Might be the most infuriating episode of The Daily I've heard yet. All of this comes down to one simple conclusion: Democrats are afraid of the power of the Republicans' ability to use propaganda to get away with crimes, and they are completely feckless in their ability to hit back using FACTS. It's insanity and completely pathetic that Democrats attempting to wield facts is completely defenseless against obvious lies. Just wow.
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The idea that Republicans will examine the evidence and will impeach is loony.
The Republicans are not only implicated by silence.....but, more likely they were in on the Russian interference from the beginning.
0% as long as the senate is Republican majority!
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This run around the 'I-word' that some democrats do is completely insane. She says simply disliking Trump isn't reason enough to start impeachment, however says she needs to learn more about the possibility of obstruction. That is YOUR duty - to check the executive branch. Impeachment proceedings would get you the information you need about obstruction. Democrats should be completely comfortable with going into proceedings and learning nothing more. If that is what comes out of proceedings then SO BE IT. That is your constitutional duty. I think the smoke here is so thick it would be insane not to begin proceedings. This is the problem with democrats, they cannot seem to get behind anything even when it's so obvious that it's the right thing to do. This is really sad that our representatives think the right solution to a potentially criminal president is to let them get away with it and let elections take care of it. Truly weak.
I wonder if part of the democrats reluctance to impeach trump comes from the idea that Pence would pardon trump immediately. Pelosi recently said that she wanted him to go to prison and it may be that trump losing the election and having power go to a democrat president would prevent the pardon and force Trump to face justice as a civilian, not as a sitting president.
Ouch! I usually love your show. Not today. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren gave a reasonable, balanced and thoughtful take on a possible impeachment. I am by no means a fan of Trump and I do believe there is probably reasonable cause to start an investigation. However, suggesting she is "knowingly delaying this process but with a kind of political cover" is indeed too cynical.
If the electorate were behind it, Trump would be impeached in a New York minute. A balance of power between the senate/house, the president, the judiciary interpretation of the constitution, and the powerful electorate. Nothing to do with crime. All to manage human nature as the founders intended.
Thank you for this. Rep. Lofgren's responses to Mr. Baker's questions were deeply disheartening. Once again, Democrats are playing not to lose, letting polling determine their decisions instead of leading with a clarity of vision and moral purpose. How disingenuous for Lofgren to say she needs to see more evidence before she can support impeachment, when it's so clear she and House leaders are just trying to run out the clock. Do your constitutionally-mandated job!
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Yes, there's an election coming. But, as the congresswoman points out, look at what the Mueller Report says happened in the last election. How can we have any faith in an election? Let the people decide? We decided! Look where that got us.
The House can collect all the facts. It can follow its process. But no one should count on an election to hold this president accountable.
Wasn't the Mueller report supposed to be 'the evidence' congresswoman Lofgren insists on having before impeachment proceedings? This conversation reminded me of literary critic Frank Lentricchia's characterization of liberals as "nervous conservatives." Congressional democrats seem to have no will to actually hold the president accountable to the constitution. They're just betting on 2020.
Please explain why you failed to ask the most obvious question related to gathering facts in an orderly process. Both Trump and Barr have stonewalled every attempt to gather information related to impeachment, claiming that Congress has no right to know. In some cases, Trump has even said that the requested information can only be obtained as part of a formal impeachment process. How can Congress pretend that it is proceeding with an orderly process when the Executive is stonewalling every attempt to gather facts?