expect to prevail.
Trump is grinning.
13
This is so dismaying from a man who prides himself on moral approaches. Mr. Brooks, your column reeks of cynicism - and yet, you profess to believe that elections (free and fair, no doubt) will save the country from the most disgusting regime in our history. But surely you know that the GOP has ensured that voting will be suppressed in likely Dem strongholds; that no single Dem choice can please a reliable number of GOP voters; and that the president and the conservative media. according to your paper, are already lining up to profess the party line of misinformation and distortion. I want to believe that human beings will come to their senses and vote him out, but the odds are wretched. Regardless of what the Dems do - whether you like the decision, or whether Michelle Goldberg does - you and the GOP will find a way to blame and second-guess them. They shouldn't have impeached. They should have impeached. They shouldn't have run Biden/Warren/Harris/Sanders/Buttigieg because I can't vote for that person. They should have run Biden/Warren/Harris/Sanders/Buttigieg so that I could have voted Dem. "Impeachment is a political process," indeed. All politics are a political process. This president has made them a moral process as well. You, of all writers, should recognize that and support the playing out of our democracy - not through voting, which has been sorely compromised, but through the checks/balances invested in Congress by the framers. Without that, we have nothing.
137
I totally disagree. It's more than obvious the president abused the power of his obvious. Period, end of story. It's screamingly obvious. We all knew the guy was not fit for this office. We gave him a chance. He has failed spectacularly. You'd think the Mueller report would have led to at least a pause and some self-reflection in the guy's behavior. Quite the opposite. Unbelievably, he's on the phone asking a foreign leader to investigate his leading political rival. It completely boggles the mind. I keep rubbing my eyes when I look at the whistleblower's write-up (not the Times' or the WSJ's, the whistleblower's). Here's a career agent simply pointing out the obvious. And all the pundits can do is spin it this way and that. Unbelievably cynical journalists, unbelievably cynical politicians - truly sickening. How much more simple can it get: You don't ask the president of a foreign country to investigate your political rival. Ever. Does this need to be said? You refer it to the DOJ and say, "It seems like something might be there. I can't address this - it's wrong for me to do that." Anyone who has to ask why this is wrong is clearly unable to think through simple questions of ethics. Think of it this way: If I'm Goodell and I thought Bill Bellichik had gotten his hands on the playbook of next week's opponent, I don't go to Robert Kraft. That will look very bad and complicit. I find some independent investigator, maybe the FBI. Everyone knows Goodell likes the Pats anyhow.
84
If not now, when, Mr. Brooks?
117
yeah. I know you are right.
8
Mr. Brooks, let’s get away from the Dems and the GOP. Let’s consider for a moment Zelensky and the Ukrainian people. This guy is taking over a country that has been riddled with war and corruption.
And then....the US Congress says, “Here is some aid to help you in your fight against Russian aggression and to support democracy. BECAUSE THATS WHAT WE DO! We support democracies around the world because we believe in free elections and the rule of law. so, yes, we’d be happy to help.”
The Ukraine breathes easier because they have the Americans behind them....just like the Brits, the French, the Jews all breathed easier when the Americans came.
And then you have this President who says...”Well, I need you so dig up dirt on my opponent so I can be reeelected. So, I know Congress said democracy, free elections, rule of law....black, blah, blah. What I need is for you to meet with my two guys...Giuliani is there to make the real bid, but my Attorney General will really get things going over here. And unless you do that, you get nothing from America”
All of sudden Ukraine feels like they can’t breathe and at any moment they too will fall to Russia just like Crimea. Think about the generations of people throughout the world that exist today because America came.
So maybe they lose the 2020 but I think what the Democrats will gain is far more valuable to WHAT AMERICA DOES.
86
So Mr Brooks what are we law abiding, tax paying, hard working, moral and just Americans supposed to do with this criminal and his corrupt feckless party??? Form a circle, join hands and sing Kumbaya?
106
I'm gonna give Nancy Pelosi the benefit of David Brooks' doubt.
65
Leaders lead.
Pelosi didn’t. She hung back on the impeachment issue for many months only to finally cave when her continuing opposition would endanger her Speakership.
McConnell didn’t. He threatened Democrats with an automatic acquittal evidence-be-damned if Pelosi’s House indicted. He will now hang back on allowing the Articles a fair trial until that endangers his hold on his own senate seat and Republican control of the Senate itself.
Both follow. Neither leads.
Had either led during earlier phases of Trump’s presidency we might not be at this sorry pass now. Trump’s misconduct with Putin in Helsinki would have sufficed to remove him from office. Senate Republicans‘ inertia and acquiescence not only enabled Trump’s destructiveness, it encouraged it. Had Sen. McConnell signaled that he would not obstruct had Trump been indicted he would have been removed from office in 2018.
Neither led. Both pursued narrow parochial partisan agendas.
Their inaction endangered the very thing that both swore oaths to preserve, protect and defend: the Constitution of the United States. And now a small fire is about to become an inferno that might well engulf us.
8
David Brooks, the anointed moralist of the Times, who urges us all to live out virtuous values, now settles for political expedience. Sad. I say: Let Justice flow like a river.
179
And your remedy, Mr. Brooks?
54
Mr. Brooks’ argument is convincing yet his conclusion is weak. A better and more memorable closing would have cited the old adage “damned if you do and damned if you don’t.”
26
I am surprised that you would write such a column. This is not something that should be swept under the rug and it is an impeachable offense. The American people are beginning to see this president for what he is and if he is in office for another year all hell could break loose. The allegations that have been made by the whistleblower are very disturbing and the fact that so many people in the administration tried to cover it up is telling. It seems that we have corruption not only in the White House, but in the State Department, and in the Justice Department. The occupant of the White House has systematically worked to get the people out of his administration who put country first. It is so sad that all of this is happening- the reputation of the country under this occupant of the White House was already questionable on the world stage, but now who knows how world leaders will believe anything the occupant of the White House says!
74
I wish Mr Brooks and other pundits would stop looking into their crystal balls, especially when they were all proven wrong in 2016. The fact is, we don't know what's going to happen. If what Trump did is not impeachable, then future presidents will have the green light to undermine the Constitution and get away with it. Yes, we understand that impeachment is a political process, not a legal one. But arguing that impeachment is bad politics for the Democrats is cowardly. It is arguing that the Democrats' strategy should be to play it safe and play not to lose, rather than playing to win. There's a big difference. Now that Democrats have some power, it's time to use it. To not impeach would be immoral and a failure to uphold the Constitution. Politics be damned.
100
Your scenario and Giuliani's boast that *he* "will be the hero here" are truly surreal and depressing.
No heroes here. Is nothing worth preserving or are you saying that the grotesque deformity of our Republic by this lawless president and the incredible sycophancy on display at the White House to hide his efforts to cheat a win in 2020 is just something to "get over"??
39
Oh ye of little faith.
29
Geez, David, you are referencing a poll taken in August! Time to rewrite this column, don’t you think?
33
I agree with David Brooks assessment
9
So...don’t impeach the president for impeachable offenses - got it.
88
And let Barr, Pence and Pompeo get off scott free? No Way.
46
For reasons you don’t understand, the boat you were aboard capsized and sank. When you have been in the ocean without a life jacket for perhaps twenty minutes, you happen upon an exhausted-looking man who appears to be just treading water.
When you approach and hail him, he manages to gasp out, “I’m staying here. You should too. If we try to do something, it might worsen our situation.”
You swim on, hoping to find some wreckage to cling to, or maybe you might catch sight of land.
“If we stand up to a lying, irrational, criminal, unfit-for-office president — things might get worse.”
It’s hard to believe that so many American adults buy this cowardly line of reasoning.
The Cuban revolutionary, Emiliano Zapata, was forced to flee his country. During the time he lived as an outlaw in northern Mexico, he took the name Pancho Villa and was pursued by both American and Mexican authorities.
Zapata once told the men who followed him, “I would rather die standing on my feet, than to continue living on my knees.”
48
Why don't you ever talk about the conservative elites?
66
Brooks opines: don't fight evil, you might lose.
95
Wrong this time David.
48
Hey, Democrats have tried everything else to depose Trump. Might as well give this a shot, even though they will fail, LOL.
6
David Brooks poll numbers are outdated:
Voter Support for Impeachment Grows Amid Ukraine Scandal
https://morningconsult.com/2019/09/26/voter-support-for-impeachment-grows-amid-ukraine-scandal/
32
If not impeachment over this then what? Come on man...if we live in fear of what 'his base' or Mitch McConnell then Trump will continue to run our country into the ground.
How many times do we, the American public, need to look the other way in fear of 'his base' or the Republican enablers in the Senate? This is a bridge too far. Enough is enough. His base and the Senate Republicans be damned. If the voters of this country react to this by giving them 4 more years in office then we get what we deserve.
If you live in fear you are not living.
62
So you just let him get away with more and more egregious behavior and that behavior becomes worse and before you know it we might as well live in Russia with thug oligarchs running the country.
45
This is a "damned if you do and damned if you don't" moment in history. As in independent I stand against oppression on either side of the aisle. However, I have come to disdain the republican "philosophy" (if you want to call it that) on the grounds they align more with fascism than democracy. They have been in lockstep, gaining momentum since 1970. When in power in the Congress, they did more harm to this country than any possible good that came out of the years 2012-2018. Our godsend was a democratic majority in the House or we'd still be living in hell. We are "all" creators - you can't sugarcoat what has been created by the orange White House. Is this what America wants? I think not.
20
The only thing Trump is guilty of is seeking vindication for the cocked up Russiagate charde and looking into it origins. There is desperation all around in the resitance now. I would love to see the "truth" come out but the odds are stacked against it. Just look at the all out effort.
4
This is the ideal time to start the impeachment process, David. You confuse me. Sometimes you seem like a closet Democrat, but then you go and write something like this.
20
Oh come on, David. What would it take? Does he literally need to shoot someone on 5th Ave. to convince you?
54
Latest Politico poll shows that popular opinion is still fluid, and that more people are leaning toward impeachment. Perhaps a public airing of the case will help voters decide. If DT wins after a full inquiry we'll be in for four more year of hell, but so be it--at least the truth will be there for those who care.
15
The word pusillanimous kept coming up after I managed to read ever one of your points.
25
Impeach him because its the right thing to do, not because it is the politically expedient thing to do.
In a time when we live among politicians that lack a spine and an ethical backbone, it is extremely important that somebody take the stick to a thug who repeatedly thinks he is above the law of the land. Our kids are watching all this. Should we allow this marauding burglar and molester to simply get away with everything and anything ? NO !
Hurt him with the stick. It is the right thing to do. Elections be damned for once. Do what is right. This fellow inflicts needless pain and agony on scores of innocent and upstanding people. Hit him back.
40
Speaking of elites, I don't think YOU have enough confidence in the electorate. Let's see what they think after the impeachment inquiry is done. My guess is they'll side with the Democrats.
And what about you, the man who is always talking about moral imperatives? The Democrats made the moral choice, politics be damned. You, of all people, should be applauding.
47
David Brooks' message to our children: In life's difficult moral decisions, do what's right … as long as you suffer no setbacks; otherwise, suck it up, pin your flag to your lapel and sing the GOP pledge of allegiance (=hail to the king).
40
What happened to all your talk about morality, David?
51
Brooks is 100% correct...........
Welcome to my world said the spider to the fly..... Trump to the naive Democrats......
One plays by the rules the Ds - and the other - Trump and the Rs - has no rules but lots of Congressional and public scofflaw supporters.......this may be a case of where the "crooks" win......
2
These are the times that try men's souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.
Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, 12/19/1776
37
You're kidding, right, David? This is a joke, isn't it?
26
There are zero polls that show impeachment under water as of this morning
23
No, David Brooks, it is not a mistake. Because--I know this will be hard for you to understand with your brain on permanent politics columnist mode--but unlike most present day Republicans, there are still people who make decisions based on what is right rather than what is politically strategic.
48
The objection of impeachment is over. A concurring vote by the Senate would be coming from Trump’s toadies who have shown their allegiance to the Constitution to be negligible. If the Ukraine call happened immediately after Mueller testified to Congress, without impeachment, what checks and balances would be in place for another year? Should future voters be learning that corruption of the Constitution is only relative as a political price?
George Mason was the first delegate to argue that the government needed a check on the executive’s power in the Constitution. He thought the president could become a tyrant as oppressive as George III. Mason suggested that a presidential candidate might bribe the electors to gain the presidency, stating “Shall the man who has practiced corruption, and by that means procured his appointment in the first instance, be suffered to escape punishment by repeating his guilt?”
Our Constitution is worth everything, political risk be damned.
23
This was an attack that was meant to dump Biden. Trump would only be collateral damage.
The Hill has published the Ukrainian Prosecutor's affadavit. He said that Poroshenko told him that he needed to close down the Bursima investigation because Biden head threatened to pull the one billion dollars.
Doesn't anyone at the NY Times remember when the machine Democrats were trying to discourage Biden, early on?
5
As if Brooks doesn't have a "if they don't impeach, he'll win" article in his desk drawer
What a phony
26
Trump will resign.
5
A perfect column for the hand-wringing New York Times. Excuse me David, but what would doing nothing prove? Whose hands would that play into?
23
OMG!!!! For two and a half years, Brooks has tsk-tsk-ed and tut-tut-ed over Trump's transgressions (ethical, legal, political) while continuing to support him. Now, Brooks finally admits that Trump is guilty of an impeachable offense, a "high crime or misdemeanor" in the words of the Constitution, but he still supports Trump!
Why is Brooks arguing about what the Democrats should do? Why is he not arguing with his fellow Republicans to get them to do the right thing and throw this bum out of office?
46
David Brooks is now exposed. His patrician background has allowed him to ingest enough phlegm, but he has reached his limits. His hatred and condemnation of the President is on record. He has summarily convicted of impeachment but withholds the sentence due to the greater good mantra, his bedrock for sanity. Mr. Brooks, in another vain attempt to seek higher ground, instead grovels, wanting his cake and eat it too. Mr. Brooks has never mentioned anything of the Biden family legacy of corruption and his illegitimacy for seeking the Presidency, nor of the same regarding Hilary Clinton. His belief is tethered to compromise despite the yielding in only one direction.
Mr. Brooks still believe in the fairy tale of sitting around the campfire holding hands singing kum ba ya, or does he?
2
David Brooks is the type of guy who would’ve written opeds telling MLK that he was not protesting correctly back in 1964.
31
When it comes to doing the politically suicidal thing Democrats reign supreme.
2
Fox News has it's people thinking they are under siege regardless. Let's side with the constitution and impeach. Obviously the senate won't convict since there aren't any patriots there. This is for "show" .. but it's the American show. Fascism is here and should be given no quarter.
28
Mr Brooks: The problem is you and Nancy Pelosi are both right. The country is damned if we do, and damned if we don't. Congress has to act on impeachment or be guilty of dereliction of duty. Once that process is over, all the risks you list will be in full play. There is no good choice. It's a mess.
9
Today's New York Times editorial essentially shatters Mr. Brooks arguments.
17
Don't forget, David Brooks is a Republican. When it comes down to it, he is just like, hum, Robert Mueller.
19
Good think piece.
1
Mr. Brooks understands that impeachment is a political process, but he severely underestimates American people. There already is 13%p swing in favor of impeachment and the gap will grow larger every passing day. Republicans will eventually have to decide whether to go down with Trump or impeach him. My hope is that Republicans will stick with him, come Hell or high water, and put a permanent end to their party.
14
Brooks has no compass when it comes to what is moral or right. Just look at his record with Iraq and his years of champion Neo Cons causes and supportive arguments. Brooks now is uncomfortable with his old brotherhood and is hopeless searching for a veneer finish on a new home Democrats.
But once again Brooks veneer has worn thin
as now he comes with talking points from the Whitehouse and the Nationalist void of facts, bent on lies or even void of historical examples eg., the Dick Nixon saga. Rush Limbaugh had these exact arguments as Brooks details in his propagandized article. When you read Brooks consider the source.
16
Every second this president continues in the White House exposes the country to further ruin and degradation. He is destroying America's reputation with his lies and self-aggrandizing, pathetic attempt at lining his pockets. He should be in prison or dead. Take your pick.
23
a functional trump presidency succeeds in enricing the very rich, polluting the water and air, destroying habitat and species with an easily scaled wall and opening vast regions to corporate extraction - oil, gas, copper, the demise of public education in favor of jesus schools, the trampling of human rights, deporting people who have served in our military, whipping up white supremacy and giving them lots of access to assault military style weapons to appease the NRA, LOTS of money to the trump companies for all the toadies currying favor by staying in his resorts, A CONFLAGRATION in the middle east, an emboldening of putin, a failure of trade policies hurting farmers and manufacturers, complete coverup of all goverment climate data and refusal to aid any of the devastated brown communities wiped out by ever larger and harsher hurricanes, impeach now, before he can appoint another judge to foist his misogyny on women, his $$ for power politics, and his sickening lack of empathy for anything except his own pile of gold and a mirror. DONNY MUST GO and take PENCE the homophobe with him and that whole god awful made for emoluments family.
17
Mr. Brooks,
You are 100% wrong.
Marty
20
Impeach impeach impeach. Yet, Trump 2020. God bless the USA.
3
I guess David thinks Americans are fools just like Donald does...sad.
16
David Brooks -- "Just look away folks. Nothing to see here." A fine defender of the Constitution you are.
20
(Some) problems with this op-ed piece:
1. Elitist? If so, is every law enforcement officer busting a lawbreaker elitist?
2. Not what the country wants to talk about? When the Nixon impeachment started, most of the country did not want to talk about that, either, and the country as a whole was way more liberal than it is now.
3. Democrats are playing Trump's Game--Possibly, but not because Trump wants to be impeached. He has just come to believe that he can get away with anything. The evidence: after only looking reckless, out of control, undisciplined and cruel during the Mueller investigation, now he has gone to outright and blatant lawbreaking of the kind the so-called Russia Investigation was meant to examine. If Trump walked down the street pushing random people under buses, you'd have to act as well.
4. Increasing public cynicism? This is another version of the Why Can't They Get Along theory of politics, which always fails to recognized that a large part of the population, and the politicians who serve that population, live in a parallel universe defined by Fox and The Right Wing Conspiracy-Verse. You can't contravene the world view in that zone via facts, and equally you just have to get on with your job and let the 35% who are completely enmeshed in that have their conspiracies and their cynicism.
5. Trumpism is already embedded in the GOP.
6. Not pursing this will also distort the Democratic Primaries.
With more calls coming, it's damned if you don't
8
In response to Brooks’s preposterous show of cowardice in the face of evil, I can only quote John Belushi’s mocking taunt to the lilly-livers in Animal House: “Ooh, we're afraid to go with you Bluto, we might get in trouble."
14
Thanks for the help David. Perhaps you shouldn’t have spent your career enabling the party whom Trump represents
18
Donald Trump committed an impeachable offense ... therefore the Dems have to act because not doing so shows unacceptable weakness.
David, if Trump does not come out victorious, will you please leave the NYT for poor shillmanship and prognostication?
16
You know things are really bad for conservatives when David Brooks can’t spin out his usual “more in sorrow than in anger” moralizing and oh so “helpful” advice.
12
Sorry David, enough is enough so long ago!
18
What cracks me up is the fact that back in the 90s, Bill Clinton having a sexual affair and trying to cover it up was enough for Republicans to impeach him.
37
We can always rely on David Brooks to repeat the conventional wisdom.
9
Totally agrees .
2
This is an open and shut case of blatant criminality and corruption. The Attorney General and Vice President are complicit in the crime. This is not “inside the beltway” bickering. This is fascism laid bare for all to see. David Brooks, your party is pathetic for genuflecting to this indecent authoritarian, and your advice is misguided. Repeat after me: no one is above the law. And when the president breaks the law in such a brazen fashion, then he must go, immediately. For you to suggest otherwise makes you complicit. Please, spend your energy rallying your fellow Republicans to convict Trump in the Senate. Your advice is not helpful.
23
Dream on David. Your beloved Republican Party will be finished when this is over.
24
This craven conclusion is where “the road to character” led you?
26
Are there any circumstances in which you would support impeaching this president?
13
Mr Brooks your wrong impeachment is exactly what should happen. Once again Mr. Brooks your very weak tea.
14
Or, fence-sitters like you could get behind it and stop thinking about strategy and simply do the right thing because it's the right thing. What's the good of all your morality if you have no moral courage?
27
Oh, yeah, sure...give Trump a total pass.
19
Sorry, David, you're already wrong and out of date. Impeachment polling numbers are already up, only a few days after this damning information is out. Give it a bit of time, and the public will finally come around, and it won't be your "elitist" impeachment any more.
16
All of this cray-cray makes me again think we need to amend the constitution so there's only a single presidential term of 5 or 6 years. That would really change the never-ending re-election bids.
10
"This political brawl will leave Trump victorious."
David Brooks - Sept. 26, 2019
------------------------------------------
"Yes, I do think there is an acceptance, I don’t know if in Donald Trump’s brain, but certainly in the Republican Party, about the fact that he’s going to lose..."
David Brooks - Oct 22, 2016
8
David - does your opinion change based on this poll? https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/26/poll-support-impeachment-trump-1515012
It’s sad that you are advocating Democrats sacrifice their principles because you believe its politically expedient.
13
If this nasty little episode doesn't justify impeachment, Mr. Brooks, what would? Sexual relations with a White House intern? Shooting someone in the middle of the street?
17
Please.
Either impeach or emblazon the White House with the Trump logo.
719
Mr. Brooks is on the wrong side of history on this one.
14
Mr. Brooks, it is never a mistake to do the right thing for your country.
27
I don't understand why some columnists disagree with an impeachment?
Do you want to remove requiring an oath of office for the President? The VP? The Congress? The Court? You want to replace the current Constitution?
https://www.thoughtco.com/oaths-of-office-for-federal-officials-3368324
An oath of office is a promise required of most federal officials to carry out the duties set forth in the U.S. Constitution. The president and vice president, members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, and justices joining the U.S. Supreme Court all publicly take oaths before assuming office.
The President's Oath of Office
The president is required by Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution to take the following oath of office:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."
This is the same as that taken by members of Congress:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."
12
Brooks: 'Yes, he's a liar, a crook and a traitor but let's not shake anything up - just ignore it and it will go away'.
17
"Donald Trump committed an impeachable offense on that call with the Ukrainian president." Doesn't the first sentence of this opinion piece tell us a great deal? At which point does the House stick it's head in the sand?
15
You, sir, are categorically WRONG this time...have you and your GOP kin fallen so short of the rule of law that because the SENATE does not, nay refuses to do THEIR constitutionally duty throughout this administration mean that YOUR voice should be heard above that of the people. NO. not now and not ever again. YOUR kin in the GOP are as guilty as TRUMP and you would do well to steer clear of their criminal attitudes in supporting all the truly evil acts this man has wrought on us and the world by not only these actions but all the LIES he has foisted on us since day one. No sir, you are WRONG..
11
Everything about this article screams weakness and moral degeneration, which is precisely what voters all too often see in Democrats.
If a Democratic House cannot impeach the most impeachable president in American history, what good are they? And what set of voters would come out of the woodworks to elect them again?
Democrats want fighters who will hold the line against a creeping fascism. Enough of these compromises with evil.
20
Mr. Brooks!
You are off-key and urgently need a new tuning fork. I am singing Nancy Pelosi's tune.
15
Q: When should impeachment happen? If it's a political process, so what? So is voting. So is congress making laws and enacting legislation. Of course it's political. It's government.
Q: It will achieve nothing: Only that each and every American will know where their congressperson and senator stands.
Q: It's elitist. How do you figure? It seems elitist to the majority of voters that the EC got to choose their president. And somehow it's elitist to have our elected officials do their jobs, including following the constitution?
Q; It's not what the country wants to talk about: see Watergate at this point in the process.
Q: Ds are playing Trump's game. It's a game? Not to me and most Americans who fear their security is being traded for personal gain.
Q:The process will increase public cynicism: See Watergate for similar fears.
Q: It could embed Trumpism in the R party: I'm sorry to inform you that it is too late. The party needs more than just eliminating Trump.
Q: Distortion of the D primaries: This is truly your best argument. It does dumb down our political process to reduce it to eyeballs and attention getting, but there you are. A steaming pile.
Truthfully, you left out the one thing that appeals to me. Vote out the lot of them. The P/VP/Down ballot Rs who defended them.
Way better than a possible impeachment and a president Pence.
12
Can I just say that we may not even get as far as impeachment! You just have to look at the persons involved, you have the President who is guaranteed a pardon should he be convicted in the senate or resign and then you have 3 other people who may not get so lucky.
1) Pampeo, Juliani states that state Dept was aware, 2) Bill Burr, mentioned in the call, there is obviously more to that story and
3) Juliani himself, no security clearance while handling state affairs, already told so many contradictory stories. These three have so much to lose and the minute they realize that the person who made the call and asked for a favor and well as ordering the Aide to be held has a guaranteed pardon!!!!.....Hello article 25. This maybe the one scenario that could quickly unfold based on how Juliani just threw Pampeo under the bus.
2
Three cheers Pelosi & accountability! Stop the 2nd guessing & bring on the Blue Wave.
Mr. Emoluments & his grifters are emblematic of utter corruption, & depravity who will attempt to hold onto power by any means.
It was not corrupt for Trump to actually withhold foreign aid in an effort to get a prosecutor to conduct a corrupt investigation?
Trump is taking the “Emperor Has No Clothes” to a whole new level, attempting to persuade the country that such conduct, plus the enlistment of his private attorney to dig up dirt on a political opponent, is perfectly fine...
Trump has been caught red-handed leveraging taxpayer dollars and U.S. military aid to extort a foreign government for dirt on a political opponent. It is a measure of his ignorance that he did not recognize how damning this is.
Before Trump it would sound preposterous to say that a presidential candidate could successfully conceal his own corruption and criminality by drumming up a fake scandal(s) about his opponent. Trump won the 2016 election, with help from a criminal conspiracies by the Russian government and WikiLeaks to create a confusing and fake scandals around Hillary Clinton's emails, Benghazi!, Pizzagate…
Any of the leading Dems is an order of magnitude better than Trump. Organize, energize, & bring on the Blue Wave.
6
Tha Quinnipiac poll was not taken in the last 24 hrs
1
Surprised to see the "don't impeach" consensus in the NYT Picks.
I'm not even sure why there is a debate here. The President of the United States, after two years of screaming "No Collusion. No Obstruction," withheld tax payer dollars appropriated by Congress for the purposes of helping Ukraine defend itself in a hot war against Russia to extort "dirt" on his likely opponent in the 2020 presidential election. And did I mention that Russia is the very same country that Trump gleefully accepted help from in 2016? The same country Robert Mueller warned us about and the Senate Intelligence committee report said infiltrated all 50 states' election apparatus in 2016? But, Trump never paid the price did he because he is a sitting president who cannot be indicted. Aren't you pundits telling us the remedy for a sitting is impeachment?
And this is not just Trump here. We have Mulvaney, Barr and Pompeo knee-deep in this. But by all means, let's just trivialize this by calling it an "inside-the-Beltway brawl."
To borrow from Adam Schiff - Mr. Brooks you might think it's OK that the day after Robert Mueller warned his country that the Russians were at this very minute working to undermine our democracy that President Trump got on the phone to do just that. I don't.
11
Impeach, we must. The emperor has been running amuck with no clothes and it’s high time to rein him in. Without impeachment, it’s business as usual and just spanking him and telling him “naughty boy” isn’t cutting it.
8
Mr. Brooks, when did you become so practically minded? Please refer to Timothy Egan's op-ed piece today for the answer to why impeachment is imperative.
4
Oh, so we should let foreign governments mess in our elections. Hmmm, I wonder how Dems do when that happen. Oh yeah, they lose.
I guess as a member of the GOP (or ex-member) David Brooks accepts corruption. Part of their law and order agenda is that only POC must follow the laws, that's what keeps the white patriarchy on the top of the order.
Someone hug David Brooks because he's scared.
7
David is correct in that the Senate will never convict Trump if they even agreed to hold a trial. Trump would simply wave it around like a flag of exoneration to gin support much like he did with the Mueller report, damning as it was. There is little upside to the Dems here other than claiming the moral high ground. The best way to remove Trump is at the ballot box in 2020 without giving him the martyrdom he craves.
3
So when do you defend the Constitution, David? Asking for the framers.
13
Mr Trump has impeached himself.
8
Mr. Brooks, You have always been one to hedge your bets. You supported the ridiculous Iraq war and numerous other Republican blunders. You mean to be the voice of reason, but you too often reason in a pussyfooted way.
Everyday TRUMP IS IN OFFICE is another stake in the breast of this American democracy. Enough is enough!!!!!
11
Oh SURE Brooks.
We should look away and pray that an honest election can even be conducted in the U S.
YOU thought we would have an honest election last time. But with Soviet help and a lot of targeted marketing of lies to ignorant people in handpicked States, the will of The PEOPLE was thwarted
So we should just be good kids and let it happen again?????
And doing the right thing by confronting the laws violated -- heck, look away and let our children see what happens when people of principle choose politics instead.
Disgustingly utilitarian
7
I am comforted by the fact that you have no say in the matter. We have to deal with this nitwit, because, for three decades, you and your ilk have been willing to accept any amount of corruption, mindlessness, and incompetence in elected officials -- as long as they were willing to lower taxes. Now we have the culmination of your ethos in the form of Trump. Please do not lecture us on why the Constitution should be ignored while the disaster you helped to birth continues to mock it.
16
No he is not "guilty", David.
Just accept that he's been a fine president, and that he is surrounded by enemies--not for any harm he has done to the country (far from it), but because his extreme straightforwardness makes him a subversive character (go figure).
It's called bigotry, David. Please stop, even if you are just doing it as cover against your masters so that you can try to tone down their malicious insanity.
2
Brooks really? I hope your selling of the public as being so partisan that they will allow a lawless president to go unscathed. Trump is guilty but should not be impeached? Talking out both sides of your mouth must be confusing to even you. Brooks haven't you ever thought Trump pushes the envelope because there is no envelope. Your logic is that we should let Trump keep wrecking our country and the world because to stop him gives him another term? So Trump is untouchable? Brooks why not just make Trump King and call it a day?
4
Oh please! Not even worth dismissing as a pundit bloviating.
7
I wonder what David would say if it was a Democrat in office?
11
David,
May I ask: If DJT shot someone on Fifth Avenue, would you say that the Dems should impeach? Where is your line?
7
I think the numbers have changed on impeachment-how many times do you pundits get it wrong?
4
ahhh, the man who for years kept explaining to me how the invasion of Iraq was a great thing now throws his hat in the ring against impeachment.
But in an apt analogy to the Iraqi catastrophe you cheer-led, Democrats keep bringing a knife to a gun fight, and they keep losing ground to the gangster-in-chief.
Of course impeachment is "divisive." Is it more divisive than the 24-7 IV drip of un-American hate spewed by Fox News, Limbaugh, etc? Nope.
I guess we should just sit on our hands and wait for trump to become more "presedential"? oh and the oil from Iraq will more than pay for the war, David, after we're greeted as liberators.
6
“All of these people focusing on the witch-hunt because they can’t beat us at the ballot.” Donald Trump
When your president says it more clearly than you, David, then it's time to do some, y'know, thinking?
1
I'd love to know what Gail Collins's response to this would be.
2
This opinion is just another naive assessment of events. David Brooks engages in excessive hand-wringing. Donald trump is already deeply embedded in the republican party. Where have you been?
9
This notion that the Nation should indulge Mr. Trump until His term ends and allow the voters to determine the fate of his presidency lacks acknowledgement of the very real dangers this man presents to Our Country and Our World. Anyone who thinks that D. Trump will go quietly if voted out of office has not been paying attention. The provocations, irregularities and malfeasance would only be compounded by inaction. The Mueller Report alone was incredibly damning! Doing nothing would confirm the worst suspicions of the public; that our Government is irreconcilably corrupt. Let the Senate go on record to defend or impeach!
15
David you have branded yourself as an ethicist and a voice for moral thinking. Forget political consequences. What’s the RIGHT thing to do? There is no option here; impeachment
15
What if, instead of writing columns that criticize Democrats for NOT doing the politically expedient thing, Mr. Brooks wrote columns criticizing Republicans for doing the politically expedient thing? Just imagine.
16
David Brooks, what has happened to you moral compass? Win or lose now seems to have replaced right and wrong for you. Very disappointing column from someone I admired.
7
Mr. Brooks......
Let’s not forget what impeachment means....Getting him out of office, I wish.
Exposing his "person?" for what he and his sycophants are is an imperative.
7
Really? Impeachment means liberals are calling Trump supporters racist? THIS is what will increase public cynicism? Not a president asking a foreign government to find dirt on his political rivalry? Not his calling legitimate journalists fake news and enemy of the people? Does he really have to shoot someone on 5th Ave for impeachment to be justified?
13
Mr. Brooks,
You are right, but you are wrong.
He must be called out.
Punch the bully in the nose.
7
Leave it to people like Brooks and Stephens, so-called moderate Republicans who got us here in the 1st place, to basically defend this abomination of a President for the sake of disparaging "coastal elites"
18
Agree wholeheartedly
2
Have you, like your Republican fellow travelers, refused to read the complaint? Keep up, man. Things are happening fast. We have a constitution and a country to save here.
14
David-
Your column badly misses the mark. One of your weakest arguments, incidentally, is that the country is opposed to impeachment. It is true, unfortunately, that the country was not compelled by what emerged from the Mueller investigation. This is a completely different affair - although it does build on the recognition that the President is scornful of law and constitutional norms - and the public opinion is shifting toward impeachment as we speak.
I agree with you that this is not necessarily a winning political strategy, but given Trump's enduring unpopularity and the polarized country, I can't see how it will hurt the Democrats to any degree. But more important - and given how often you talk about morality in your columns, I thought you would appreciate this - there are times when public officials must do what is right, and damn the electoral consequences.
9
“Leave Trump victorious.” Like Nixon?
6
So you're willing to ignore the Constitution, let the House continue dereliction of their clear and present duty to defend and protect that document against this horrible offense (and potential future ones by presidents yet unnamed), and leave it to the masses, the very gullible, generally uninformed masses whom the Founders feared above all, to kick this treasonous fool out? Really, Mr. Brooks?
6
The impeachment inquiry needs to go slowly and carefully. Its an inquiry. A fact finding mission. There is a credible source who has information about a serious charge of abuse of power. Now investigate, but avoid the drama.
Ignore him. Ignore him. Ignore him.
I would like to see the Democratic candidates downplay it and go on talking about what they want to do as President. Ignore him. Ignore him. Ignore him.
The media has to cooperate with this effort as well. Go back to talking about the candidates and their proposals. Don't let Trump suck all the air out of the room.
Ignore him. Ignore him. Ignore him.
4
I love David Brooks. Now I'm going to spend the weekend figuring out why.
Mr. Brooks' suggestion that the Democrats stay "above the fray" takes me back to 1988, when Mario Cuomo gave Michael Dukakis the same advice. How'd that work out?
Watching the reaction from the Trumpeteers to these allegations, it makes me think that this must have been what it was like in Jonestown just before they drank the kool-aid. How do you change someone's mind who is such a blind follower? You don't. Instead, you just try and make a rational argument to the other 65% of the country.
10
Putting politics first?!!! If he's guilty, he should be impeached...regardless of the political outcome!
5
Mr. Brooks, your pragmatism is misplaced.
5
For God's sake, do the right thing. Did you learn right and wrong from your parents? This is wrong. He is corrupt. He tried to use our tax dollars to coerce a foreign government to help him win an election. U.S. national security was thrown under the bus. Election security was thrown under the bus. America was thrown under the bus. The Founding Fathers tell us what to do. Just do it!
6
We’re just supposed loo look the other way again??? No way,Mr Brooks, this creature has crossed so many lines without any censure that this is enough !! We can’t let this go . Our country is so beat up that the impeachment process could actually restore some honor in this turmoil. Perhaps even get rid of this inept despicable thing.
7
So why have a constitution? I’m sick of people who put politics over of the law, and thats what you are suggesting here. That’s what banana Republic does and we are near there if they don’t impeach him.
9
Oh ye of little faith, by pulling out now it would indeed prove itself political. Attempting to hold Trump accountable for something, anything is a step in the right... no pun intended.... direction. They and we need to take a stand against it. Perhaps by doing so other whistleblowers will gain the courage to come forth with even more damning evidence. Lock him up! Sorry, too soon.
1
David do you have a crystal ball? There seems to be a theme that is happening with conservatives, that any attempt to hold Trump responsible is only going to make him stronger. I believe that the more information that comes out of impeachment hearings is only going to reinforce how much of a corrupt traitor Trump is to this country and republicans will have to own it as they have been complicit in a nefarious manner, they will be exposed for the gutless wimps they are. By the time republican senators are forced to vote yay or nay on impeachment we will see more than a few run for the doors in order to save their souls knowing it is a losing cause. But sure David keep telling yourself that Democrats are the ones who should worry, by the time we get done with exposing Trump and the complicit republicans they will not be able to be elected dog catcher.
3
Liberal media like the Times, which purports to care about the little guy, will obsess over the impeachment hearings at the expense of reporting on other matters that the little guy does care about. And at the expense of covering the second-tier, more moderate presidential candidates. So ironic that it would be funny if it wasn’t so upsetting.
3
So what do we do with a criminal president who wasn’t elected by a majority or even via a clean election (Russia, Comey, rampant voter suppression)? Should he just remain the President forever when he solicits help- and possibly retains office- from a hostile foreign government?
People like you are the real problem, David. You stood by and watched this rot in the Republican Party for years and years and now you’re saying there’s nothing we can do about it.
6
Are you aware countries like Australia, Germany, Japan and South Korea are now, because of the fact that the US President cannot be trusted, in talks to acquire nuclear weapons?
The world is becoming a much more dangerous place because the man who has the most money and the nukes has told 12k lies and is am imbecile.
But sure, just think of your own interests. America or at least MR Brooks, you are just like Trump.
3
To sit back and let things happen is a cop out David.
4
If not now, when?
3
Even if Trump is not convicted by the Senate he and his crew are finished. Look at Nixon's last year. He was babbling on, drinking, forcing Kissinger to pray with him, and behaving bizarrely. Replace babbling with tweeting.
Republicans will quietly abandon him regardless of their public statements. The Democrats, of course, wouldn't support his Mothers' Day proclamation.
Some of his top people are already in jail. More are following. Eventually a John Dean type is going to provide more information because he doesn't want to sit in the can by supporting this nitwit.
In this Greek tragedy tale Barr will be played by John Mitchell. Lewandowski will be played by H.R. Haldeman. and Butterfield will be played by the entire and enraged Justice Department
2
Sorry David, but you're wrong Trump is toast!
4
If both chambers fail to impeach, it’s lights out America as we knew it, R.I.P. 1776-2016.
4
Brooks was an enthusiastic supporter of Bill Clinton's impeachment (writing for the Wall Street Journal), and W's Iraq War.
Why should anyone be impressed by his current line of thought?
9
Wow! Where are your ethics? Where is your moral outrage now?
What about accountability for the president's personal behavior? Where is our lecture about right and wrong? Seems that suddenly goes out the window when your guy gets caught red handed.
5
David has never been more wrong. If you revere the Constitution, impeachment is imperative. Sit this one out, David.
3
Seriously Mr. Brooks? You sound like the kind of parent who doesn t set boundaries afraid the kid "will hate him". Impeachment is the right thing to do. Period. If anything, your piece sounds more like an attempt to still defend and protect the leader of your party. You are still very much a true Republican.
3
I dunno, David, for a guy whose take on pretty much everything is about the moral and ethical high ground it's pretty deflating to see you take this position. Either you think your readers, and the wider public, are capable of fundamentally moral choices or you don't. If you don't, why get on your soap box at all in these columns?
And anyway, this is not, as you say, "a personality war against Nancy Pelosi and Jerrold Nadler." That is exactly what it is not. Impeachment, done wisely, is an opportunity to systematically explore the facts. Let's make sure everyone has them.
3
Mr. Brooks is always ready and willing to carry water for his Republican supporters...
4
NY Times columnists, STOP CITING A POLL WITH 1,300 RESPONDENTS! Why have you learned nothing from relying on polls with small sample sizes? The same polling organizations predicted Clinton would win in 2016.
1
Would love David Brooks to provide a link of all the columns he wrote in favor of Clinton's impeachment.
3
If nothing is done there is no telling how lawless Trump will become. He and his sycophants have already done enough damage to the country and the world.
The Republicans should be so ashamed.
4
Implicit in Brooks' thesis is that Republicans CANNOT act ethically or in the country's interests. This is probably a correct assessment, although a catatrosphically damning one.
Really, what Brooks wants, as he says, is Democratic Party help in restoring the "old guard" - as he perceives it - of the GOP. That ship has sailed, and seeing Nunes and his fellow zombies today proves that it continues to drift farther and farther away from shore.
As many commenters have said, however cautious, slow, and possibly cowardly the Democrats seem, at least they are finally willing to confront the terrible threat to our democracy. Brooks's real problem is, or should be, that that threat comes mostly from his own party and not merely from its buffoonish, unhinged leader.
8
Respectfully disagree.
All of America should read the White House's transcript of Trump's discussion with the Ukranian President:
“The United States has been very very good to Ukraine....” Trump told Zelensky menacingly. Zelensky responded that Ukraine wanted to buy more U.S. antitank missiles. Trump then immediately said: “I would like you to do us a favor though....I would like you to get to the bottom of it. Whatever you can do, it’s very important that you do it if that’s possible.”
The 'it' Trump referred to was a theory that DNC's 2016 email server wound up in Ukraine - to support Trump's argument that Russia didn't hack DNC nor help him win in 2016.
Trump then said: "There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution....so if you can look into it...”
Not once during the entire phone call with Zelensky did Trump talk about removing corruption in Ukraine or seek any foreign policy objective.
Trump browbeat a nation's leader to get dirt on his opponent during a presidential campaign, while withholding appropriated military aid to that nation.
All of America should read the powerful editorial that the NY Times published today.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/09/27/opinion/trump-impeachment-new-york-times.html
If Americans still do not believe this impeachment inquiry is necessary, they should ask themselves the following:
What is America?
3
David B!
have all been watching you evolve in public, and start promoting community compassion and renewal...
I am shocked that you now are opposed to stopping the number one champion of throwing nuclear bombs of division, and hate. You are actually advocating for leaving in office the person trying to corrupt and cheat in the election.
He was trying to use the power of his office to cheat to win the election
3
David
You’ve come such a long way in your journey to enlightenment. Unfortunately, with this thinking you just slipped back light years.
8
I suspect Mr Brooks would have been claimed Richard Nixon was as pure as the driven snow were he writing columns 45 years ago.
4
Mr. Brooks, appeasement won't work. It only encourages Trump to commit greater crimes. Where will you draw the line? At open treason? At seizing power by force? At declaring martial law by "executive order" and suspending Congress and the Courts? At declaring the press enemies of the state and imprisoning the press? At relocating Hispanics, Africans, and Asians to remote desert tent camps in Texas? At separating babies from their families and imprisoning them without any care of any kind? Oh wait. That last one already has happened.
4
"But he’s good at one thing: waging reality TV personality wars against coastal elites."
This is correct. But we have a president who treats the government like his own gang of mob enforcers and an attorney general who now can't be trusted to enforce a single one of the nation's laws. The timing isn't always perfect, but sometimes you gotta fumigate.
4
See: Nixon.
2
You are a silly man David Brooks. Would you feel the same if there were no political parties like the founding fathers had hoped for? Congress has a responsibility to uphold the Constitution; especially in view of the fact that our current president has never read it.
3
I agree with Brook here. Plus, if there's any credence to these allegations against Biden, this whole thing will blow up in the Democrats' face in spectacular fashion.
1
In the words of one of our worst Presidents, SAD!
Mr. Brooks, forget strategic. Enough already.
It's simply time to do what's right..
Join us.
5
And if they don't impeach, this perverted third grader will feel even more unstoppable.
2
Wink, wink! For the good of the country......let's just move along...turn a blind eye and try and pretend there's nothing to see here. That nothing important happened. That there's no there, there.
And what about the next time?
What about the future? What sort of a country will we have turned into?
U.S.A., U.S.A.,.... U.S.A.....?
2
PREDICTIONS:
1. Democratic House impeaches Trump.
2. Republican Senate fails to convict him.
3. Trump wins election in 2020.
4. Mass civil violence sweeps across America.
5. Martial law is declared.
6. Secret militias form, armed with automatic weapons.
7. Waves of mass terrorism destabilizes American society.
8. Violence spreads to European countries. Then Asia.
9. Trump’s trade war with China collapses. American stock market crashes.
10. American armed forces mutiny. A military coup is attempted. I don’t know if it will be successful.
11. Western states vote to secede from Union.
1
We can all walk & chew gum at the same time. Impeach him now. Then go vote next November. This “he’ll only get stronger” stuff is a red herring. And that’s because Trump’s 15 minutes are winding down...
2
I follow the Brooks argument. His analysis of the consequences of an impeachment process might in the end be proven right. But the reverse other side of the situation could also be true, namely, that if the Democrats ignore this egregious betrayal of our national security, solely to help Trump get re-elected, then Trump will be able to claim that even the Democrats know he's done nothing wrong, because they refrained from a process of impeachment. Given the multiple factors involved, I think Brooks' argument is no better than the argument against it. The Democrats might be damned if they do and damned if they don't. That, alas, is where we're at right now as a nation . Trying to hide the damning evidence and attacking the whistle blower's credibility, Trump says he did nothing wrong. And the 35% who have continued to support him still believe in him. Yes, the divisiveness he has caused will be made worse by an impeachment process. But if we do not proceed, then Trump goes into the next election stronger than he otherwise would, because his crimes would remain unpunished and he could claim vindication. He might be elected again precisely because his treachery was not investigated and fully demonstrated to the public, so he was not challenged and punished. Perfect grounds for re-election! Then what? So Brooks might be right; but an equally strong, or stronger, argument can be made for going ahead with impeachment. In either case, Trump could be re-elected.
3
Mr. Trump declared that he could stand on Fifth Avenue in New York and shoot someone and he would still get elected. Mr. Brooks apparently agrees with him. There comes a time, David Brooks.
23
Sorry, but you are wrong. The Democrats took an oath to defend the Constitution and the Republic. Avoiding this issue would have emboldened an already deranged POTUS and make a mockery of the rule of law.
Win or lose, we need to do this.
27
This sure sends the message that:
a) Dems don't trust the electorate
b) Dems don't trust their own party
c) Dems don't trust their own candidates
just sayin,
3
Here's my question, Mr Brooks. If Trump were to literally shoot someone on 5th avenue, would you still be against impeaching him?
16
Thank you. Now that I see that you think it's a mistake, I know that the Democrats are on the right track.
23
Mr Brooks, You just said it, he’s guilty, and everyone knows it. Why would the Democrats not move forward? It’s the morally right thing to do.
The point of going on record having impeached the president is also for history. So you can sleep at night knowing you did the right thing.
A real conservative NYT columnist should have come to this conclusion on their own, don’t you think?
15
Yes, David you’re right-it’s not like America is a democratic country anymore . We are under the thumb of a dictatorship .
11
I live in Trump country, and I agree.
3
Was this written before or after the whistle-blower's complaint was released, showing that there is a serious possibility of a cover-up?
5
"Among the apparent strikes against her: A former Ukrainian prosecutor claimed in an interview with The New York Times that Ms. Yovanovitch had blocked his team from getting visas to the United States to deliver damaging information about Mr. Biden and his son Hunter to the F.B.I." 9.26.2019 NYTimes. President Trump's solicitation of foreign interference in the 2020 election may already have borne fruit--the allegedly "damaging information" to be delivered by a Ukrainian prosecutorial team. What else do we have but impeachment to preserve the integrity of the upcoming election?
5
If the Democrats lose the election because they impeached a president who is clearly guilty of numerous impeachable offenses, then this country will have chosen a dictator to be the president of the United States. I question the political judgements of the American people because of how many ways they are lied to and manipulated to vote against themselves. In this case, however, I place my trust in the people of this nation to refuse to elect an authoritarian demagogue a second time.
12
Sorry David. Time to step up and do what’s right.
10
Defeatism is no substitute for the rule of law.
10
I do not know when you wrote this column but if it was after you read the released “summary” of the Presidents conversation with the Ukrainian Premier and or the released of the Whistleblower’s complaint you are falling into the hear no evil, see no evil speak no evil camp of applauding the naked emperor.
The “summary document” was solely the product of the White House and thus was presented to present the Presidents conversation and presumably reflect well on him. No unbiased reader of that “summary” can read it without concluding that the President tried to corruptly get the Ukrainian government to open an investigation into Mr Biden as a favor to the President. Moreover the President tried to get the Ukrainian leader to collaborate with Attorney General Barr and the Presidents personal lawyer Rudolph Giuliani in this illegal involvement of a foreign country iin the electoral process of the United States.
The Attorney General and or his staff has repeatedly publicly stated that a sitting President can be neither investigated, nor indicted while in office.
That leaves only the Congress to investigate wrongdoing of the President.
The process for that is impeachment proceedings of the House for the investigation Investigation followed by a trial by the Senate as specified in the Constitution.
7
Here's a question for everyone. What if Obama did this?
13
The New York Times has always defended doing the right thing.
I urge David Brooks to take a step back and imagine the paper's place in history here, as well as to consider what his predecessors would have done in this case, and what he would expect who will take his place after he retires to write.
Do not degrade the moral authority of this paper with calculations and opportunistic thinking. When the AG is in lockstep with the President and doesn't recuse himself in a case he's involved in, Congress has to act as the last defense against lawlessness. Period.
5
Either way; if, knowing all that we know about this shriveled soul, the people do not rise, and vote him out of office, then this democracy is already dead. We just don't know it yet.
8
The spy who infiltrated the US government is Trump himself, citizen of the nationality in his head where he reigns supreme.
8
Sir, more than I believe your reasoning is incorrect, I challenge your approach to "normalization" of political discourse. You appear to prefer peaceful ignorance of the supposed values of democracy in preference to "what ever" this society chooses in 2019. That is, it doesn't really matter what values (I admit, a very vague word suggestion utopia) to which out government aspires, it is left to the people to decide.
Under the present actions and attitudes of this President and his pathetic Republican Party sycophant's blind and ignorant support, and the incredible power of social media designed to structurally support (economically and educationally), any absurd political concept, regardless of expense, value or appropriateness for this planet at this time, is irrelevant.
Sir. At what point will you stand up for what is right, honest, appropriate, essential, correct? You are merely a commentator of the game of politics. Your comments mean nothing, because they will lead to nothing. You are focused on "disposing of the dirt that results from the hole being dug dipper".
Does it ever occur to you that Trump would not be President if our political system functioned as it was intended?
6
Mr. Brooks, you are giving cover to your fellow Republicans for their abhorrent behavior. Please stop.
14
Why do smug conservative pundits like Brooks and Matthew Walther constantly argue that impeachment will help Trump? Because they desperately want it to.
They are wrong.
13
The body, lying shot, in broad daylight, in the middle of 5th Avenue, is that of the republic, and Mr. Brooks doesn’t seem to care.
20
I believe this was written before yesterday's hearing. Does Mr. Brooks still feel the same way?
3
Be positive for once!
1
C'mon, Brooks, did you read the white house memo of the phone call?! Blatant treason using US treasury to shakedown the poor Ukrainians. Stand up for right, no matter what. Who is going to write the book of current political environment, Profiles in Cowardice?
5
I've heard the pragmatist argument. I agreed with it for three years, but good God, the man recorded himself committing a freaking crime. He did that because smart people were playing angles, being pragmatic. The only way we're going to stop him is to stop him. And that's what Nancy Pelosi is doing now.
7
Impeachment is a *political* act? Brooks is trying to weasel out of a black and white situation.
Treason is a crime against the people, not some kind of ideological heresy.
There is no room for agnostics in this nation of ours anymore. If Brooks is trying to survive in D.C. and still get invited to all the conservative parties, he should try something more creative, like some heavy duty philosophizing about the cost of (his) success at all cost and the vanity of it all.
3
Brings to mind the wisdom of Mark Twain; “It’s never wrong to do the right thing.”
7
Brooks is depressingly correct about the likely effects of impeachment. But I don’t agree with Brooks' conclusion; namely, that it is wrong to go forward with impeachment. Trump and the GOP are waging war. War on the Democrats, the rule of law, and even the concept of truth itself. The Ukraine stuff is over the top, slam dunk impeachable. The fact that no Republican will even say so is all the evidence one needs to see there is utterly no common ground here. We are in a war and have to respond in kind with every weapon at our disposal. If a stand is not taken, if you don’t fight back, then Trump will just get more aggressive in manipulating the election. Brooks blithely assumes that we can all just line up to vote in 2020 like we are characters in a Norman Rockwell painting. I think this is wrong. Give him an inch and Trump will take your Democracy.
We are living a scenario played out over human history innumerable times. The bully, the tyrant, the aggressor never stops on his own accord. He has to be stopped. If you don’t fight back, the bully just takes it as a sign of weakness and gets even bolder. In 1939 and 1940, as the Nazis were bombing London and the English anticipated being invaded, Churchill had to battle those in the British government who thought all would be fine if they just pretended that England was Switzerland. He understood that Hitler was never going to just stop. He had to be stopped.
6
remember, you are talking about Republicans. There is no chance
your arguments sound straight out of a republican playbook right now on how to deflect the obvious, our president used the office illegally against a political opponent. those talking points are from a minority as evidence by the last sweeping election in 2018. What most Americans want to see is a Democratic party with a backbone so we could feel good about their ability to handle foreign affairs with some mettle. What your ignoring is the massive groundswell occuring around preserving our environment and how that will be the ultimate nail in the Republican coffin for quite some time. People want to see the rule of law applied to the president like it is to them, which hasn't EVER been the case with old Donny. Stop playing into the old playbook David, it's been thrown out. The old rules and modes of politics is out the window and your opinions really only matter to a shrinking portion of the populus ( white male patriarchy) thank goddess !!
2
The only reason I read you anymore is because I am suppose to read things that I disagree with.
7
All good points Mr. Brooks, but your article disregards the Constitution.
5
I guess we just have to wait until he shots someone in the middle of the 5th Avenue...
4
Voters sent a blue wave to push the House Democratic as a check and balance against the corrupt Trump Administration and complicit Republicans who went from as anti-Trump as anyone to cravenly groveling at his feet.
Acknowledging Trump commits impeachable offenses only to call the Speaker's acknowledgement and investigation of such "elitist" rather than a carrying out of her oath of office and the will of the voters is what's elitist.
As is laying normalization of impeachment at Pelosi's feet rather than your own party, who wasted twenty-five years impeaching the Clintons.
So too damning the Senate with the faint praise that most—even Bernie—enjoy private-sector success or book royalties before six-figure salaries. The Constitution put impeachment conviction in the Senate. If a minority of Republicans—20 of 53—won't give their constituents an honest vote, cynicism is on them, not Democrats.
It happens amid debates and primaries? Yeah, that's what election interference IS. This is why we didn't stop it last time.
Whose idea is it to have two-year campaigns for four-year terms? Yours (the media), who badger would-be candidates to declare, talk like whoever has a head-start has donors locked up, and act—as with Merrick Garland—like there is no second half of a term, just two years governing and two years no-man's-land.
Elected officials get away with impeachable offenses if they wait until two summers before election day? This is conservatism now? No wonder you got Trump.
7
Lock "her" up signs revised via sharpie to "him", recycled and efficient.
3
Trump is guilty of what exactly? When did you become judge and jury.
1
David - what you say if this was Obama or Clinton that had done this?
2
This column is a true profile in courage! Had only Dr. King found it in himself to say, “Meh, they won’t let us drink from their fountains anyway.”
Mr. Brooks’ message is, perhaps, the perfect reflection of the decades-long free fall of his disastrous generation. Having sucked all possible value (and more) from this country, leaving things in shambles, why even bother to fight to save it? Why, indeed, Boomers!
7
Principle, not predictions, David.
5
Nervous nellies unite. This is a total win for Pelosi. Trump is caught in the act. He tries to "tough it out" and in so doing is completely distracted from hysterically promoting the wall, bringing manufacturing back, limiting immigration, and sticking babies in cages...and he loses the election. Americans aren't stupid. Trump is a crook and acts like a mob boss...It's not what we want in a POTUS...
3
Trump is not going to survive this. The evidence is too damning. The crime is too plain to see.
But even if he were to wriggle out of this, is it not the right thing to do, to condemn his gross corruption?
6
A man happens into a bar fight in Washington D.C.
David Brooks: "This political brawl will leave Trump victorious."
Nancy Pelosi: "Hold my beer..."
8
Reading these posts it is clear that the vast majority think that Brooks has it all wrong. Gives me hope !
6
There simply comes a time when you must confront and, in some instances, take a swing at a bully.
The bully may not go down and you might actually wind up getting your butt kicked, but it's the standing up that is the victory and the beginning of the end of the bully and the bullying.
Taking Trump to Impeachment isn't about convicting him it's about standing up, it's about the "regular order," it's about coming out into the streets and saying; "America's not about you, it's about us."
6
The United States of America will set the wrong precedent for future American generations long after we are gone, if we don’t follow the Constitution and indict this lawless out of control president. Whether he is found guilty of his high crimes and misdemeanors is going to rest solely on each member of the United States Senate. Allow History to judge them in kind for their vote.
Impeach! Let the stones fall where they may. It the shoe was on the other foot and the POTUS was a Democrat, Impeachment would have already been a far gone conclusion.
David Brooks is Wrong!
1
As usual David Brooks is, in a contorted way , an apologist and protector of his Republican Party. Why has he not left the party?
Why is he advocating for not impeaching when the criminality and treason is blatant ?
5
Dems need to pick a leader now.
Dems need to move to the middle now.
wiith Thrump leading the GOP, the Dems have lots of room. Take advantage of it. The dems can hold a left attitude, but maybe slower. over a couple of terms.
But the Dems seem to want to go the whole way in one shot...big mistake.
At long last, have we left no sense of justice?" Impeach.
3
And yet - if I remember right - back in your Weekly Standard days, you were a supporter of the Iraq War, backing Bush's " resolution." How'd that prediction turn out?
2
Please don't repeat these points on PBS tonight. You are sadly mistaken. The country is already ripped apart; the Constitution is in shreds. It's time to act. And I really don't want to hear your pussyfooting on PBS tonight. Thank you.
6
You are assuming some degree of normality in Trump, to allow him to remain in office. If he solicits political assistance from Ukraine, who knows what type of assistance he might request from Putin/Russia? Remember Alaska is 2300 miles from the Washington State, but only 55 miles from Russia!
Cancelling/delaying a Presidential election for "national security" concerns has been discussed in the Republican party since the Bush administration (https://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/07/11/election.day.delay/). Who thinks Trump wouldn't try to do that to keep himself in office? A Russian incursion into Alaska would be just the type of threat to use to delay holding an election when he is behind in the polls.
2
Have you lost your senses? Since when in your universe do consequences and punishment NOT follow misdeeds?
2
I'm sorry, but to acknowledge that Trump has committed acts of impeachment and still say we shouldn't address it because it will be hard is just cowardly. NO PERSON is above the law and doing nothing will just send the message to him that he once again dodged accountability. Additionally, his own staff was worried enough to hide the records of this call and others before. I'm happy the Dems. finally grew a spine, unlike the GOP.
8
You are wrong on every count, David Brooks. Mr. Trump's behavior has finally crossed the line in the sense that his everyday un-Constitutional misbehavior, expressed as a person unfit to be President, is now on full view. Our collective thanks go to the whistleblower for diligent adherence to check-and-balances protections in a government that continues to function well, as it should, despite Trump's best efforts to subvert it. Nancy Pelosi has correctly decided that now is the time to pull the trigger, and I think she is justified at many levels. The American People (except for the deluded or deplorable Trump "base") have had enough. The impeachment proceedings are now part of the 2020 campaign, and will be expressed at the polls before (or just as) the House completes its findings. The Senate Republican response will become a major factor int the 2020 election. The timing is perfect. Trump the bully has finally provoked the American people to respond. the whistleblower is the match that finally lit the fuse. Here we go, Mr. Brooks. Enjoy the ride!
7
Perhaps it is too much to hope for. I mean the hope that enough GOP Senators will develop a conscience or at least awareness of what being on the wrong side of history will do to their legacies. If there is any chance to remove Trump before the election, it is worth a try. The corruption is ongoing and is undermining our national security. The GOP once claimed to be the party more focused on law and order and on national security. How long can they stand naked in their hypocrisy?
3
What's disturbing about this is that he writes as if impeachment were not a response to the executive branch possibly breaking the law - as if it is a purely political action. It's not. It's a way to address and investigate the possibility of illegal actions. By being as political about it as Brooks wants it to be Congress (the House) is no better than the Republicans who perpetuate this entire charade of worshipping power over people. Law is not about doing what is politic. It should be about doing what is right.
2
Mr. Brooks often speaks of principles, community, and a moral high ground. There is nothing principled, worse for our "community", or wreaks more havoc on the moral compass of our country than a continued Trump presidency. While I admit to the political risks of this investigation, I applaud Speaker Pelosi. Donald Trump has made a mockery of our rule of law for too long, left unchecked, his legacy will be far worse.
4
So wait...
"This" is what will increase public cynicism? Not continuing to allow corruption without even attempt at holding its perpetrators to account?
"This" could embed Trumpism within the GOP? Not the GOP's failure to reject it in 2016?
Look, I'm open to persuasion about the strategic case for non-impeachment. (Though, a) the moral case for it seems pretty clear to me, and b) even the strategic case seems to have some merits, especially in the ability to rally voters around having had the backbone to show some resolve against Trumpian foolishness.)
But Brooks isn't swaying me much with his argument that we will be rewarded if we trust voters not to be racist as our exclusive remedy -- in the context of a presidency that only exists in the first place because of the betrayal of civic duty that was 62 million people pulling the lever for a man who already showed us who he was long before his latest indiscretions.
2
In what should be a moral and ethical world, Pelosi did the right thing. How far were the Democrats prepared to let an obviously criminal president go with his avowed destruction of our democracy? Where should it stop? You make a solid argument, Mr. Brooks, but trump has gone far enough over to the dark side at the risk of destroying what a majority of Americans love about our country. It’s time we took a stand against blatant immortality.
2
The most common criticism of the Democratic Party for many years has been its transparent opportunism and lack of moral spine. This is why they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by standing firmly and clearly in favor of the Constitution in this case. Allowing Trump to carry on with his blatant mockery of our traditional norms of governance would represent a betrayal of their duties and render them, in effect, his accomplices. If the American people are so besotted with media razzle-dazzle that they can't see the situation for what it is, then we will not retain our democracy for very much longer anyway. History will record who took a stand and who slunk away into futile political calculations like Mr. Brooks.
2
Mr. Brooks,
If the whistleblower and those who shared info with him are correct, do we not need to know this? Trump has spent his life debasing himself and now he is doing the same to the office he holds. The man has no shame! I recognize the political risks. However, ignoring his flagrant abuses of office are worse.
2
As usual, Brooks offers an intelligent, measured, compelling perspective. But also as usual, he utterly fails to consider the consequences of following through with his views. The country, by way of the Republicans, has already given Trump and his dozens of minions a pass on truly outrageous, disqualifying, and in many cases criminal, behavior. With or without impeachment, it is very possible that Trump will win in 2020. If we refrain from calling him to account for this episode now, like we have for so many other things, and he wins in 2020, what kind of country will we be? What kind of country are we now for that matter? We have condoned so much that is beyond the pale and risk normalizing it all. What should it take for the country to say NO? Is the consequence of Republicans' acceptance of Trump's improper behavior (including sex assault, financial corruption, condoning enemy interference in our democracy, environmental destruction, blatant racism and other bigotry, and so much more) that we just have to accept it? What will be left of us after that? What does our future look like?
So, David, we let this go for now and see what happens in 2020, and then what? A large part of this country, probably a majority, is crying and scared. Do you have any thoughts about that?
2
I too have long admired your well expressed and reasoned conservative convictions, although I frequently disagree with them. This column however, smacks of appeasement. Mr Trump is not an invincible political in-fighter. This kind of defeatism only promotes self fulfilling prophecies. Do your job and expose his inevitable falsehoods as tirelessly as he and his sycophants will certainly spew them.
2
Republican congress critters who oppose impeachment/removal aren't beholden to Trump as so many people here claim. They are beholden to their voters who are equally opposed. Recent poling shows barley 10% of Republicans and just over a third of independents supporting impeachment. Meanwhile Democrats are approaching unanimous support. Simply put the case hasn't been made to those of us outside the bubble most commenters here appear to live in.
Making Trump a one term president would send a much clearer message than continuing the current quixotic attempt to overturn the 2016 election with a blatantly partisan and unsuccessful impeachment/removal process. Unfortunately the Democrats are going all in on policy proposals that look worse for the country than Trump's vulgarity and grifting.
1
Brooks is completely wrong. Worse, his argument is at best disingenuous and at worse served up in bad faith. His unspoken premise is that the Democrats can only succeed if the Senate agrees to convict Trump. This outcome is obviously unlikely: Republicans control the Senate, and House Democrats will be hard pressed to draft an impeachment resolution in time to debate it fully before the 2020 election. But the Democrats don't need to impeach Trump; they can use the months of targeted investigations to overwhelm the daily news cycles with revelations of his corrupt campaign practices throughout the presidential campaign. Brooks knows this, and his meretricious attempt to wave off Trump's death by a thousand cuts is unworthy of him.
4
Mr. Brooks. you make some good points but there is much you leave out:
"This will probably achieve nothing."
Wrong. If nothing else, it will achieve two things:
1.Energize Democrats who have been watching Trump pervert the system for nearly three years.
2. It will send a signal to future presidents that they will not be able to simply do anything that pleases them without consequences.
"This is not what the country wants to talk about: Wrong again.
Everyone I know IS talking about it. AND, the poll you mention, 37% favoring impeachment, is old news. It's up to nearly 50%
"Democrats are playing Trump’s game."
He may be playing a "game." We are not.
"This process will increase public cynicism."
Oh yeah? For essentially every Democrat I know, it will DECREASE cynicism. Someone in Washington will finally be doing the right thing. Plus, I doubt there's any room for this nation to be any more cynical!
3
Mr. Brooks is dead wrong.
"This will probably achieve nothing." If nothing else, a vote to begin impeachment hearings is an achievement itself. Acquittal in the Senate doesn't magically make this go away.
"This is completely elitist." Holding the President to the same standard as the American people is the exact opposite of elitism.
"This is not what the country wants to talk about." In what way is that relevant? People have to talk about important things even when they don't want to.
"Democrats are playing Trump's game." Trump has no game. He has no strategy. His advisors don't count on their strategies either because he's so unpredictable. His world completely changes every ten seconds; there is no possible way he is thinking about this clearly when he can barely read.
"This process will increase public cynicism." So it would be fine if we had an utterly corrupt government just so long as people don't know?
"This could embed Trumpism within the G.O.P." It already is. That's obvious to seven-year-olds.
"This could distort the Democratic primary process." You're confusing "affect" with "distort". The fact is that elections are not as important as governing, unless you're a political pundit, that is.
Elections won't save the country. Neither will impeachment. This isn't about saving the country. It's about saving our souls. And I'm an atheist!
3
I thinks this still doesn't look Good for trump. I'm not going to change my party Republican. What's next. What happens after Trump? This looks so bad for our country with the world watching. This should be an awakening that foreign countries need to stay out of our elections. At worst the president coursing them to help meddle in it. Wow haven't we woken up after Russia, Facebook. This Guy is undermining the very foundations of integrity and running the country like a mob.
2
Yes, we need to get him out but not at the cost of overlooking this egregious acts of betrayal against Americans. Democracy itself needs a "win" too. We need to restore faith in the process. We need to get off our knees and stand up to the bully. The whistleblower has restored my faith in humans!
2
I disagree with Mr. Brooks; the time to do the right thing is all the time. And Impeaching someone who has trafficked with, and trampled on, our democracy is the right thing.
2
Ah, another symptom of the intellectual and strategic precariousness of the moderate conservative in the age of Trump. Proposing a cooling down of impeachment talks lest the inaction on behalf of your Republican colleagues in the Senate over the past couple of years is sullied by an explicit charge and conviction of corruption in inevitable impeachment proceedings. We’ve all noted you and your cohorts’ complacency.
The GOP has a mountain to climb in rebranding their party and distancing themselves from the amoral squalor of Donald Trump.
3
It's a tough time to be an optimistic liberal. Of course Trump has committed impeachable offenses. Of course McConnell's Senate will never vote to impeach him. This is just another installment of Democrat v Democrat. The faction that wins now will likely determine the future of the party for a long time to come. Moderates, especially those of us in Red states trying to turn them Blue(ish), are both outraged at our president and cynical that pursuing him this way will yield anything but four more years. Who could bear it?
Make the GOP support corruption and vote for it on record. They don’t care about the people or this country; the president certainly doesn’t.
That’s a powerful message for an election.
3
I disagree. How can you say Trump committed an impeachable offense but should not be impeached for political reasons? Is that country over party? Does Trump literally have to murder someone on the streets of NY to get impeached? That was what he boasted during his campaign. The House needs to do its job and let the Senate make history by not impeaching Trump for impeachable offense. We should stand up for what is right and record the vote of every Republican politician in Congress that sides with Trump. Digitally record their spin as they try to rationalize the offense so that whenever their names are googled in the future, this video will pop up.
3
David, God bless him has made a career of straddling the middle to the point that his body of work is no longer coherent. This column captures what drives me crazy about his approach, speaking out of both sides of his mouth has rendered his thoughts on most issues meaningless.
2
Mr. Brooks, it seems you have not been involved in raising children. When children do wrong things they must be checked right at that moment, with plain simple words, without strategic calculation. Trump is a brat who must be checked by the adults in Congress and Senate without much political calculation. If not, the brat will continue to bully the system.
4
Trump is the worst president in living memory by far. He's corruption makes Nixon look like a saint. I'd love to see him impeached but as Brooks states, with Republicans in control or the Senate, he wouldn't be convicted. The process would overshadow 2020 Democrat candidates and would galvanize Trump's base. There's a chance impeachment will appeal to the Dems leftward flank and get them all out to the polls but I wouldn't bet on that. Our best move is get a huge Dems turnout in 2020 while giving on-the-fence Trumpians every reason to sit out the election.
1
If we are concerned about politicians using their office for personal gain and violating their oaths of office then it would be hypocrisy to not impeach for the sole reason of winning an election.
Either we are for the rule of law or we are not, and if we are not then we should shut up about it.
1
How disappointing it has been to read this column by David Brooks. Trump is guilty and suggesting that it may be politically okay for Republican Senators not to impeach the corrupt president we have is wrong. The American people demands that all Senators do what is right to defend democracy and the moral values of America. Trump is a corrupt politician. Trump is guilty.
2
I keep thinking there actually is a political calculus here. Namely that this is Joe Biden who is being targeted. All due respect to many Trump voters and their ostensible reasoning for voting for him, something tells me they are ultimately more likely to be bothered by Trump's behavior because it is unfair and improper and unethical and directed at a fellow white person who has as much deep-rooted if not deeper-rooted allegiance among the white working-class than Trump. This is actually likely going to help Joe Biden if played correctly. Trump voters dont mind a bully going after people who don't look or sound like them. This risks to be viewed differently....
1
Given the likely scenario of not enough Senate votes to get DJT out of office, are there are not more than enough moral or ethical issues to be dealt with that would fall under the definition of impeachment?
There needs to be a concise definitive moment of understanding that the entire form of the government has been corrupted by DJT through the circumvention of numerous ethical requirements of someone in his position.
Is the moral climate in the US at such a low point that such a spectrum of unethical behavior has become acceptable?
Does it take a moment like this to change minds:
"Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness." When McCarthy tried to continue his attack, Welch angrily interrupted, "Let us not assassinate this lad further, senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?"
1
Wrong wrong and wrong. I hate when these guys pretend to know exactly what "the people" want. I'm "the people" too and would have left the party if they hadn't opened the Inquiry.
And all this from the guy who wrote a book about character? Calculating and cowardly
Sometimes it's just about doing the right thing.
4
This process will increase public cynicism.
Actually, Mr. Brooks, NOT impeaching will increase public cynicism. If a President can act like Al Capone for four years with no official action taken against him, we are a banana republic, not a democratic republic.
1
This impeachment is not about politics. It's a basic Gini Index income inequality problem. The top 1% are out of control and need to be brought back down to earth before they destroy us all. They, Trump and his Republican buddies, see themselves as above the law. They are not. This impeachment process will expose their illegal behaviors resulting a rejuvenated majority and will vote him and them out of office.
2
The President of the United States asked a foreign power to investigate a former Vice President of the United States and a U.S. Citizen. . I can't understand how Americans are having a debate about this. There is no debate, we are a nation of laws or we are not. Forget the political calculus-the Emancipation Proclamation wasn't popular, nor was Civil Right Bill, Social Security, nor the U.S entering into WW II. So to decide to act only if it is politically expedient is cowardly and Un-American. How can this even be discussed? Have we forgotten the McArthy hearings? Let us do the fight and Congress do their job, which is to execute the law. Thank God they are doing their job.
1
The moderate Democrats up for re-election in the House are toast. Done. Do the numbers. Pelosi should have listened to her own voice on this matter.
The Republicans are going to own the White House, the Senate, and the House. Let that sink in.
Look what you have done.
Fox News loves to claim "The Squad" is running the Democratic Party. I thought that claim was absolute and utter nonsense until now.
It's not what the Republican Party does to the Democrats that's so horrible, it's what the Democrats do to themselves that's so horrible. It's the definition of self-destruction. Why does the Democratic Party feel the need to self-destruct? It's so abusive. It makes me want to cry.
The Democrats got rid of Biden for Trump. It sounds like a fantasy, but it is a reality.
1
I am amazed by the numerous people who feel that we should appease Trump and his fellow Republicans by not pursuing justice. Do you believe this will make Trump "play nice"? As we near the election his behavior will become more illegal dangerous and disgusting. We don't need to impeach him for that to happen. It is time to take a stand and throw a bright light on the corruption of this Presidency and the cronies who abide and abet his behavior.
As to dividing the country- what more could he do that he hasn't done?
Appeasing a Bully never works.
2
Nonsense, Mr. Brooks. Doing nothing when a President has clearly committed impeachable offenses is what would be bad for America. Doing the right thing and following the truth is not elitist.
1
Wrong wrong wrong, Mr Brooks.
Crimes and misdemeanors are crimes and misdemeanors. In this case, High crimes.
Prosecution is the only option. If the public is stupid enough to buy into the GOP talking points, well, there you have it - that's how we got here. You still have to act as if integrity matters.
3
I could not disagree with this article and those commenting in support more. It was time to do what was RIGHT for once, not follow a poll.
Yes - there is virtually no chance DJT will be convicted in the Senate (no matter what further revelations come out). Yes, this is a political process. But if the Democrats do not move forward with impeachment after the President tried to extort a foreign country to help him win an election, then what is the point of having an impeachment clause in the Constitution to begin with?! The Democrats finally stood up, flexed their muscle, and showed why we what we put them in charge of the House. Good for them.
Once this moves to the Senate, it will be a sham and everyone knows it. But this ok. Let every sycophant, hypocritical, coward Republican be made to go on record stating they have no issue with the President of the United States soliciting the help of a foreign power to win an election (AGAIN!). Let that stink stay with them forever.
In the meantime, the Dems should be able to walk and chew gum here. The campaigns will go on. The candidates will continue to talk about the economy, and health care and climate change (as they should). They may be in the background a bit while this process goes on, but attention will turn back again.
1
David Brooks' view of Trump is "He’s incompetent at improving the lives of American citizens, even his own voters." I agree, but the sadder truth is that he's COMPETENT at HURTING the lives of American citizens, even his own voters. Think tax cuts for the rich, deregulation, climate denial, disdain for science, obstructionism, disrespect for the Constitution and our institutions, alienation of our allies, embracing of our enemies, and all the rest, including the thousands of incessant lies. Unfit doesn't begin to describe this president. Impeached is a better description!
1
This is Trump's "game changer". At the very least Biden, perhaps his strongest opponent, and certainly the Democrat that Trump fears most, will be knocked out of contention, leaving Warren or Sanders. The majority, probably the vast majority, believe that more or less this is how "all politicians" behave, and the vast majority of Trump supporters believe "at least now it is 'our guy' who is doing it. "
We who fear and hate Trump had better wipe ourr silly grins off our faces and fight the oligarchs on the real issues where the majority sides with us: the environment, the Trump tariff nonsense, economic fairness, health care, civil rights etc etc
Republicans will say the Democrats are just trying to get Trump on something, anything at all and this is another nothing burger. What they don’t realize is the human nature to want more and more power has taken hold of this WH.
Pelosi said to her progressives, just wait and Trump will implode. She was right.
The impeachment will fail in the Senate.
Trump will bask in the warmth of having "congressional approval." That's how he'll phrase it. He'll claim the whole process was just a long Witch Hunt.
His supporters will be energized, to turn out to vote and to proselytize to their neighbors on the need for their support, to save the Presidency from being destroyed by the Enemies of the Republic.
This process will ensure Trump gets a second term.
A stupid move, Democrats, lacking in foresight and appreciation of reality. Emotionally satisfying in the sort run, devastating in the result.
Who to blame for that disastrous result? I suggest the drum-beaters demanding "Impeach!" At the forefront of that mob, leading it with every daily issue: The New York Times.
Great job, guys. When the his reelection comes to pass: You are to blame.
1
I would love to just destroy Trump at the polls and be utterly done with him, with the side benefit of watching him suffer the rest of his miserable life that which he fears most: ridicule and rejection. But I believe impeachment is the more difficult road we are obligated to take for the sake of our Constitution and the rule of law. God help us.
"People will conclude that Democrats are going ahead with impeachment in an election year because they don’t trust the democratic process to yield the right outcome."
He's working to sabotage the "democratic process", David!!!
We can't depend on fair elections when this administration is specifically acting to make elections UNFAIR! When fair elections are undermined by treasonous acts by the president, impeachment is the only path.
1
Not buying this for a second, Brooks is proposing egregious and illegal behavior go unpunished. He's crying crocodile tears for the democratic process Trump is trying to usurp. I look at impeachment as similar to a vote of no confidence in a parliamentary system. Does he really think the people of the country cannot maintain two simulates concepts. If the country reelects a criminal and charlatan, well you get what you deserve.
For a person whose writings prescribe to high character, integrity, and the right thing to do, Mr. Brooks has it all wrong here. Our political process is already broken & lost. It is now in the control of a corrupt & immoral president whose has forced his party colleagues to sell their constitutional souls. We NEED to do the right thing here and go through the constitutionality of the impeachment process, regardless what the GOP Senate decides in the end. If we do not, then our politics will never be fixed.
Show some guts Dems and multi task this president out of office. Support impeachment, vote only for democrats at the polls and stand up for democracy and the rule of law. Thank you Brooks for lighting a fire under a complacent electorate.
Democracy? Constitution? Laws? Morals? Ethics? Integrity? Principles? Who needs any of those things when a guy has privilege and the GOP as his foundation.
1
The most absurd arguments I have ever heard or read!
So, Scare the citizens, and the elected Democratic representatives to win an election? If the country is in such a peril that Trump must be stopped from being reelected then why don't you convince your own party's elected representatives (Senators and Congressmen) to vote for conviction of Trump? They won't listen to you? Well then, Trump is not the sole threat to our nation. It is the Republican Party that poses an existential threat, isn't it? So, just winning the White House means little when the Republican party is the threat.
This is the problem with Dems. Trump is viciously attacking this nations institutions and and norms with the intention of destroying them. Might makes right is his mindset. He must be confronted aggressively, consistently, and completely until he is eliminated. Impeachment inquiry is necessary. Brooks has lost already, he just told you so. "A coward dies a thousand deaths, but the valiant dies once".
David Brooks is, as always, wrong, but one thing he says here really captures fantasyland his brain operates in:
"This could embed Trumpism within the G.O.P. If Trump suffers a withering loss in a straight-up election campaign, then his populist tendency might shrink and mainstream Republicans might regain primacy..."
Nancy Pelosi should advance the goal of restoring the G.O.P.? That's ridiculous. Nancy Pelosi's goal should be to ensure that the Republican party is forever a small, racist party that is increasingly incongruous with American values.
Further, Insofar as Trump has accomplished anything, it has been the mainstream Republican goal of cutting taxes and gutting regulation. Trump should be impeached because justice demands it. Period.
Yes, Mr. Brooks Is Cavalier, but Enabling Trump (to continue unlawful behavior) Is a Mistake.
The Dems should forget about impeachment for all the reasons cited by David Brooks. As an alternative the House should formally censure the President for his disgraceful, illegal actions. There is no reason to give the Senate an opportunity to vote on the resolution or to disrupt the campaign.
Mr. Brooks today's impeachment dilemma only exist because the DOJ believes that the president, their boss of bosses, can't be indited. This adds a nice twist to the expression "justice is blind."
For me this legal magic by the DOJ was intended to keep two criminals out of jail — Nixon and Agnew. The1973 opinion reads "The indictment or criminal prosecution of a sitting President would unconstitutionally undermine the capacity of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned functions." In the case of Trump this opinion might more accurately read "... to interfere with the capacity of the President to violate his oath of office and make money.
That said, unless Congress or the courts step up to create laws, not filled with intended loopholes, the American people will have even less confidence in the actions of the DOJ and other executive branch departments than it has now. This latest episode in the reality show known as the Trump presidency is just one more indication the US is newest banana republic in the western hemisphere.
Given the actions of AG Barr and Republicans Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats are to be commended for honoring their oath of office by proceeding with the impeachment of this lawless president and his gang.
I love my country; however, I have never been more ashamed to be an American.
1
Grow a spine Democrats. Stand up and be counted! It's time the democrats stop being bullied by the likes of Brooks and the right wingers who have Roy Cohnized -as in the McCarthy era- our political system. Dems can't win if they don't show up at the start line.
1
It appears that Trump is having a nervous breakdown and will commit more criminal and outrageous acts, likely endangering US all. Don't stop him--just watch the train wrecks that follow.
2
“Donald Trump committed an impeachable offense on that call with the Ukrainian president”
No he didn’t. This is an absurd thing to go all out on to get Trump. The Democrats should have focused on winning the 2020 election with a decent candidate. Instead, they let the far left take over the party and they still can’t accept Trump is a legitimate President, which he is.
Of course impeachment is the only option. To those on the right that say “we” only want impeachment because we can’t beat Trump at the ballot box, I can only say I wholeheartedly agree. Of course we can’t beat a President that uses the awesome powers of the Office of the President to corruptly work with foreign powers to disrupt our domestic politics. The only remaining option is to impeach him for this heinous crime. A crime most recognize as treason.
1
David Brooks is always right. In his own world.
Impeachment Inquiries means the House of Representatives will lay out a reason why this President has used his office not only to enrich him and his family but also blackmail our allies into submission. When you use the taxpayer money to try to stir an election towards your favor (see Nixon), you should be impeached. GOP Senators can continue to stonewall but they know that if Trump is re-elected, they will have not only supported a Demagogue but they also have destroyed any semblance of a GOP party. All those Trump voters would gladly form their own party under Trump and leave the GOP reeling and become extinct like the Whig Party. A new party will emerge - T Party (Party of Trumpists no matter what - despite the fact they will lose everything to Trump and his rich entourage, Mnuchin, McConnell)
A civil war between everybody but the .1%. Shame on all the GOP party members who have enabled this. We hope the GOP die a slow death of losing even their base.
2
I have a prediction for you Mr. Brooks. The voters opinions sway from one extreme to the other, like a pendulum. We are currently at one end of the extreme that includes the incumbent president, who shows lack of experience, entrenched racism, facilitates gaslighting, demostrated disregard for the law, misogyny, demagoguery and inability to satisfy his base's desire for acknowledgement and a better life. At the opposite end of the pendulum are the progressive, liberal and populist candiates (Sanders and Warren) who have more experience and knowledge of the U.S.Constitution and promise a better life for the majority of Americas including former Trumpets. The Impeachment process will accelerate the voter's opinions and move the political pendulum to far left......not the ineffective "middle". We need BIG change now....without delays, without Biden!
Totally wrong! Even if the impeachment does not throw out Trump from the presidency, it will allow the Democrats to obtain his income taxes and his obscure dealings with banks, in a word, his fraudulent business. It will show the type of individual who sits in the Presidency of our great country; an ignorant, a bandit, that is to say the opposite of what a President must be!
1
David Brooks, as always, is out of touch with reality and sits on his designer chair in his luxury New York flat telling all the plebs how "elitist" the rule of law and duty of Congress is to uphold. As if we all just have to sip our espresso and wait out Trump so Brooks can vote for another Romney or Bush.
2
"This could embed Trumpism within the G.O.P."
Face it, David.
The GOP is no longer the traditional American, middle-class, heartland-of-America, small business-focused you and I grew up with.
It used to be the party of a strong national defense, civil rights ("party of Lincoln" anyone?), freedom ("Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"), free trade, law & order and fiscal responsibility.
But, it’s been taken over by the brutal, vicious zombie soul of the Old Confederacy.
Today, it is run by an agent of a hostile foreign power (#PutinsGOP), embraces murderous dictators, is fervently isolationist ("Build That Wall!"), deploys tariffs, kidnaps and locks up innocent children like a fascist police state, and spends money like a drunken sailor.
Embedding Trumpism within the GOP will ultimately have the effect of reducing its influence and lead to its ultimate demise.
Which I, for one, think would be a good thing.
2
This argument is so tiresome. I feel like it's just click bait at this point. Yes, the Ukraine call is definitely the correct trigger for impeachment proceedings. No, this will not alter how the electorate votes.
2
David Brooks: not keeping Mr Trump accountable for his impeachable offenses would also give him continued free reign to do what he did to Marie L. Yovanovitch, his former ambassador to Ukraine, simply avoid or take out government professionals who do not do his private bidding like his personal lawyer Rudi Giuliani or even the AG, infamous in any case, possibly corruptible Bill Barr who did not recuse himself from handling the Whistleblower's Complaint that named him, seems to have been willing to do the president's bidding. Trump sees the nation as his personal fiefdom and holds on to only loyalists in his "court." Before he manages to turn the USA into his "kingdom" he deserves to be impeached for his multiple offenses and held accountable.
Alle your smart ideas about not to for the many reasons you list, David Brooks, fail to preserve the urgent call to put the checks on a lawless president.
2
Mr. Brooks, you reveal a very low opinion of the American people.
We have no choice but to impeach the President. He is a criminal who has abused the power of his office. He has endangered our national security for his political gain. He is already trying to rig the 2020 election. This behavior reinforces the notion that he conspired with Russia to rig the 2016 election that he "won."
Trump is trying to establish an authoritarian, white nationalist state in the USA.
We the People won't have it.
And please. Where do you get this "elitist" nonsense? We're fighting for DEMOCRACY. Trump represents only the rich, the white, the powerful, the male; the so-called Christians who want to oppress us all and steal our resources and destroy our environment and trap women in an inferior status forever; perhaps you didn't listen to his speech at the UN?
I'm surprised at you Mr. Brooks.
2
While we’re at it Brooks, let’s burn the constitution and the laws separating the powers of government because if we cannot stand up to an obvious egregious abuse of powers, this country is meaningless. Why should we have any laws. I am utterly disgusted by the new trumplican party.
1
It seems to be the job of Mr. Brooks and other Republicans to keep bleeting that this is a political issue. We all know it is not. As a retired former investigator, let me share with you what I used to tell my former "clients": I don't need to play ball with you because I have the tools of the law to convict you. Donald J. Trump must be removed from office using our laws, in order to DEMONSTRATE to you and others what that means in America versus Russia.
1
Another option is that Mitch McConnell and Republican senators could put country above party.
2
Do the election instead of the impeachment? Why? The two are not mutually exclusive. The election is happening anyway. Or are YOU afraid of what effects the impeachment on the election may be?
I'm not. I say go with it.
2
Brooks has come a long way from when he wrote (11/11/16)"After all, the guy will probably resign or be impeached within a year. The future is closer than you think."
On every major issue Brooks has come out wrong, only to become enlightened and reverse himself years later.
He was wrong then, he is disastrously wrong now. In a few years he will see the light and write how he wishes we had impeached sooner.
1
I respect David Brooks as a reasonable, rationale conservative (though I am not a conservative). However, his opinion in this case reflects a deep cynicism about the American public that is itself 'elitist'. It is possible that sufficient damning information will come from the impeachment process to result in a significant part of the electorate, 70% of which according to a recent poll do not care for the president personally, agreeing that the process, however political, is justified by behavior that is evidently (literally) impeachable.
2
What are we supposed to do, Mr. Brooks? Let this brazen lawlessness stand? Allow the president to withhold Congressionaly approved aid and use it to extort foreign leaders for his own narrow political interests? I can't think of a better case for impeachment.
Ask yourself this: If Bill or Hillary Clinton did this, would you STILL oppose impeachment?
1
It appears that some people think that Trump is an anomaly and if we just wait out and vote him out everything will go back to normal and that's why they're against impeachment. What they don't understand is that Trump and his admin frankly are challenging the very principles of our system and its institutions. This way of lawless government WILL become the norm if we don't nip it in the bud.
1
Another swing and a miss from David Brooks. This issue isn't what the country wants to talk about? It's the only thing people want to talk about! And just look at what the media, including the NYT, is publishing. Stories after stories about impeachment, because that's what people care about. This is perhaps the most consequential thing that has happened in this country since 9/11.
Not impeaching because it won't pass the Senate is a poor excuse to abandon the nation's morals and Constitution. I understand David Brooks' constant desire to be a devil's advocate, but this is a very clear issue and his arguments hold no water
1
Absolutely right! Brilliant article.
This will bog the entire Democratic Party in something was has no hope of succeeding and will BORE people who are not going to get into the minutiae. They’ll tune everything out.
This will translate as: “The Democrats are out to get him and this is a pretext.” That’s how it will be seen.
It will also bd seen as: The Democrats are talking to themselves, not us, who want health care, etc
Not to impeach amounts to "Congressional- Political" malpractice.
1
We agree that this impeachment is a mistake.
Doing nothing would be the most dangerous move. The author struggles to detach from being partisan. He doesn’t even see it but that’s the curse of the frum.
1
Another example of David Brooks' outdated worldview. What he doesn't realize is that conventional thinking doesn't work in the new political climate. His prior columns wax nostalgic for a country that existed decades ago and will never exist again. If Donald Trump is willing to break laws and conventions with impunity, the rest of the country needs to fight back with all the political tools available, including impeachment. Just because it didn't work 20 years ago doesn't mean it won't work this time. That kind of thinkinig is what got us into this mess in the first place.
2
Sorry, Dave.
From where I sit, every one of your bullet points is already happening. This country spend at least 50 percent of the time in the middle of a presidential campaign, and with Trump on the scene you can double that figure.
And if this isn't what people want to talk about, well . . .
Oh my gosh! What am I doing here?
2
David, according to that logic, it was unwise for the Democrats in the Judiciary committee to pass articles of impeachment for Nixon
Nixon resigned less than 2 weeks later. When the American people see multiple witnesses including the whistleblower testify of Trump's bribery and shakedown of Zelinsky, public opinion will change. Trump, Barr, and Pence may be co conspirators and all 3 impeached. This hat trick will purify the government of the stain Trump has left on the Oval Office.
Boo! Since it is a bit too late to spook Democrats into not impeaching Trump, one has to wonder whether the aim of this column is to reserve an "I told you so" that no one will ever hold against Brooks' judgement if he proves wrong or to encourage Republican Senators to hold the line.
1
Wait, what? The impeachment will distract from the Democrat's strong (?!?) primaries? What primary debates were YOU watching? So sorry that Congress is being expected to perform their Constitutionally appointed oversight duty instead of naming Post Offices and other Super-Important stuff.
2
What david of course discounts foolishly is the disenfranchisement dems risked by never acting, like enthusiasm from 2018 is way way down. This fires up the dem base if nothing else. Also many dems are facing primary challenges bc they’ve dragged their feet here. Lastly they’re supposed to sit idly by while trump destroys biden? Come on
1
Imagine if democrats didn't impeach (or this story didn't even come to light) and Biden was the general nominee. Imagine three weeks before the election, some damaging information came out about his son's involvement in Ukraine, causing a significant percentage of the voting population to stay home or hold their nose and vote for Trump. Oh, and the Republican nominee is soliciting foreign assistance to get this dirt and win an election. Sound familiar? Trick me once, shame on you, trick me twice, shame on me. Dems. have no choice here.
2
Yes, the super genius Trump will somehow win because of this. Give me a break. The future is not written.
Questions: If Brooks is utterly wrong about this, will anyone care to remember it?
2
So, David, what’s your solution? Let him get away with MORE illegality to the point our democracy is no more? That’s what I’d call elite and cynical.
2
Oh, come on! The president of the United States is guilty, but we should just let it pass. Terrible precedent!
1
Looking forward to your next book. Maybe you can call it "Forget the Road to Character, Just be Strategic"
2
The endpoint of NOT impeaching is Trump declaring he is cancelling elections. The man will drag us into civil war no matter what we do.
21
Much as I feel the president’s actions merit removal from office, I must agree with David Brooks’ analysis. Having lived through the Nixon impeachment process I would like to remind everyone that it took almost two years of investigations and hearings to bring Republicans in the Senate around to agreement with the charges. Democrats today do not have two years. We need to concentrate on defeating Trump at the polls. Otherwise, I fear, we will be stuck with him for another four years. And that would, indeed, be a disaster.
6
Every one of Brook’s arguments is refutable:
1.Impeachment may never remove Trump from office but it will put a permanent stain on his historical reputation and serve to remind Americans that we are a nation of Constitutional process.
2. The only thing elitist about impeachment is Brooks’ assumption that its importance can be grasped by a limited number of citizens.
3. We often have to grapple with and talk about unpleasant matters.
4. If this a country capable of making political decisions based only on personality we will consistently elect the wrong people. Maybe it is time to find out where American values lie.
5. I can only hope that cynicism will be defeated by facts; and as Brooks concedes, the President is guilty. When Congress fails to follow truth, the country has bigger problems than cynicism.
6. Are we supposed to care that the G.O.P. Which helped create and support Trump will be damaged by impeachment?
7. As Brooks says, an Impeachment will unpredictably “roil” Democrat primary candidates. All the better opportunity to choose from those who respond responsibly.
And Brooks fails to observe that no matter what is done, Trump has shown every indication that he will run a re-election campaign unencumbered by any sense of decency, honesty, or hesitancy to do anything but win.
22
Nancy Pelosi is one of the sharpest political minds ever. she has thought through each of these points a hundred times over the past year.
She knows that these proceedings will only actually remove Trump from office if a few more, bigger bombshells come to light. And even then, all she "gains" is swapping out Trump for Pence, who's neither more competent nor more reasonable. Undermining of the ACA will continue and the EPA will continue to dismantle rules that limit pollution. The only thing that might change is the administration's trade war stance.
Therefore, it is difficult to believe that the goal here is to remove Trump.
1
I agree that the political ramifications of impeachment are murky. However, the whistleblower complaint demonstrates a clear and egregious abuse of power from a president who has already established a pattern of abuse of power. Congress cannot shirk their Constitutional duty just because senate Republicans might.
11
David Brooks is as wrong as he could be.
First of all I am sick to death of his use of elite or elitism. He has given in to the canard the Republicans have made of this idea.Elite is a perfectly good word to use when discussing the best of anything as in elite athletes or elite troops. It is not a pejorative meaning an undeserved advantage.
The notion that Trump is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors but that he should not be impeached because the Senate might not convict is rank defeatism in a clear case of what the Founding Fathers had in mind by inserting that clause in the Constitution.
Finally , I have more faith in the American public than he does. I am 88 years old and have lived during several national crises. I was brought up in New York. I had a career as a corporate lawyer. In other words , I have been " around the block" and found that when the facts are made clear to the public,it makes the right choice. This case is black and white and in writing which Trump tried to hide. Even if the Senate refuses to convict, I predict a large Blue Wave.
37
Impeachment is the antidote to the deeply-criminalized mindset that has overtaken the Republican party since the era of Richard Nixon.
15
The problem with this David Brooks argument is that it suggests that NO offense could justify impeachment, since a Senate conviction would not result. Perhaps we should codify this concept by amending the constitution to eliminate the impeachment proceedings? Or wait -- just delete them by executive order.
13
"The political brawl will leave Trump victorious."
Not there's a confident and courageaous attitude! That's the kind of encouragement the people need from a man who considers himself moral. We certainly wouldn't want to hear about constitutional justice at a time like this. Better to hunker down in cowardice before the mighty Trump than to follow the constitution. Who needs oversight anyway?
(dropping the sarcasm) Mr. Brooks: If not now, when?
18
First of all, the polls reflect more desire for impeachment of Trump than there was at this point in history when Democrats began their impeachment investigation of Nixon. Those hearings went on for a year and Republicans were with Nixon almost to the end. Second, Trump's known offenses are much more serious than Nixon's.
But there are credible allegations of serious offenses against the US, and it would be an abdication of her oath as Speaker for Pelosi to block the inquiry. The Trump administration has been clear that it believes Congress has no right to oversee anything, further proving the need for an impeachment inquiry.
Getting everything out into the open, where the facts of the matter are obvious to all, would at aminimum tell us what we are- either a nation of Laws, or a nation of Men, with Trump as the current alpha male.
8
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I couldn't disagree more with one of the minds I admire most, David Brooks. This is a clear case of wrong, unethical, unacceptable, unpresidential, un-American behavior. To let this slide sets the worst of precedents. Impeachment proceedings are a must regardless of the political cost. Forget the presidency, congressional Republicans will be forced to either stand by Trump and condone his actions or take a stand for democracy. Voters will notice. I think Pelosi is playing a game bigger than the presidency.
29
The Dems are snatching defeat from the jaws of victory!
It is transparent that the impeachment process is being used as little more than an oversight mechanism borne out of frustration because the Congress is too weak or afraid to (1) trust the courts to enforce Congress’ subpoenas and/or (2) use its contempt powers against recalcitrant “Trump” witnesses.
The runaway impeachment freight train is sure to run off the rails-the result of which will be the virtual assurance of a Trump/Republican election victory.
David, everyone knows what the problems are. Yes, there are risks. Huge ones. Bu the rule of law matters more than all of them combined.
I, for one, would rather live in a country that respects its institutions, laws, and customs enough to risk failure in pursuing them. Indeed risks have been the only things that have ever truly moved the country forward. I'd rather live through a political failure than in a country that decides its most sacred values are inconvenient to a given moment.
And not for nothing, that's how I, and most good citicenz, live their daily lives as well. Values First!
13
David, it is possible that are you are both right and wrong at the same time.
In all likelihood, Impeachment by the House will not lead to Conviction in the Senate. The whole ugly process could also hurt Democratic chances in the 2020 Election.
However, failure to impeach the President would also represent tacit acceptance of a sordid new normal in American political life.
The latter represents a more enduring harm, in my opinion. It is time to hold our collective noses and jump in.
13
@ Dan D:"Last, if the President and his party are *still* not removed by the 2020 election, then we have bigger problems in our country than simple Presidential lawbreaking. And that would be good information to know, too."
Well said, sir!
2
so, David, I concur with your assessment. the D's should not play the impeachment card.
But, what my friend, is the alternative? The President broke the law by asking a foreign nation to interfere in our election.
How do they hold him accountable?
4
I feel strongly that defending our nation's electoral process against blatantly illegal use of foreign policy to insure one's election is NOT an "inside the beltway brawl"! If this act were to go unanswered, it would set a precedent that all such misdeeds are now acceptable. I, for one, would then loose all faith in our democracy. At some point, one must put clever calculations of political percentages aside and have the courage to fight for what's right. We need heroes follow, not strategists to hide behind!
9
The very idea that a president could do something like Trump has done in Ukraine and then not be called out for violating his oath of office is not just mad, but is a complete abandonment of the American system of government. To say that it “plays into the hands” of Republicans to prosecute a violation such as Trump’s is to say that our laws are now absolutely subject to politics, however extreme and partisan. If the public cannot see this tawdry mess for what it is, then so much the worse for America—but to ignore it, for ANY reason, is selling us all down the river.
8
It's interesting. Normally my viewpoints are to the left of your opinions, but I thoroughly enjoyed a book you wrote on the topic of character. It was given to me by a conservative family member. Through that book I better understood the conservative mindset and appreciated the way that figures from the past have used hardship and adversity to overcome great challenges.
That's why I'm so surprised at your comments here. This president has no character. The hardships he has faced have been largely self-constructed. He has always had a silver spoon in his mouth, always shaped the world to his liking and required others to do his bidding or suffer the consequences.
The idea that to your mind someone so foul, so lacking of character, would best go unpunished is shocking to me. This is when a high ground is needed, and as a progressive, I have never felt so energized or committed to what is right. By NOT standing up to Trump's flagrant lies and corruption, the Democrats and, let's face it, the American people would show a lack of character and respect for the rule of law. I'm surprised that we disagree on this.
6
In response to David Brooks and @Angus:
As we all know, the ballot box is not the last word on the presidency of the US. Do you really believe that enough voters have changed their minds during the last 3 years and will vote for a Democrat, or at least a better Republican? I don't want to take that bet. The better course of action is to expose DT in all his satanic glory and convince a few million more to change their minds. In the meantime, we are defending the Constitution, which was the biggest gamble of all against just this kind of abuse of power. It's plainly the right thing to do, come what may.
7
“This is completely elitist.” Our democracy is more than a series of winner-take-all plebiscites. We have the checks and balances of 3 equal branches of government (2 elected by the people) for precisely this type of situation. Allowing someone to run rampant over our constitution, declaring himself above the law, like a king, now THAT is elitist.
10
I refer Mr. Brooks and all the impeachment skeptics to the statement from the New York Times Editorial Board.
Also, suppose the Democrats decline to impeach Trump and he goes on to win reelection? Then his belief that he can do whatever he wants will be vindicated and American democracy will be mortally wounded.
5
Mr. Brooks suggests impeachment should be weighed against political considerations when the issue is one of principle.
What weight do checks and balances have if they're tied to questions of political expediency? Mr. Brooks doesn't address this dilemma.
5
There's risk, but Trump forced the Democrats' hands. And there is also possible reward
The inquiry has already borne fruit: The rough transcript and the whistleblower complaint. The White House would have produced nothing absent the impeachment inquiry. It may also help with the various court cases. Even if the Dems impeach (an inquiry is all that has been authorized so far), enough evidence may come out to lead independents and maybe even a few Republican voters to vote against Trump in 2020. So the inquiry could help the Dems win the election. In any event, staying silent means Trump has a green light on corruptly influencing the election. So NOT launching the inquiry is also risky.
3
Mr. Brooks, your approach might be the way Republicans handle things. I expect more of Democrats. I expect them to try to do the right thing. It's called integrity.
9
While I agree with you on both counts, the Dems, really the American people, have no choice but to make this move.
This is a long string of offenses, so yes, Trump is guilty. Impeachment with a Trumpian GOP Senate will go nowhere. Partisans of both sides are going to dig in their heels. So, the majority of the people who have no interest in political Kabuki play might see it as a waste of time. However, that is where you and I disagree. The Dems need to go through with it even if it may not be tactically or even strategically advantageous because history demands it. Sometimes, we do or don't do things out of convenience when it is for the good of the country long term. America should be about compromise, pragmatism and live-and-let-live, but there are moments in history, like Watergate, like civil right, like equality. Like now!
3
We live in a Republic not a Democracy, or so I’m told. As such we are supposed to let officials do their job, not punt everything to a vote. Impeaching someone for violating the oath of office is their job.
10
Of all people, I would have thought Mr. Brooks would support principle over political expediency in this matter. I am disappointed by his cynical, pessimistic take. We either believe in upholding the values of the Constitution or we don't.
13
I think David is being overly paternal. If there are facts that support a removal of office, more and more Americans will grow to understand this and how there has to be a foundation of respect for the law and governing norms. Likewise, it will be just a matter of time that some Republican senators will begin to extricate themselves from the bankruptcy expert. Think Romney, Burr, Portman, Collins. Then think what the reaction would be if a highly respected military man says enough is enough? Think Mattis. I believe this is going to happen and I believe the 37% today supporting impeachment will become a majority view. Once this happens, there is cover for the cowardly Republicans to join suit.
If I'm wrong and none of this happens, that his enablers keep enabling? This country is beyond repair and trying to remedy this by misdirection, as David Brooks references, won't change that fact. I mean, as a totally independent voter, someone who has voted for both Democrats and Republicans, if a majority of Americans can't objectively understand how the bankruptcy expert has taken dead aim on this country's DNA -- rule of law, freedom of the press, national security as protected by career men and women of integrity, common purpose, and the list goes on and on -- then this country goes down. It's that simple. It's gut check time.
7
Mr. Brooks you write books about Morality, The Second Mountain, and character, The Road to Character, and yet you are opposed to an impeachment process that clearly shows the lack of character and morality in the current president. This I find this a huge disappoint. I question this opinion.
12
As a libertarian conservative who wants less government but is for human rights, gay rights, and women's rights (especially choice), i'll say the same thing I said to my liberal and progressive friends (and wife and granddaughter) when Trump was running against Secretary Clinton: "You can't beat a horse with no horse. Get yourself a horse."
Good luck.
3
It’s really difficult to envision a more clear cut case for impeachment than the President of the United States enlisting the aid of a foreign country to interfere in the election process. Call me old fashioned, but sometimes doing the right thing regardless of the politics is actually great politics. Pretty simple stuff Mr. Brooks.
14
Mr. Brooks, how much are you willing to let trump get away with? How far are you willing to let our democracy slip away? Wouldn't you have thought that after he slid past the Mueller Report he would have been careful to preserve the country from more hearings and taxpayer money spent?
It's not a political brawl for democrats. We care deeply about our neighbors and families, the country, and preserving the constitution.
As the NYT Editorial board stated today:
"A president’s use of his power for his own political gain, at the expense of the public interest, is the quintessence of an impeachable offense. It was, in fact, one of the examples the Constitution’s framers deployed to explain what would constitute “high crimes and misdemeanors,” the standard for impeachment."
Don't you think we need to preserve our democracy? It sounds as if you don't.
6
Mr. Brooks, I disagree with your thought process. This is well past partisan politics. This is about a crime. What other criminal activities has the President been involved in that we do not know about? At least an impeachment proceeding will bring some of it to light, hopefully. We need to get America back on the right road and this is a first step. How many other phone calls or conversations are on this private intelligence server that demonstrates misconduct on the part of the President? What if one of his missteps brings us into another conflict? He seriously doesn't believe he did anything wrong by focusing on whether or not he "pressured" Mr. Zelenskyy with his "request". As far as I'm concerned, enough is enough.
3
“This will achieve nothing”. Will this remove him from office? Possibly (probably) not. However, a lack of repercussions throughout a lifetime of criminality is what emboldens DT. Perhaps an awareness of oversight and repercussions (of at least bad press, and some staff liability) will create at least a teensy bit of awareness on the part of his staff, if not him, that we will not all look the other way, and inspire them to attempt to interfere with his most egregious abuses.
2
@Alice B
I think a second term will embolden him even more, and I fear he's just been handed one. But we shall see.
1
You come at the king, you best not miss. I really hoped Pelosi would have something like documentation from Deutsche Bank before pulling this trigger. I've been right so far about everything; I knew how they'd spin the Mueller report and neuter it, and I knew that his hearing would be a disaster for us. The left loves to move forward based on idealistic principles, which is great if you're not going up against a stacked deck. The problem with the left is that we're so principled we fail to see just how dirty the dirty tricks are from the other side. And so we walk into traps, over and over again. Stand in principle, yes...when you also have the ammunition to make it stick. But not before.
2
If it weren't for the electoral college, hakable voting machines, foreign interference in our elections, a supreme court which has set a precedent of selecting a U.S. president who lost the popular vote and a Citizens United ruling that allows foreign countries to funnel millions of dollars through super PACs into our elections, then sure, let democracy liberate the will of the people. But I guess that Mr. Brooks hasn't noticed what the rest of us have, our system is broken. Trump could lose the popular vote by 6 Million this time and still win through the electoral college. A criminal should not be allowed to game this corrupt electoral system we have and end up in the White House.
3
I took comfort when Brooks declared, after the 2016 election, that Trump would probably resign or be impeached within a year. I had forgotten that Brooks had been wrong about every policy issue he pronounces on since he emerged as an early defender of the Iraq War, years ago. Nevertheless, I'm disappointed by this column. What the election of 2016 shows is that we don't know what is going to happen. In those circumstances, a principled conservative would conclude we should simply do our duty.
6
No mistake. He went way too far with Ukraine and demands an impeachment. It will only make a difference with a small group of voters (so called independents, about 4%) and the rest will be motivated to defend or convict. This would not change regardless of the impeachment. However, it will bolster the dem core group and will cause a lot of discomfort as the repubs try to deny the obvious. Imagine trying to deny the conversation and then trying to spin it to be OK.
3
Didn't David Brooks lead the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal during Clinton's Whitewater investigation and impeachment? Wasn't the Journal beating the drum for impeachment against Clinton on much less than the high crimes and misdemeanors Trump has been caught red-handed doing now? The Republicans won in 2000 even after impeaching Clinton. I think the election still matters. Impeachment will weaken Trump and his cadre of criminal assistants.
The only people reading these comments already read David Brooks, and I enjoy reading him too. But we need to agree that he is not a clear moralist or a sage.
10
@MM Yeah but give him a break, he's changed since then, David is calmer less Republican now days...
Wrong. The Democrats have plenty of evidence to impeach in the Ukraine matter as it is. Also, thanks the strengthened authority that comes with impeachment powers, the White House won't be able to stonewall the House investigations anymore, so there will likely be new evidence in the Russia matter that gets uncovered. Public opinion will shift against Trump as this all comes out and his corruption gets exposed over the next few months. Add to that that Trump will get more and more unhinged and incoherent as his cover ups, lies, and extortions are aired out. It's not far fetched to expect 20 Republican Senators voting to convict once this has played out. As usual, the Republican machinery is all out with denials and distractions trying to stop the impeachment. Mr. Brooks is part of that.
7
Mr. Brooks, look at what Trump does whenever he gets away with something. He sees it as a victory and does something worse -- and why not when no one holds him accountable.
If you don't stop a trajectory like this ASAP, it becomes unstoppable. Look at the 20th century.
8
I don’t think in all my years of following presidents and politics I have ever felt so discouraged. I realize that we cannot let Trump get away with his crimes, but unfortunately I think he has and will continue to. As far as the Democrats are concerned, we have not gotten this critical election together in time. Too many candidates, and no clear front runner. I agree with Bill Maher who is always complaining about the “wishy washy” aspect of the Democratic Party. I fear our future is bleak.
2
I don't think we're going to have much of a country left by Nov. 2020.
5
"This is not what the country wants to talk about."
Au contraire, mon ami.
Millions around the country, including many erstwhile Trump supporters, are talking about little else.
And that number will only grow as the impeachment process moves forward.
13
"Remember, impeachment is a political process.....And this process could be very bad for America."
Mr. Brooks has detailed every argument for avoiding the impeachment process that has been raised up to this point. However, the most disturbing of these is, "This will probably achieve nothing." Sadly, this is the same response I am given when working with get out the vote groups. It is the response that paralyzes change and justifies lack of action.
I am personally grateful to the whistleblower who "saw something and did something." This individual, along with others questioning what was happening, have risked everything. The risk perfectly illustrated by a vengeful president who demands to know who these individuals are, so that they can be dealt with "like we used to do with spies." Ask yourself who has the most to lose here??
12
Acquittal by the Senate means nothing, if the American people view the result as corrupt. The impeachment process puts the Senate on trial, as much as it does the president. Impeachment must not be deferred for the election, because Mr. Trump is trying to corrupt the election process itself.
15
The evidence exposed during the hearings may unequivocally validate impeachment. Republicans that vote to acquit will have to face the voters back home. There may be no plausible rationale for backing Trump. The voters may want a clean sweep.
11
"Democratic elites to voters: We don’t trust you." Sorry, that is not the message at all. We ultimately trust the voters. What we don't trust is Donald Trump tampering with the election itself so that the total does not reflect the will of the voters. This happened in 2016 via Russia. That is what we do not trust at all, as evidenced by Trump's call to the President of Ukraine. We must impeach before the election, in order to protect the election itself from foreign interference.
12
"This is completely elitist."
All the Founders were "completely elitist", and yet this is the remedy they developed for presidential wrongdoing.
Nancy Pelosi is taking a big risk, which may have a high political cost.
But leaders are paid to lead.
When they recognize that there is an existential threat to American democracy, doing nothing is not an option.
And let's not forget that Trump was ultimately elected by an elitist institution - the Electoral College - which handed him the keys to the WH despite the fact that 2.8 million more voted for the other candidate.
So, it's only fitting that another elitist institution - the Congress - reverse that miscarriage of justice.
7
"This will probably achieve nothing."
You're right that Senate Republicans will probably acquit Trump.
But, the process will shine a bright spotlight on Trump's manifold crimes, and may well uncover even more, in the midst of his re-election campaign.
So, he may win the trial, but in the process, he'll lose the election.
And the GOP may well wind up handing control of the Senate over to the Dems.
That's not nothing.
7
"This will probably achieve nothing"
Except to Preserve, Protect and Defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
"This is not what the country wants to talk about"
What was the country talking about in the summer of 1973?
14
It is almost certain that impeachment proceedings will lead to a conviction in the House but not in the Senate, and at that point the House will likely adopt a resolution to censure the president. It would be better for the country - for all of the reasons that Mr. Brooks cites - to bypass a long, divisive and ultimately unsuccessful impeachment process and move directly to a bipartisan censure of Mr. Trump now.
Congress should focus on governing and the candidates on running - let the people do their job and vote this despicable president out of office.
@Elizabeth Lada; what good is for the candidates to focus on running if the president is trying to undermine them and our system by using foreign countries?! And this is just the peak of the iceberg that a brave whistle blower brought to light. Who knows what other criminal activities he is devising.
3
Looks to me like a lot of Republicans have a lot of advice for the Democrats vis-à-vis impeachment. Thanks, fellas, but no thanks. We're talking about a party that is still 80% lockstep behind Trump. Pertaining to this one incident alone, how many different laws have Individual One, his attorney general, and his senior White House aides broken? How many times, pertaining to this one incident alone, have they acted unconstitutionally?
14
@Robert; thank you! And these are only the ones that we know about! Who knows how many other criminal activities are already in that locker or buried otherwise!
1
Missing from Mr Brooks's comments is any sense he understands the "clear and present" danger Mr Trump represents not to the country but to the world. Perhaps nobody brought this up in Waco or Nantucket, but I hear it mentioned time and again.
8
@Charles Clark-
Missing from so-called ”conservatives’” speaking, writing and (one supposes) thinking is any mention or regard for our country’s long-term future. Many “like” what Trump’s doing without being able to explain why they do or what it is, beyond reciting Trump’s lies or repeating his inanities.
Trump is an unmitigated disaster in so many ways and on so many levels that it’s unmeasurable. We’re going to be paying for the damage he’s now causing for the rest of our lives; as will our children — and theirs. Both will inherit a shattered world, our gift. Yet conservatives seem oblivious about it, almost as if blind to it.
Impeachment is a Constitutional process, not a political one.
8
Anyone who is willing to sacrifice the health of the Republic and its institutions to win an election is not worthy of consideration.
10
@James S, May I use this comment on a bumper sticker? I love it.
What we know about Trump's behavior at this time is likely only the tip of the iceberg. Are you confident that there will be adequate safeguards in place to protect the electoral process in 2020?
Political calculation and paying too much attention to polls has contributed to the mess we are in at the moment. Sometimes it makes sense for everyone to simply do the right thing. Remarkably sometimes the polls will follow.
6
@Doug Goodwini; well said.
Impeachment is Not a mistake, Mr. Brooks.
"This is not what the country wants to talk about."
-But unfortunately this is what the country must talk about.
This is a great country, but one not-so-great trait that stemmed from it's roots is the one that prefers to look away from it's failings and avoid any discussion about them.
We do so at our own peril.
11
If you are waiting for Americans to do the right thing and vote trump out of office you should note that this is exactly what trump is trying to subvert. trump might fail in the attempt but if we decide to toss away the very idea of impeachment what recourse is there when tyrants do succeed in making the vote meaningless.
4
If David Brooks thinks impeachment is a bad idea, that’s the surest sign yet that impeachment is the smart and wise thing to do. Thanks for reliably missing the mark yet again Mr Brooks.
8
David, David, David. I am saddened by your column. You are normally a voice of reason. But you have carried reason too far in your column. Donald Trump's actions must be condemned. Impeachment is the way the House of Representatives can condemn it. To not do that because the Senate, as currently constituted, may not vote to remove, neuters the House. Let the House act, and then the Republican Senators will have to make decisions about what is best for themselves, and what is best for the Country. We do not know yet what those decisions will be.
8
You have spent months celebrating the greater good and now you support doing nothing because it might not be politically prudent.
Saying Trump is guilty, BUT putting him on trial is a mistake is 100% wrong.
Trumpers are going to vote for him and nothing is going to change that. If the Democrats manage to lose this election, then I guess America deserves four more years of this insanity.
As Pelosi said, "he left us without a choice." So get on with impeachment.
7
@Tom; couldn't have said it more clearly myself. Well put.
We either defend our laws or we abandon them. To allow any president to do what Trump has done and not prosecute is a worse blow to our Democracy than he has made. And all of the people continuing to say that it is a mistake will weaken the message that Democrats are taking the high ground. They are protesting our constitution. Impeachment is already in the works, so it's time to let it go. To continue to preach that it is going to lose us the next election will most likely help that prediction come true.
8
So, same old. Allow presidents and party and government officials to commit egregious even criminal acts, and ignore it? The past is the past? Winning is all. Forget about civics. This has been the way for decades. And for decades the past has haunted and informed the present and future and led in no small part to this person being elected, the state of government, and habituation of the electorate to a rotten status quo as the norm.
3
My mistrust is not of how Americans will vote: I don't trust the electoral process as long as the likes of Mitch McConnell and Trump have anything to do with it. The Electoral College system already imposes a 7% penalty on Democrats because the value of Dem votes is undercounted. The Ukraine and Russian interferences in our election are real and nothing has been done to clean up the situation. Why should I waste my time voting when the playing field is far from level.
4
@Alice; An excellent point!
Although David Brooks has presented himself as a contemporary moral arbiter, and to his discredit, often spins philosophically sophomoric columns to that effect, in this instance his political pragmatism shows him up for what he truly is. That is, Brooks has been wading in the political swamp himself for so long that he can only discuss impeachment in terms of a political calculus--and not as the necessary ethical step that must be taken now to defend our democracy against a raging tyrant who puts us all at risk and whose moral compass is nonexistent.
7
Mr. Brooks, thanks for your input, one question: how should we expect a Democratic candidate to beat Trump if he is able to freely use the levers of his office to interfere in the election to his benefit?
Since you won't respond, I'll answer: the Democrat won't win unless we impose political costs on Trump now for trying to rig this election in his favor. He already enjoys a massive structural advantage through the electoral college and Republican-led voter suppression campaigns in key battleground states, but that's not enough for him! On top of all that, he got caught trying to blackmail a foreign country into fabricating evidence of corruption against one of his potential general election competitors.
This isn't about impeachment. It's about making sure we have a free and fair election in 2020.
4
Mr Brooks leaves out one important thing: the impeachment process brings the facts of the president’s wrongdoing into the public arena. Look at Nixon- there were many diehard Nixon followers who hung onto him almost to the bitter end, until his implication in wrongdoing became apparent enough to finally get enough republicans to change their minds about impeachment, eventually forcing Nixon’s resignation. This stems in part from the slow realization of the American electorate that there really had been wrongdoing by the president, ie that he knew about the break-in and had authorized it. Brooks seems to diminish the intelligence of the American people. Yes we are in extraordinarily divisive times politically, but that doesn’t mean the American people, when confronted with incontrovertible facts of abuse of power by a sitting president, wouldn’t change their minds at the 11th hour and finally call for the ouster of a rogue president. I have to believe that. Otherwise, if we decide it’s strategically better not to go ahead with impeachment and trust the American people to choose on the 2020 election, between gerrymandering, voter purge lists, voter suppression and election interference from foreign powers, (not to mention the likelihood of yet another election in which the popular vote doesn’t determine the outcome,) we may not have a fair election. Are you sure you want to trust a tainted process? No thanks, I’ll take my chances with impeachment.
2
"Look we all saw George Clooney running from the bank with a gun in his hand trailing dollar bills out of the brown paper sack while the alarm was going off.
You know that lots of people like him, and even if we arrest him he has so much support that it's unlikely a jury of Hollywood directors and producers will convict him.
Wouldn't it be better to wait for his next picture to come out and refuse to go so it's a flop. The people will decide"
Uh, NO!
If you don't enforce the laws, then the law has no meaning.
4
Please clarify that you were in Nantucket on a paid gig where participants were told to remain strictly non-partisan. The many attendees were there to discuss solutions for a specific issue; they would not have been talking about impeachment or any other political subject.
Let me get this straight: Trump is being brought down by his own people within the WH. They can’t stand idly by as he lies, and covers-up his illegal activity. But you are arguing it will make him victorious for a re-election?
I think you’re wrong, and don’t think he’ll even be the Republican presidential candidate in 2020. Your column doesn’t address the illegal actions of Bill Barr as Trump’s fixer, and aid to his cover-ups, rather than AG for the country. It doesn’t address there are probably other mis-filed conversations and communications in the server that’s supposed to only store top-secret intelligence. If we’ve learned anything, when Trump thinks he’s gotten away with something, he’ll do it again. And again.
Maybe your column is really partisan in its attempt to convince Dems to not take action, so the Trump and the GOP can boast there is nothing there, so they couldn’t touch him.
I think you’re about to find out there is a lot there, and the country as a whole will be educated in the process. People who continue to shout it’s just politics will do so at their own peril.
4
I disagree David. Trump gave the congress no choice but to move towards impeachment. Let the chips fall where they may.
2
I'm a fan of David Brooks' columns. But I wonder if this one reveals a chronic weakness in his analysis. I think especially of how much of his argument rests on the framework of the "real people" all over the US and the "elites" -- especially the Dems -- in DC. With this framework hovering over everything, Pelosi's move to open an impeachment inquiry can only be understood as one more clueless action by elites finally concerned with preserving their own power and out of touch with the real needs of the country and Trump's mastery of the toxic myth of the "real" vs. the "elites." But what if it's not a bunch of "elites" in DC but "political representatives" with clear duties toward our democratic political system. And what if it's also not a bunch of "elites" in DC but men and women who share with all of us a capacity to make basic moral judgements. If we think of Pelosi and others in this more accurate light, then the move to open an impeachment inquiry can be seen more accurately for what it is: A regrettable but necessary step to preserve our constitutional structure and to affirm fundamental values by which we exist at all as a political community.
3
On the other hand we cannot allow a completely unfit man at the helm . The idea that this could be good for Trump from a political point of view assumes that he will act like a normal crafty politician under pressure . He will continue shooting himself on the foot , now more than ever , because the pressure he is under . He will become even more erratic . The really important part is not what he has done in the past but what he may do in the future .
1
David Brooks is committing the same "partisan" political error he is trying to warn against: his main argument not to impeach the President amounts to not wanting to hurt the Democrats' PR image. He's thinking more about what's best for his own party than what's best for the country.
Barbara Jordan reminds us what the impeachment process is about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKmezUmP0W0&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3HU6DjLuJZ5-jXsUY-wn7QoUeeXEdqB6DM7U7l05sWY1j03NsVU7PNNoA
Wrong.
Just wrong.
2
The whistleblower complaint suggests that the good guys are learning from their mistakes. The Leandrowki hearing suggests they are not.
Now it's up to the economy, and to the Democrats to make a very long list of easily understood crimes.
2
Very well put, impeaching President Trump carries great risk. So instead you would suggest showing him that anything he does, no matter how heinous, is fine. That is the same thing you have said in other columns when the President has done something illegal or underhanded or hurtful. At what point is enough going to be enough for you and those who watch as President Trump quietly dismantles our democracy (most of the Republican Party.). Refuse to answer and stonewall congressional inquires and subpoenas, fine. List of actions in the Meuller report, fine. Making money for your private company off of being President, fine. Enriching the rich, fine. Breeding hatred among members of different American communities and peoples, fine. The list gets longer and the response is nothing. At some point the damn will break and the country will suffer the consequences of having had such a President and our democracy will never be the same. This may already be the case. So the time has come. Regardless of the consequences, impeaching President Trump is mandatory! This is like going to war. The only concern cannot be a guarantee of success. It needs to be a guarantee that not going to war will lead to much worse.
6
Mr. Brooks may well be right that impeachment may leave Trump still standing and re-elected. The GOP is morally bankrupt and the enemy of democracy. So be it and God help us all. History will vindicate the Democratic Party for the last defense of the Constitution and the nation.
4
Mr. Brooks: What interval would you suggest to start an inquiry based on 6 separate areas equally as important including national security, obstruction, emoluments, separation of powers, foreign interference in the elective process, and failure to protect and defend the United States? The real question is "Who is so afraid to act when so much is at stake?" Bob Mueller recommended charging Trump in a forum subject to rules where he has the opportunity to defend himself. This will meet the criteria if the inquiry results in specific charges. And all of us will see who supports him and his view of the office of President and the Constitution. If he is the Republican way of life, perhaps he will survive the apparent severity of the charges. But you may see that some Republicans think they have a way of life separate from Trump that was usurped and want it back.
1
Politics be damned. It's a simple matter of right and wrong. If impeacment backfires and Trump is re-elected, America is lost. Canada will have to build a wall to keep us out.
4
The Statue of Liberty would look good on Toronto Island, facing south. How much do you want for it?
I agree with Brooks, but to do nothing is just as bad as what Trump is doing. Trump has to be held accountable. What has happened to the morals and ethics of this country?
5
I believe David Brooks is wrong on this. He bemoans the fact that Republican Senators are putting their self-interest over principle, yet he is advocating that the Democrats should do the same.
The problem with leaving the decision to the ballot box is that Trump can do a lot of damage in a year. Further, with nothing being done to safeguard elections, the elections can be manipulated.
Contrary to what David Brooks believes, this move signals trust in the voters. The Democrats believe the voters will clearly see the Senate Republican humbug and vote the Senate Republicans out.
4
There are times in life, and in the life of a nation, when there is no choice. To not act at this moment is impossible, both politically for Nancy Pelosi, and for us as a nation. History will tell this story eventually, and when it is told, I want the record to show that there were mean and women who placed principal above politics.
3
As much as I distrust the president and believe he is guilty, impeachment is a no-win for the Democrats. They have no chance of coming out ahead and are playing right into Mitch McConnell's hands. The road to impeachment will surely backfire and solidify the Republican hold on this country. Shame.
229
@JRD - you are thinking tactical and narrowly. There are larger issues at stake. This is not a football game where we're counting first-downs, or even the final score. It's about checking a dangerous president.
239
@JRD -- If the electorate solidifies the R and Trump hold on the country ---- then we deserve it.
66
@JRD I strongly disagree. No matter what happens with the Senate the failure of Democrats NOT to pursue impeachment will give Trump more ammunition to claim that he's innocent and it was all a witch-hunt, which backfires even more on Democrats. That would be even more demoralizing to those who believe in the rule of law and the Constitution.
182
David Brooks is 100% right on this one. The Dems are playing into Trump's hands and to his strengths. This process will do nothing for the country, quite the opposite. It will only further convince skeptics that all those taxes we send to DC are mostly wasted on in-fighting, not solving the problems that face us on health care, climate change, economic inequality and the national debt. No one dislikes Trump more than me but this ill-fated impeachment process will do nothing, except strengthen his hold on those who see Washington as a swamp.
174
@Brad Harrington . Wait until the republicans start to turn...and I believe they will as their constituents start to question their love of country, of country over party.
39
@Brad Harrington
Trump is a much smaller threat than the Republican Party! Just putting a Democrat in the White House is not going to save our nation.
If winning an election is the paramount objective then the republic is in serious and Real Trouble.
17
Yes, because this President's actions since in office CLEARLY show what he's interested in is fixing all of those very real issues we face, if only those darn Democrats would stop trying to perform actual oversight and enforce the powers granted to them in the Constitution.... every issue you listed should be at the top of any good government's list but Trump and R's, by definition, believe in small, ineffective government (at best).
19
I agree this is a misstep for the Democrats, politically at least. I see only two possible outcomes: (1) Trump is impeached and convicted, in which case we end up with President Pence, who stands a much better chance of election than Trump stands of reelection; or (2) Trump is impeached but not convicted, in which case he will claim exoneration, and his reelection chances will increase. So no, politically this is not smart. Brooks is right about that.
But "elitist"? I don't see it. In leveling that accusation, Brooks assumes the Democrats are pursuing impeachment because they don't trust the "stupid electorate" to dispose of Trump. Really? With Pence waiting in the wings? Perhaps, just perhaps, the Democrats are pursuing impeachment out of what we used to call "principle." Rare though principles seem to be, at least since 2016, some folks in government still have them. Brooks fails to consider that the very politically-not-smart nature of pursuing impeachment demonstrates that House Democrats are among the few principled people left.
3
So, basically let Trump continue to stomp on the laws and the essence of democracy, while putting national security at risk and hope that the voters do better in choosing this next election?
Trying to coerce a foreign government into manufacturing dirt on a political opponent is such a perversion of the election process that Speaker Pelosi did not have a choice. Inaction would have only emboldened Mr. Trump to reach further into the depths of corruption to influence the election.
The Republicans in Congress need to look in the mirror and ask themselves if they want to be like those in the WH who apparently have spiraled deeper and deeper into the abyss in order to protect a man who should not be protected.
2
Clinton should not have been impeached, but Nixon should have been. What's the difference? Clinton's foibles did not threaten our democracy, but what Nixon did threatened it because his dirty tricks and coverup related to our elections. And the same is true of Trump. Democrats simply cannot let Trump's actions go unpunished because it will only encourage and embolden him and future presidents to do likewise, or worse. Brooks is correct that it might not be what the public wants and it probably will fail in the Senate. But a message -- the strongest message the House can muster -- will be sent. And in the process the public will be educated if they pay any attention at all. Anything less would be capitulation, which would be absolutely unacceptable.
5
As you say Trump is guilty of impeachable conduct. Yes, Trump’s campaign will trumpet the lie that impeachment is just another democratic witch-hunt. But Trump will make many specious, con-job - campaign arguments that will carry sway with his following, whether or not Congress does the right thing by proceeding with impeachment proceedings. Under these circumstances, doing the right thing might just be the better choice.
2
Worst. Column. Ever.
Mr. Brooks, there comes a time when people, even politicians, have to do the right thing and let the chips falls where they may.
The political ramifications of impeachment are impossible to predict. Yes, you can make the argument that it will rally Republicans behind Trump. But you can also make the argument that if Democrats on the campaign trail constantly rail about Trump's corruption yet fail to take any action, they will be seen as lacking credibility.
There's also the very real danger that a corrupt and dishonest president whom we know has solicited a foreign power's interference in the campaign has no intention of presiding over a free and fair election. By all evidence, Trump will say and do anything to get re-elected. What will the next election look like, if Trump finds he can more or less openly violate election law and his oath of office without consequences?
And by the way, Mr Brooks, public support for impeachment is no longer "only 37%," but has already reached 43%, according to your newspaper. And it's only going to go higher.
8
I am so torn (and afraid). While I have never been a Trump supporter, it is increasingly obvious just how inept, amoral and irrational he is (as well as how completely beyond the reach of any wise counsel from any erstwhile advisors). We the people are becoming the anecdotal frogs in the pot as each outrage is normalized by the President's supporters and we lurch on to news cycle coverage of the next one. At some point Congress has to exercise its Constitutional powers to reign in the Presidency.
On the other hand....every single point that Mr. Brooks raises is absolutely valid.
If only more Republicans could locate their spines to at least call out this man, I would be firmly against impeachment. But as it stands, I'm afraid this is rapidly becoming the only course of action to uphold the foundations of what truly makes this country "great."
I disagree with David Brooks column. Impeachment is the right thing to do even if it is not politically effective. It is a moral imperative. Somebody has to hold trump accountable. Congress has the power to hold him accountable. trump has bullied and abused his way around for far too long. Let's set the official precedent that trump-like behavior is not acceptable to decent americans.
3
I am a little surprised that the usually spiritually dialed-in David Brooks offers such a pragmatic, even cynical political calculation on this matter. This Ukraine behavior is only the most recent and egregious of several impeachable behaviors from Trump. While it is probably true that this will be an ugly food-fight, I think we must nevertheless stand up to say this is totally unacceptable. We simply cannot underestimate the corrosive, debasing, demoralizing effect of such overtly unethical and corrupt leadership on our politics, on our entire culture and self-image. Trump will eventually be gone one way or the other, but the principles of truth and honor and selflessness must endure.
Some calculations must be based on a higher, more lasting good than the next election result.
2
The alternative to the impeachment process is to let Trump go on recklessly abusing every power he possibly can. With impeachment in the works his abuse is being exposed finally. Everything he does now will be out in the open and he can't hide behind his absurd tweets. Impeachment is now the only way to get some form of control over Trump. Without some control and exposure Trump is very dangerous to the whole world. This is not just about America. It is about the stability of all nations and their interactions. Power grabbers get stopped sooner or later, Mr. Brooks. Do you really want to stand in the way of justice for all?
3
There is going to be brawling within the Beltway anyway. And - There's plenty of brawling simply within the walls of the White House. And some cognitive dissonance in your message cmpared to earlier columns.
Mr. Brooks, quite often, you call on people to exercise some version of ethical or moral behavior in the way they go about their lives.
Here, you seem to veer off that appeal to a higher motive, by suggesting that impeachment just isn't practical. We should accept a corrupt and venial President because calling him out could get ugly.
Pelosi did try to be eminently pragmatic, strategic, in holding off a formal impeachment, but could not sidestep the evidence that Trump is directly seeking a foreign country's involvement to influence our next Presidential election.
Would you wait until post election, 2020, to rue with sage hindsight, that no one raised a finger to defend our elections before they were held - despite ample warning?
2
Mr. Brooks analysis of the repercussions of impeachment are absolutely correct. The cat is out of the bag however and we will go through the full circus of an impeachment inquiry.
Similar to Mr. Brooks I am appalled by this president and would love to see him relegated to the dustbin of history as a one term failed president. This impeachment inquiry will absolutely do NOTHING to further this goal and creates the strong possibility that it will highly energize his base and result in the OPPOSITE of its intended effect.
While this president is a disgrace in terms of policy (exploding national debt, terrible environmental policy, ineffective and isolating foreign policy) he is a mastermind of the "political brawl" and art of playing the "victim" card for himself and his supporters. This impeachment inquiry will give him plenty of ammunition to play his best cards.
By the way, hidden in all this impeachment hoopla is the real news of Elizabeth Warren pulling ahead of Biden in quite a few polls. Given that she additionally has the "reservoir" of Sanders voters I personally have concluded that a Socialist candidate will indeed win the Democratic primary. In that scenario moderates like myself will have no dog in the race in the upcoming election and will likely vote for a third candidate or not vote at all. The Net effect will be to further Trump's chances of a re-election. Given the alternative of a Socialist president perhaps this is for the best.
The idea that the voters will turn Trump out is as silly as the idea that the Senate will convict. Neither will ever happen. His popularity has been steadily rises for weeks. The country will never be rid of this shame.
These were my thoughts during the Russia scandal, but I think I disagree with Mr. Brooks now. Trump has finally gotten himself into deep doo-doo this time. And we're right up against an election. Let's investigate and talk about this - a lot. I know a lot of conservatives and they are being worn down (I hear more conservative friends and family say that they dislike him personally, but support his judges, etc. than before). I see FB friends that were casual Trump supporters a few years ago, who now repudiate him and sound like Occasio. I think the whole thing is about to come undone. On the question of "Should we attempt to impeach a president who has clearly broken the law with impunity, but has a friendly Senate that can block it?" I think the answer is ultimately that we should do the moral thing. And holding this crook accountable is the moral thing.
2
Brooks' argument is both cowardly and dangerous. The president's increasing undermining of the republic has worsened as Congress delayed taking its oversight responsibility seriously, Failure to apply the constitutional remedy enables further, more serious lawlessness.
Public cynicism increases with continued disregard for the welfare of the nation on the part of the White House and the useless handwringing and pearl clutching on the part of Congress.
If Trump is impeached and is tried in the Senate, 100 senators won't "select a president" unless Brooks is referring to the elevation of the Vice President to President. And that assumes that the VP is not collaborating with the the current occupant. The power they have is to judge that the current sitting president is guilty of "high crimes and misdemeanors" and remove him from office.
The way to minimize "mindless partisan war" is for Congress and journalists to focus on bringing facts out in a timely way. Dealing with the disclosure of Trump's attempted bribery of Ukraine for his own empowerment is a good example. Members of Congress must keep their constituents in the loop. The media need to clearly separate out, and highlight in various ways, factual reporting distinct from editorial comment. Trumpism is already embedded within the GOP, judging from the Republican Party's enabling of this president.
We are in more danger if the constitutional remedy of impeachment is not pursued.
1
These may (or may not!) be valid political points, but Mr. Brooks here advocates giving in to Trump and his lawlessness merely for political expediency. Should the Dems ignore this horrible violation and on-going contempt for our Constitution and the rule of law, they would deserve to lose! If Trump wins because of this we might as well throw in the towel and give up on democracy. This is a real test for our country: can we rise to the level envisioned by the Founders, or will the American experiment fail?
1
An impeachment inquiry will bring out the facts and show the American People that congress is serious about confronting Trump about his unending corruption. He has done plenty enough already to warrant impeachment and removal, though, of course the Repubs in their reluctance to prosecute corruption show they are at minimum feckless and in reality complicit in enabling Trump.
Even if not actually impeached the inquiry will put in front of the American People ALL the corruption that is ongoing and let them see once and for all the utter anti-democratic disaster that Trump has inflicted on our country. If they don't vote him out after seeing all that evidence then the US will have for all practical purposes failed as an example to the rest of the world and will descend into being a true banana republic. And deservedly so.
Your understanding of the citizenry appears to be as shallow as that of the Congress, which is elitist. But the Democrats understand that they cannot change the minds of the amoral republicans in control of the Senate. The House needs to use the formal constitutional process to reveal the details of the president's crime anyway. Otherwise, we are not a democracy. To do nothing amounts to a deeply cynical "political" act, and welcomes a future of criminal, unstoppable presidents.
This is the cowardly reasoning that encourages Trump, his defenders, and the Republican party to behave as if there were no laws that must be protected an defended so that our democracy can survive. This is the democracy I swore to defend and protect when I became a U.S. citizen forty years ago.
3
Sorry Mr Brooks...much of the country DOES want to, and HAS BEEN discussing the lawless and incompetent performance of this person who is currently President. By working the impeachment process, either it will be successful, or it will expose the complicity of republicans in the Senate. The American people are smart enough to see what is going on. Republicans are in big trouble, and the impeachment process will multiply their trouble if they gloss over an iron-clad case for impeachment.
1
Trump gave them no choice. It's only an inquiry and we need to present the facts to the American people. Hopefully now some courts will stream line the access to the facts since this administration is stonewalling all of the investigations in progress. I am confident that the Dem's can walk and chew gum at the same time. Not starting an impeachment inquiry would be as derelict as Trump.
1
Always have been an admirer of Mr. Brooks and his thoughtful and pragmatic view of the larger political scene and society’s dynamics. I’ve even felt he has matured (mellowed) in his right-leaning policies over the years.
And Up to this point, I fully agreed with his approach to impeachment. But the line has been crossed in a couple of ways, perhaps most significantly is the appearance of A WHITE HOUSE COVERUP. The fact that AG William Barr is possibly associated adds more significance than just the oft-excused ignorant incompetence of our businessman President.
1
That is a pretty cynical view Mr. Brooks. While everyone would agree that the citizenry should determine who is president (as opposed to "100 mostly millionaire senators"), the core of Trump's behavior is to ensure that the citizenry is mislead in a way that is beneficial to Trump. When the president decides to enlist foreign governments to support his desire to pervert democracy, then that is a clear attack on democracy itself. Trump has no desire to root out corruption in the Ukraine or even get to the bottom of the Biden's involvement in the Ukraine. Rather it is to create conspiracy fog to feed conservative media and social media machine.
I really do admire you David and I find you the most thought provoking NYT commentator. Your column today sounds right in its prediction that the pursuit of impeachment is going to be a painful and politically counter-productive process.
I just don't know how the Democrats or any right-thinking Republican could let this incident slide. It is dangerous, disgusting, and utterly amoral. He has indicated that he will stop at nothing and while I shrink from considering how low he can go I'm not sure we can ignore that and pretend we will have a fair election in a year.
2
David is completely lost. What should we do? Let Trump subvert the 2020 election? Trump extorted Ukraine into carrying out a politically motivated investigation of a political adversary. That is using his office for private gain--a textbook case of "high crimes and misdemeanors." This crime by a president is unprecedented. Trump promised Ukraine that Barr would help--a violation of the sacred independent, nonpartisan role of the DOJ. Barr is a party to the whistle blower complaint. But instead of recusing himself, Barr stopped the complaint from reaching Congress, and shut down the criminal investigation which was requested by the acting director of national intelligence. That is a textbook abuse of power and a violation of the whistle blower law. Trump has threatened the whistle blower and his or her sources with execution. That is a grotesque violation of the whistle blower law. Trump, Barr and White House aides have pursued a cover-up vis-a-vis the phone call. They hid it in a top secret database, and released only a summary memorandum about it. That is a conspiracy to break any number of laws. That memorandum is horrible. How much worse is the real thing? Mueller and his team identified numerous instances in which Trump perpetrated the obstruction of justice. If nothing were done now, Trump would be able to successfully subvert the 2020 election.
1
The Democrats will lose their own voters if they don't impeach. Failure to convict will focus Democratic voters on the correct opponent, the Republicans, instead of Nancy Pelosi as they are now. Mr. Brooks is mistaken.
Democrats, all Americans, have no choice. Trump broke the law, defiled his oath of office and betrayed all Americans for his personal political gain. Doing the right and appropriate thing should transcend election politics, regardless of the outcome. And, Republicans who defend Trump’s ignominious treachery deserve to be never elected again. And, it’s not just Trump. The whole lot of them, Pence, Barr, Mulvaney...gone, disgraced and hopefully never heard from again.
E tu brute?
No amount of corruption can move the hardened Republicans even those who reasonably well mannered to stand AGAINST treason. They still purring with the satisfaction of their tax-cuts that are wounding America exacerbating inequality. They all now which side of their bread is buttered and they are not about to bite the hand that feeds them.
No shame Mr. Brooks, and no patriotism?
2
This article makes sense for people with abuse battered syndrome personalities, it tells that the end is here and relief is just around the corner, just hang in there, you have suffered enough what is a few more abuses, he/she'll not kill you.
Let the president continue being Trump, and start a war against a third country, weaken our institutions, pocket extra change in the way out, get loans from foreign countries and commit acts of debauchery and carnage. He should not be hold accountable of his acts, because he has in his pocket 60 millionaire republican senators who support him.
I do not agree with the premise of this article against oblivion and inertia.
It's about time the Democrats begin to show how fierce they can be. I believe the country is ready for this fight. There is a whole electorate that is fed up with being made fools of watching daily the demise of this country.
If we don't move forward then our democracy ends. What then. Let's see David, maybe you're wrong.
1
I think there are more than enough upstanding Americans who took a chance on Trump to see if he could deliver on his fantastical promises who now realize they were lied to and they're unwilling to abide the chaos and grift any longer. Even a spin ninjas like Kellyanne Conway won't be able to convince this sector of the electorate that Trump deserves another term. I think (at least, I am hopeful) that Trump and the GOP are grossly underestimating Americans' intelligence, honor, integrity and sense of justice. A crime is a crime, regardless of party affiliation, and no one is above the law. As the facts trickle out and come to be widely understood, I believe a wide majority of Americans will support impeachment, and will hold Trump and the GOP accountable at the ballot box. Sayonara, boys.
1
The alternative is to say that we live in a country where some people can literally be executed on the spot for nothing more serious than jaywalking or selling loose cigarettes, but we won't even look at some people's crimes unless we are absolutely assured of both conviction and the utility of their punishment.
This is about accountability. And that speaks far more to Democrats' qualification for office than anything David Brooks and other Republican hand-wringers and cowards will ever understand.
You are assuming this process must drag on during most of 2020–that only happens if the Dems mismanage the process.
Get this done by the end of 2019.
Hire professional prosecutors and take the circus out of the hearings.
Narrow the focus to the current situation with Ukraine.
If you don’t put some brakes on this corrupt administration, then you are foolish to believe they won’t do something worse to win re-election in 2020. With Barr, Pence, and Pompeo all willing partners to Trump’s corruption, we are in a very dangerous time in our nation’s history.
Impeachment is no longer optional. It must be done.
1
Even if Trump is impeached he can still run for president in 2020. At least post-impeachment we will have well-informed voters
What would he have us do? Let Trump just get away with more and more abuses of power? I really don't get it.
1
I like David Brooks but he misses one point i.e. Trump will repeat his illegal ways and may actually escalate them if he is not held accountable. I shudder at the thought.
So, David, your opinion is to just let Trump and his Republican sycophants go unchecked for the next 15+ months.
It is likely Republican senators will ignore Trump's crimes, but it is important to make them publicly face them and take a stand.
It is likely that Trump's "base" will be energized, but they already are.
I, for one, am tired of cowering in fear of the deplorable Republican "party" and Trump's disgusting base. Any American who does not stand for the law is a traitor to the Constitution.
At some point one had to stop listening to all you elitist pundits and instead just do one's job and follow one's conscience. Let the chips fall where they may.
3
@Shawn
wonderfully said
The Democrats have not yet impeached Trump. And perhaps may not. We are in the first flush of shock, disgust, and anger. There will be a hearing and investigation. The public will react in ways neither Mr. Brooks nor anyone else can predict. More (or perhaps no more) damning evidence or even other crimes may come to light. So it's entirely appropriate for Mr. Brooks to offer his well thought out advice and warning. It's still too early to say if it's entirely apposite but I have confidence that a wise final decision on whether or not to impeach will ultimately be made, despite the early rush to judgment we see today. In a way it's not up to the press or commentators. In the coming few weeks the people will speak, and it's all our jobs to listen to them carefully.
100% wrong. Why should a blind eye be turned toward an abuse of power and subsequent cover-up?
David,
Your pessimism prevents you from demanding justice through impeachment AND expecting that process to show how cowardly the Senate Republicans are as they vote to keep Trump in office despite clear evidence of his impeachable misconduct!
That Senate Republican vote will signal the demise of the Trump Republican party and result in a landslide victory for Democrats across the board next November!
Amen. Now how do we get the politicians to understand this?!
Regardless of the outcome in 2020 the impeachment process will instruct world leaders what they may only have an inkling of to date - the character of the man and his administration with whom they must deal. It also demonstrates to them that America does stand for principal however shouted down and bullied by the White House.
I fear you are correct, but the Dems have no choice. Trump brazenly commuted multiple felonies. If they didn't respond now, the country would be finished. Of course, you're right that the country may be finished regardless.
Compare and contrast David Brooks and Timothy Egan's opinions on this subject.
You will see the difference between meek acceptance of authoritarianism and genuine outrage at it.
1
You are wrong. Ignoring this blatant wrongdoing just encourages more of it. Trump has no off button when it comes to betraying the office of the presidency. I completely support this action....and quite frankly, have lost respect for you.
I’m just so glad David Brooks isn’t a Democratic political strategist. His rationale would only serve to further weaken that already weak-tea image of the Democrats.
“This is completely elitist. (…)”
“This is not what the country wants to talk about. (…)”
This is not an argument to disregard the sacred duty of Congress to uphold the checks and balances that define liberal democracy, and distinguish it from authoritarianism. But it is an argument that should impel primary candidates to resist the reflexive urge to jump on the impeachment bandwagon and instead stick to the bread and butter issues facing all Americans.
Back Trump into a corner, but pave the path to redemption for his supporters (remembering that even Dr. King extended the hand of reconciliation to racists).
1
I am a democrat who reads your column on a regular basis, and enjoy it even when I don’t necessarily agree. But today, I have to say I was disappointed. There are probably a thousand reasons not to impeach save one.....this lawless president can not be allowed to continue without consequences. How many times can we pretend that what he does does not matter? What about future presidents and their behavior? At some point, we forget politics and draw a line. No one wants this man out of office more than I, but our country’s democracy is at stake.
1
Consider the alternative, no impeachment proceedings. Most Democrats will consider the Party cowardly and the Trumpists will consider themselves invulnerable and lord it over their "enemy". The goal, short of getting the Senate to convict, should be to lay out in simple, easy to understand, details of the crimes committed. There are more anti Trump voters out there and the results in this inquiry could motivate more of them to vote. It might even, if done in a civilized non emotional way, peal off some member of the "core". Remember KISS? Keep It Simple, Stupid. Light the fire under public opinion with the facts, stated in easy to understand form, and you'll probably find the necessary 20 Senators.
Dear David Brooks, When did you write this column? It seems dated and Trump has blown past you. Do you not think Americans would be horrified hearing the president call for the killing of the Whistle-blower? Polls show support of the impeachment inquiry gaining but even if they did not, do elected officials not have a responsibility to try to preserve democracy? I think they do. Talk about emboldened. Trump, if left alone, will morph into a shiny new American version of Kim Jong-Un and Vladimir Putin and the land of the free will NEVER recover.
1
The tortured logic of this column is stunning. To say that impeachment is unwise because the Senate will never convict says more about the state of the Republican party than you apparently are willing to admit. News flash: principled, moderate Republicans are extinct in the United States.
You have advice for Nancy Pelosi? Here's a suggestion for you, Mr. Brooks: take yourself on a road trip deep into Trump country and talk about why our president is deeply corrupt, immoral, and not deserving of their support. Absorb the rage and the inevitable attacks on you by Fox News. Then come back and tell us whether the principles that our founding fathers set out for this country still matter, and how we should fight for them.
3
The last thing this country needs is to make impeachment political. It's right in the Constitution -- impeachment is for crimes like treason and bribery. Not for "crimes" that are gussied up from political missteps. We don't need a Bill Clinton redux.
Mr. Brooks. I am so disappointed in you. You talk a good game about the need for morality and knowing right from wrong but when push comes to shove...well, it appears you are quick to flick your better angels away.
trump is a dire threat to our national security. And, like a bad little boy, he'll get worse if the adults don't stop him -- he's just that kind of person. trump and his cult will get extremely nasty and attack good people. So what? He and his kind must be taken down if our Democracy is to be saved.
2
Dear, dear David: Sometimes one just has to do the right thing. I was against impeachment until now because I know the Senate will not convict. BUT, it is the right thing to do. Trump is a cancer on all that we should hold dear: ethics, morality, justice, fairness, truthfulness, fidelity. Impeach.
1
I find Mr. Brooks’ column disturbing. It has been clear for some time that Brooks is no fan of Donald Trump. He has dealt with Trumps perfidy by morphing from a political columnist into a philosopher of sorts. We’ve heard much from Mr. Brooks on morals and ethics lately. In today’s column he abandons morals and ethics in favor of practical, dare I say partisan politics. In a moment that demands moral clarity Mr. Brooks retreats. You can’t have it both ways Mr. B. What would Socrates do?
Mr. Brooks says "Democrats are running against a man whose approval rating never gets above 45 percent. They just have to be normal to win."
Huh? Was Mr. Brooks around in 2016?
Brooks you are wrong. Extortion and shakedown people understand. And like Watergate we have Trump speaking the kool aid.
When the whole thing comes
Out trump will go crazy and destroy himself. Watch. Narcissists self implode when they lose control.
Mr. Brooks - you obviously don't understand the rule of law - or our constitution. In order to save our democracy, Trump MUST be impeached and it must be a warning to others who attempt to undermine our country.
If somehow you identify with what Brooks says you are part of the problem. At a point as even one citizen, you have to stand up and do what's right.
I cannot believe people who read the Times buy into David Brooks as someone with much insight. I read him as someone with a degree who got into all of this in the 1980s and does a whole lot of explaining of a society he really does not know all that much about.
Assumption of the risk, as they say in law. David Brooks is not much of an authority on anything at this point. This column displays it. Utterly detached from anything other than his own opinion, 1980s all the way. Just like Trump himself.
The none-too-veiled implication of David Brooks' column today is that there are no Republican Senators enough basic decency to put country before party and career. Wow.
Maybe this helps the Democrats, as incompetence is put against Warren's "I have a plan" for so many things voters care about.
Just a thought. If you think he is corrupt and crooked now just wait until you take the checks and balances off-his “shackles”. Sometimes you have to do the right thing regardless of the consequences. Hiding in the corner hoping everything will be ok if we don’t talk too loud is classic abusive behavior. The dems should not fall victim to this. Fight back. Even if the country circles their wagons. That says more about them then us.
Pelosi has handed Impeachment off to Adam Schiff who in opening of the Trump/Ukraine inquiry parodied the call central to whistleblowers complaint like an SNL skit.
Maguire to Schiff: 'The horse has left the barn'.
On The Wire, Omar Little, stick-up man with a Code, famously said, "You come at the King, you best not miss." Trump is every bit the notorious gangster Omar was without the Code or the wit.
Trump has backed anyone with an ethical bone in his or her body into a corner. Of course what he is done is illegal and wrong ... but he also knows that with the Senate in his pocket, the Dems are going to miss on their shot at the king. I hope that Mr. Brooks is wrong, but I'm worried that he is not.
2
Trump has turned the office of the president into a television clown show that is degrading our democratic institutions. Our allies are snubbed while our adversaries are embraced. He praises Putin, MBS, and Kim JONG-un as the world watches in disbelief.
Avoiding impeachment proceedings and playing cat and mouse strategies to elect Democrats in 2020 will let Trump’s reckless actions continue unabated. History will disgrace the GOP Senators that sit on their hands. Congress must present the ugly truth and pursue impeachment now.
Eric Norbom
1
It is the Oath of Office sworn to by every Congressperson that demands an Impeachment Inquiry. Imagine the future of the Presidency if this lawless behavior was "not impeachable". America would have lost its soul.
So for the next year, Trump has a free pass to do whatever the heck he wants?
1
David, sometimes you just have to stand your ground for what you believe is right.
It's not a given that this will play out well for the Democrats, but we have a wannabe dictator in the White House and we need to fight while we still can.
3
I disagree. If Trump's behavior isn't impeachable, then what is? He makes Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon and Andrew Johnson look like saints. You sound like the spouse of an alcoholic who doesn't want to tip the boat for fear of disturbing the daily routine. It's past time for the intervention.
1
So David,
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”― Edmund Burke (in a letter addressed to Thomas Mercer).
1
This is the kind of thinking that put us in this disgusting place. Sorry to see that David has lost the ability to judge right from wrong. Appeasement is a short sighted approach, and there is NO guarantee of winning the next election, especially if tampering goes unchallenged. Which CH do you want to be remembered as David: Chamberlin or Churchill?
1
There is no choice but to impeach. The Republicans are as corrupt as their "leader" and will do the bow and scrape dance and vote not to impeach. Nevertheless, persist. We have to fight back against the cancer that is consuming the presidency, congress, and the supreme court. There were more phone call transcripts than the Ukrainian one slipped off to the ultra-classified server. We'll get those, too.
Was it Trump that talked about the second amendment people during his campaign?
If Dems need political advise by Republican apologist Brooks, they’ll ask. Don’t hold your breath.
Right. Let's not impeach. Let's not hold Trump responsible for this latest transgression. Also, let's change the title of President to Dear Leader.
When has David Brooks ever gotten anything right!
Let the hypocrisy of these conservative family values and the rule of law hypocrites shine brightly on Fox.
Exposing their gutless and heartless behavior!
Only a republican argues to do nothing in the face of a republican breaking the law.
Often David your columns extol moral, ethics and virtue...here a political calculation. Political expediency examples are replete with unintended consequences:
EG. Pres. Obama using Holders deferred prosecution memo and not indicting fraud WS banks resulted in the Tea Party and the 2010 shellacking and neuter of his remaining 6 years. Likewise after McConnell balked on releasing DURING 2016 full disclosure of Russian/Trump interference (given polling) leads us right to today.
See 300 bi partisan former National Security officials argument or Michael Gerson WAPO article which serve as rebuttal to your opinion.
And if credible Sen Flake says 34 R Senators would support Impeachment your argument falls flat as to division and Trump victory in 2020.
As the adage goes re: individuals, if one does not stand for anything in life, the stand for Nothing.
It’s High Time to prosecute this Betrayer of the Constitution in the quintessential High Crimes the founders were concerned with. (Among dozens of other examples or Abuse of Power).
And it is High Time for the gratuitous party of moral values to ...Put up or Shut Up!
As Franklin “a Republic if we can keep it.”
David, given that so many of your op-eds have to do with ethics, morals, standards, true patriotism, respect, etc, I'm surprised you took this POV. How about pressuring Republicans to enforce the law instead of encouraging them to remain hitched to this corrupt wagon?
3
David, you are wrong. Win or lose Trump needs to be impeached.
What does honor and duty require? This is a disappointing piece.
1
so David, should we just let him shakedown foreign leaders to help him win re-election then? Because that is why the House is impeaching - because he is cheating like he did last time
A problem I see with many intellectuals is they are idealist, probably because they had privileged upbringing compared to the majority of Americans. David Brooks is out of touch with so-called “common folks. ”.
Many folks see though this hypocrisy. Bidens family makes $ millions from Ukraine and China dealings and not a eyebrow raised.Democrats have for 3 yrs now done everything possible to damage Trump.. beginning with Steel dossier, using foreign sources to find political dirt.
This doesn't fly in flyover country.
David Brooks offers old news and crocodile ethics, as always. The poll numbers have already changed on impeachment. More importantly, Trump engage in this behavior the day after Mueller testified--his lawlessness is escalating. The only way to attack lawlessness is with the law--in this case, given the craven partisanship of GOP leadership, that can only mean impeachment.
1
I believe when the Republicans in the senate see the chance of getting rid of the threat of being primaried, and the chance of running one of their own on the Republican ticket, they will vote him out of office.
1
As someone who felt very strongly that those Democrats clamoring for impeachment in spite of the Mueller report's vindication with respect to Russia collusion were wrong to push for overturning the results of the 2016 election, the latest news feels like a watershed moment. My hope and prediction is that enough moderate Republicans who voted for Trump will be swayed that this latest incident meets the standards for impeachment - namely the abuse of Presidential power to obtain dirt on a political rival unrelated to the national security interest of the country. Even though there is virtually no chance of conviction in the Senate, Trump will be viewed as a much weaker candidate by those who voted for him but are not among his base, hence his reelections prospects will be greatly diminished. Let the proceedings begin!
1
If by some completely insane process the impeachment in the House should actually Increase the number of voters for Trump, then it seems a good bet that those swayed ("independent") voters would never have been inclined to vote for Elizabeth Warren in a million years.
But it's not Trump's base we need to worry about getting (further) riled up, the point is riling up the Democrats who have a potentially much larger base to expand. Young voters alone could comprise 10% of the entire 2020 electorate, and they're not voting for Trump.
The only sure way to avoid this criminal's re-election is by a significantly larger voter turnout. I believe we're going to see that next year, and certainly do not believe that the impeachment proceedings will make any fewer voters show up.
Stay strong, and keep your fingers crossed. Change is coming.
David can't see the forest for the trees. What are we supposed to do? Let Trump subvert the 2020 election? How in the world is that letting the people decide? Good grief.
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I take exception to your statement: "impeachment is a political process, not a legal one. There is no obligation to prosecute." yet you say: "Donald Trump committed an impeachable offense on that call with the Ukrainian president." No matter how much you try to spin Impeachment is a political process all need to be clear it is codified in the Constitution, the highest law of United States of America. Mr. Brooks needs to understand no one is above the law and if Mr. Trump has committed an impeachable offense, the President has broken the law: The Constitution.
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Perhaps David Brooks doesn’t remember the Nixon impeachment. There was very little public support for impeachment in the beginning. The lengthy hearings brought about a shift in the electorate, but more importantly, it shifted Republican Senators. Admittedly, the electorate bears little resemblance to that of 1973. It’s reality is shaped more by voices on Fox Gnus and the misinformation spewed by the internet. Republican Senators may be even more partisan than in 1973. However, I have to hope that Speaker Pelosi knows what she is doing, and that the inquiry will bring about a sift in the electorate and the Senate as in 1973.
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No David. It’s the right thing to do. It’s long past time for dithering about did he I’d didn’t he do wrong. Yes. There will be chaos. As there has been since day one of this admin. Would you have us hiding in a corner for fear of the consequences?
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