What is the job description of your elected representative? All three of mine are republicans so they all answer to being the Spot Shot and paper towels. You weren’t elected to put being re-elected first. You really weren’t! You were elected, Trump district or not, to do your job as an elected representative of the people...period! If that means you lay down your political life in service to the country, then that means you lay down your political life in service to this country. If you do that and are voted out because you tried to do the right thing, then, you leave with your honor in tact. The voters don’t deserve your service!
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How will Democrats sell impeachment and their policies?
Like they always do. By lying through their teeth!
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Most Americans believe that they can do whatever they wish because the constitution gives them permission....no matter if what they do is moral or immoral, decent or indecent, or right or wrong. With this kind of total freedom the future will have no need of prisons, law enforcement agencies, nor law books. Why? Because if the law allows you to do what you want, then there is no wrong you can do.
Blessed are those who do not see yet believe. To those who believe in His name: who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
In trying times like these just” do the right thing” is a safe and effective plan. Don’t hedge, don’t worry, don’t plot... do the right thing.
If it doesn’t work, at least you tried. Better that than outsmarting oneself, and losing anyway.
2
Are these Congresspeople telling their constituents they have passed over 100 plus bills and the Senate Republicans led by Moscow Mitch McConnell is sitting on them? Ask them to call their relatives in Kentucky, if any, to vote him out. In fact call relatives and friends in GOP districts to apply pressure on the senate Republicans.
They need not fear. Doing the right thing is never wrong. ReElection isn’t everything.
This same tenor of story appeared endlessly before the midterms, and it turned out to be irrelevant. The issues and concerns of the people I canvassed were the same as they will be in 2020: health care, protecting Social Security and Medicare, addressing climate change and the shrinking middle class. tRump rarely came up. Voters care about their problems, not his.
Today the Guardian led with a piece on Trump calling for Schiff's arrest for treason. Spoken like an emperor (and a naked one at that) came immediately to mind. My next thought was, this is what we get if we keep tolerating Trump. This type of coverage shows why Trump must be impeached. Why not impeach in the house, THEN vote him out of office. It doesn't have to be either/or.
But the NYT writes how skeptical the public is of impeachment and WAPO writes impeachment throws the 2020 candidates off track. This type of coverage makes Americans favor the known risk of a tyrant against the risk of impeachment. Because Americans can't fathom what it's like to be ruled by an autocrat a la Putin, they can be swayed by media emphasizing opinions in swing districts.
The mainstream US press needs to be without bias, conscious or not.
The very worst thing the Democrats can do is listen to all of the articles and pundits that promote a wavering, unsure attitude. "He who hesitates is lost." When Mike Tyson had an opponent on the ropes, he didn't back off and ponder. He showed supreme confidence and finished it.
Trump clearly committed several crimes, of absolutely impeachable level, and Democrats must boldly and immediately reject the avalanche of gaslighting that will continue to come throughout. Do you know the English translation of the Latin phrase "quid pro quo"? It's "I need you to do me a favor." That's what it means. Absurd Republican denials should be ridiculed out of hand.
This will die in the Senate - and the counter attacks are starting up.
Convincing a 7 year old that you are right doesn't take a lot of effort. Please try convincing adults.
And the counter attacks - to be blunt - I thought the Obama Administration was pretty decent, but the Biden Jr/Kerry Jr $1B loan from China was eye opening. The Chinese openly stated they wanted Juniors "Network". Then the Ukrainian Gas Deal, the Pharma Cancer Deal, and what else that is being filtered/blue pilled?
Put a Trump Kid on any of these "deals" and the NYT would be having an epic fit of moral outrage.
As to Red Pill - Trump is US politics with no filter. He is the Dorian Gray of both political parties. Everything he did Obama did (with Russia and Iran), Bush Jr did (why Iraq?), Clinton did (Rich pardon-the most blatant quid pro quo) and on and on...
And Bernie gets no press from the democratic media, and Tulsi is ostracized.
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Nobody is trying to 'sell' anything. I wish 'inform' the public what is impeachment and why it is a necessary process for saving our Democracy was the title. With 'selling' it sounds like we are 'merchants of snake oil'. What would be consequences of a precedent (of leaving a president as corrupt as Trump scot free) is what should be emphasized. The presidency has become a seat of gangsters and den of thieves, what is next?
I know Republicans who voted for DJT who are, at heart, embarrassed by the man but struggling with how to reconcile that embarrassment with their loyalty to the Republican Party. One point Democrats should be making is that DJT is not, in fact, a Republican. First of all, he has switched parties 5 times since 1987 (https://t.ly/6qbEx), but more significant is the party he is actually a member of is the What's In It for DJT party. We might call it the Kleptocratic Party, The Nationalist Carnage Party, Trumpism, or whatever, but it's not the Republican Party. DJT doesn't stand for free markets, states' rights, fiscal responsibility, self-reliance, or U.S. global leadership. When DJT supports an authentic Republican position it's only because he wants to sell something, and he's saying what he thinks his audience wants to hear. He only stands for what benefits him personally. He accumulated a lot of experience in this area by conning investors, business partners, contractors, customers, and government agencies in his real estate career, and he's using those same skills (lying, cheating, fraud, deception, misdirection) to persuade Republicans he's one of them. He's not.
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To preserve a bulwork against DJT worst ideas becoming law it is important to consolidate the 2018 Democratic gains in the House in the 2020 election. More is needed to return Congress to its role as a governing body. Democrats need to field candidates to control the Senate and unseat M McConnell, L Graham, J Cornyn and the rest of the Republican Class 2 lot.
This all make no sense. Everything, most issues are not political, or shouldn’t be.
Times are rapidly changing - socially, environmentally, in business, and globally. Uber and AirBnB are redefining traditional businesses. Wal-Mart and now Amazon are transforming retail.
Same with our two party democracy, it is out dated and only fosters being nonproductive. We can be conservative on foreign affairs and liberal with social issues; and our views can change and that OK.
At the end of the day we all (Democrats, Republicans, Americans, neighbors, friends, and guests) want the same thing ... better education, much less gun violence, safer borders, environmentally focused, opportunities, and a fair business environment.
The only argument between R’s and D’s should the priority order of the above items and how fast can we get them done.
1
Re-election should not be a consideration if impeachment is the right thing to do. If a Democratic congressperson believes that Trump should be impeached then he or she should put their position on the line to support doing the right thing. If you decide that holding on to your district is more important than impeachment then you are putting politics ahead of what you believe to be right.
I fully support impeachment. That said, I think that the voters need to be informed as to why this step must be taken - what is at risk, why it is important, and why this is NOT just a partisan attack.
There are certainly going to be lots of people screaming about partisan aspects - certainly Trump and his die-hard supporters will do so. But the Democrats need to explain, carefully, and with as much non-partisan rhetoric as possible, why this needs to happen - and why Republican legislators should join them.
The political system has already been damaged, and will be damaged further by impeachment. But the risk for all of us is that failing to do anything allows the destruction of a system that Americans have held as our birthright for over 200 years.
It’s not complicated - it’s a search for the truth so people have the facts. Not even Trump should be against it - unless of course he’s guilty of something.
1
We just need to have hearing so we can find out the facts. When Trump and his defenders rage against an investigation to find out the facts, they are implicitly admitting that he is guilty. The longer they drag it out by refusing to release the full and un-redacted transcripts, not letting witnesses testify, etc. the more they leave the impression that they have something to hide. The longer they drag it out the more focus on Trumps wrongdoings, the sooner this is over the sooner we will actually know about his wrongdoings. Nancy got herself a win-win, and Trumps desperate lashing out suggest that he know it.
1
For strategic reasons – “better to leave it to the voters to decide” - I was not in the impeachment camp before the president’s current abuse of power came to light. If the democrats in the House are to retain a shred of legitimate power to confront the president over his malfeasance, there is no longer a strategic option. The house must do the morally right thing even if the senate won’t convict. They must use their power to preserve the nation’s status as a constitutional republic worthy of respect.
It is a moral imperative like the decision to impeach Richard Nixon. What would have become of us if congress had not brought charges and impeached Nixon. What respect among the world’s peoples would we have today? The nation would have been perceived as no different than any other kleptocracy from around the world. Then like now the polity and the nation’s voters are divided about impeachment, but congress took the risk then despite the naysayers because it was the necessary thing to do.
Then like now the polity and the nation’s voters are divided, but congress took the risk of impeaching the president despite the naysayers because it was the morally right thing to do. Democrats must undertake this imperative and pray that we can succeed
I am a middle-ground, middle-class, moderate voter. Despite Trump's prior misconduct, the filth he's brought into the White House, his greed and selfishness, and his horrid policies that go against pretty much everything I believe in, I did not support an impeachment inquiry - even after the Mueller report. I thought Congress should investigate the accusations in the report, and I cringed whenever I heard the "i" word mentioned by so-called progressives who have no sense of realism.
I'm tired of Trump. I want him to go far, far away, and I want to see moderate Democrats in the House, Senate, and especially the White House. But impeachment?
Then I read the news reporting, and the whistleblower complaint, and listened to the President's own words - in the call, and since. As painful and improbable it is, there's no alternative. He has gone too far, because he put our country seriously at risk for his own personal gain, his own selfishness. Blatantly, flagrantly, without thought or concern for our national security.
The dems need to investigate quickly and sharply, like surgeons in a delicate operation. Keep it focused, and please, please follow the money. Trump's selfishness is only eclipsed by his greed - just as he cannot differentiate between his office and his interests, he cannot separate greed from ego. It is, and always will be, all about the money.
To my liberal friends ,the majority who don't just suffer from Trump derangement syndrome ,and simply disagree with the president's policies.
Think long and hard about the terrible precedent of removing a president over minor political differences. Remember what goes around comes around. Please think this through ,we already have a mechanism for removing an executive it's called an election.
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For Democrats to "handle" this issue like a "tricky balancing act" is something I would have expected from Nixon.
The truth should be strong enough to stand on its own merits.
But I think a lot of folks care more about what does and will effect them personally. I had breakfast with some friends on Sunday and there was a unison tone that impeachment is that is taking away and distracting Democrats from the issues that impact the voters directly - more affordable health insurance and medications, lower costs of food, fuel, the environment and the cost of living in general.
They feel as if the Democrats primary concern and focus is on impeachment and said pretty matter-of-fact: wouldn't voting Trump out be easier and final than all of this impeachment stuff?
They remember the Clinton impeachment and when ever thing was done, he still remained president. So the question remained - what if that happened in this case? Impeach Trump but he remains president?
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While you were having lunch did you happen to mention that the republicans in control of the senate are hindering any possible movement in the right direction on what they are concerned about
Perhaps this is a time to "stop already" with the "calculus" of "will this hurt my chances of getting re-elected". Maybe it is time to throw caution to the wind and simply rely on what most feel is the truth. We have many problems that need to be addressed. This president, regardless of his party, is hurting America more than he is helping. What is best for the country and for the world we live in? And the planet we live on? We need better leadership. To quote Republicans, we need to Repeal and Replace - but it is our president. So, congress people, go back home. Be honest, straightforward, and therefore authentic. This is what America wants. Your re-election will depend much more on your honest and authenticity than trying to tread a line that will not upset - or appeal - to the voters in your districts. It is time for honesty, for integrity, and let the chips fall.
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As somebody who supported both Clintons, I was vehemently against impeachment for Bill Clinton and I feel the same for Trump. It looks like nothing more than a political attack from people bent on trying to change the results of the 2016 election. I know a lot of people are talking about doing the 'right thing' but I still don't agree that what's in Trump's 'transcript' rises to the level of something that qualifies for impeachment.
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@Vaz Dubey
How many laws should a president be allowed to break? That is the point we are at. He broke many laws while campaigning. He continues to line his pockets and break laws while in office. When do we say enough is enough?
@Vaz Dubey Encouraging a foreign power to meddle in the US election to support Trump. If it was wrong for Russia, it is wrong for Ukraine.
Clinton was accused of lying he was not a traitor to this country. We have a full fledged Man using our US tax dollars to bribe a foreign country to Scandalize his political opponent. Benedict trump went too far
If Dems want to preserve the current number of seats and protect upcoming elections they should just come clean and tell the American people that the whole manufactured crisis against Trump was created because he's doing a really swell job and people know it. The Dems need to apologize for the fake Russian Collusion narrative and apologize to Bret Kavanagh. The Dems should also apologize to women for using them in these schemes for political take down. After all that is done they should run the socialist squad out of town and then Pelosi, Schumer and Shiff should voluntarily step down from office. If all these things can be accomplished they still wont beat Trump but they will be better respected in subsequent elections.
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As Bill Maher stated on his show Friday night, "And if Don Jr. did it, it would be all Rachel Maddow was talking about.”. Is there no one in the Mainstream Media willing to take a look at why Biden's kid with no experience or training in the energy sector would be on the board of a natural gas company and paid $600,000? Was it possibly because he happened to be the son of the then Vice President of the United States? The hate bias, is now a flat out Demo/Mainstream Media war to remove Trump from office. No longer is there a reporter determination to "follow the money".. Instead a premeditated attempt to pour media lighter fluid on any allegation detrimental to Trump. Full disclosure I am not a Trump supporter and will not be voting for him in 2020..
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Democratic officeholders consistently underestimate their own voters, and think they're as cowardly as them.
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It’s prolly got something to do with their failure to show up and vote (especially if they’re under 30) and posturing a lot, I figure.
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If the impeachment is legitimate, then you need not worry about how to "sell it".
The Clinton- Lewinsky "lied under oath" seemed a bit of a stretch...just like claims of "Nanny gate" demonstrates a tax cheat.
While the Trump Ukraine call is not the most egregious act, his administration shows an overall lawlessness and grifting. He routinely challenges Congress' oversight authority. He diverts funds (from the Defense budget) towards his pet project (building the wall). Instead of finding common ground for all Americans, he holds rallies to energize his base in a partisan fashion. The immigration holding facilities are an absolute disgrace. Finally, the repeated disregard for the emoluments act reinforces his overall money-grab administration that continues to manifest itself in basically all of his policies meant to favor industries while dismantling stewardship of education, the environment, etc.
What does make the Ukraine call worse than the so-called Russian "collusion" is that there should be a distinction for acts that are direct versus indirect (your associates) and acts as a President (using Federal assets and taxpayer dollars) versus a candidate (using his own resources).
This investigation is worth conducting to discourage wrong doing and to bring to light the many troubling aspect of Trump.
5
Here is a life lesson: You don't have to sell anything. You just need to do the right thing. In this case, what is right by the constitution and the country. Period.
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This really boils down to HOW Democrats explain the impeachment inquiry. This inquiry is complex and I expect many Americans don't have a clue what it's about. Democrats need to be careful to speak at an 8th grade level. Bring it down a couple of notches. And be concise. Focus on the "values" all Americans care about... honesty and fairness. Use those words. Remind Americans that Trumps lies and deception are unacceptable in our President.
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Why is the media creating this huge drama about a "delicate balancing act"? This is all so simple. Just tell the truth to the public. The facts are simple enough for anyone to understand and to use their common sense. Trump has been unfit to be president ever since he entered the race. The erratic behavior of this loose cannon continues to worsen every day. Everyone can see what is in plain sight. A desperate tyrant grasping at straws. He has got to be removed.
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Important clarification - Mr. Kim was a staff member of the National Security Council, not a member of the council. The members are generally cabinet officials. The staff are hundreds of detailees and direct hires.
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Keep in mind that ~2/74 when the impeachment of then President Nixon started only ~34% were in favor of it -- then five months in July 1974 a strong majority of ~60% of Americans were in favor of it...
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Phyliss’s First Rule Of Politics: When your Enemy is destroying Himself, DO NOTHING.
Seriously.
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Life is easier when you just do the right thing and trust that America gets the politicians it deserves.
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Perhaps the Republican members of both the House and the Senate should use this time to figure out what they are going to say to their constituents in the near future.
With more than half of the American public supporting the impeachment investigation, it’s only a matter of time until some of their base recognizes the writing on the wall (or on the Twitter feed) and turns against Trump. How will these senators and representatives explain the blind loyalty that led us to this?
Are you listening McConnell and Graham? Tick Tock.
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@Dunn Arceneaux There are plenty of Democrats still on the fence as well. We still don’t know if enough Democrats support impeachment to get it passed.
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I think that the Democrats are correct to tread carefully and to rationally educate the electorate as to why this is necessary.
This restraint must be difficult in the face of constant absurd rants and personal attacks from the other side, and especially from the President himself.
I hope that even Trump’s supporters will finally understand a fairly obvious fact: people who are thinking clearly simply do not talk like this.
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It would be better to let the election go on, and work on impeachment after, or just go after Trump in general through legal channels.
As many people as there are who are interested in impeachment, i can guarantee that many are less interested and more distracted then there were at the time of Nixon.
Getting people out to vote is an huge task to begin with,
I think that unfortunately, impeachment will solidify the trump base more than it will the Democrats.
And many people may not like the extreme actions of Trump, but they want work on immigration, and other issues that have been brought to the forefront, and are no interested in identity politics and taxes as they know it starts with the millionaires, but then they come for those making above $100K and less than $1M.
Groups have already responded in regards to Warren, with no backing, and if this impeachment process also somehow sullies Biden, the Democrats will have nowhere to go.
Saving the State of the Union means winning the election, and this talk of impeachment at this point is the best way for the Democrats to lose.
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The time has long come for politicians on both sides of the aisle to commit to the country and its people. It is time they put aside their own selfish interests / self preservation and represent the Nation as they were elected to do. I keep reading about risks to the Democrats regarding impeachment proceedings….well, what are the risks to the country in doing nothing based on what is already known?
The country is in turmoil and deep Political trouble with a corrupt President who is given a pass every time he does anything immoral, unethical and inappropriate coupled with a complicit White House and GOP; the benefits to the country and our Democracy far outweigh the risks associated with an impeachment for either the Democrats or GOP.
4
I don't believe that this is a hard sell. The President is trying to take taxpayer money, delegated for the Military, to build a wall that will keep foreigners from entering this country illegally but the President, at the same time, is asking those same foreigners to illegally help him get re-elected so he can keep foreigners out of the country.
In the first instance he is diverting taxpayer money delegated for tending our military in order to build a wall to keep foreigners out of the country. In the second case he is using our money to support foreigners to illegally subvert our election process and reduce the value of each taxpayer's vote.
Seems pretty simple. Not hard to understand at all.
5
I am not hearing any talks about impeachment here in the biggest swing district in the country-Florida, except one or two Democrats in the bluest county-which is Broward.
Democrats here does not seem to have the drive of Dems in New York and California. Trump should not have won Florida and if Democrats here continue to relax in the sun it may be another repeat of 2016 for Trump unless he is impeached.
3
This Canadian is confused about even the details of the accusations re Hinter Biden.
He has a law degree from Yale. He was an e-commerce specialist working for the US dept of commerce. He was appointed by President Bush to the board of Amtrak as a director - a republican appointee. He was 44 years old when appointed to the board of the Ukraine gas company with an international resume.
His remuneration was less than 600k/annum which is low compared to CEO salaries.
How then is he portrayed as a novice no nothing? His earnings from China have been thoroughly debunked. He wasn’t even a direct partner in the holding company but rather part of a company that advised it.
Ivanka Trump was granted Chinese trademarks days before and after President Trump vowed to save jobs at ZTE, a major Chinese telecom, in 2018. She also was granted Chinese trademarks in 2017, on the same day she sat next to Chinese President Xi Jinping at an official dinner. How is that materially different than Hunter Biden benefiting from the Biden name and position?
I don’t understand how many Americans do not analyze what they are told. The facts are so contrary to the narrative. Regardless of party allegiance, the basis for that narrative is so flimsy and about as logical as back classifying 5 year old emails of 130 people who could not have possibly known about the Clinton private server.
It’s astonishing. We the North are mystified. But then the SNC Lavalin narrative is ...... oh wait!
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I assume that the swing district voters voted for the democrat because they wanted to have a check on our President.
2
"We're not ready to call for impeachment", "they're not there yet" is weak. Treading carefully is weak. Democrats will be portrayed as socialists and traitors regardless. Let us be who we are and let them be who they are. Impeachment or no impeachment, healthcare, infrastructure, jobs are going nowhere with Trump. If voters are feeble minded enough to believe the hype that impeachment is why those things are not happening then so be it. If there are enough voters feeble minded enough to believe a Putin style democracy / Trump dynasty is what our future should be then so be it.
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One thing that is tremendously important, and not mentioned here, is that Democrats need to inform voters that all of their kitchen table issues are being bottlenecked in the Senate.
Not enough is made of this, ever. The president, in his demogogic way, has consistently said "Democrats do nothing." Not so! They have passed tons of legislation that languishes under McConnell.
Thus, while talking to constituents, Democrats must talk about their solemn oath to check a president who is abusing power through the impeachment inquiry, while stressing how much they have accomplished that's hung up in the Senate.
Only by stressing both parts of the electoral debate can Democrats prove themselves the more responsible party.
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@AACNY Trump is riding on the coattails of the work that Obama did. A bigger man would give credit where credit is due. On average, less job growth has occurred under Trump than Obama. Wages have stagnated and people are strugglling.
He has done NOTHING about immigrant but made it worse. Under Obama, migrant crossings had declined and Obama even deported millions. But Obama hired judges and caseworkers and they plowed through the cases. Meanwhile, 24 migrants have died under Trump's horrendous policies.
Basically, the prison reform act he signed into law is his only true accomplishment. Our country is more divided than ever under his constant demonizing and out right lying about Democrats. It's time for him to go.
2
@AACNY Prison reform? I have not read any news about closing privately run prison that are in business only to make money.
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@AACN: He has delivered on low-paying jobs and high paying jobs for his wealthy friends. He has not "delivered" on immigration, unless by that you mean harrassing immigrants, caging kids, destroying America's reputation as a welcoming haven for refugees, or pursuing a costly and ineffective wall. The things that are most important to Americans are not those issues: they are healthcare, gun safety, climate change, and new energy technologies. On those he's been an abject failure rejecting all forms of science to roll back important clean air and energy efficiency standards.
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The idea that Democrats should focus on this one act and rush through an impeachment based only on this Ukraine thing, is a recipe for disaster. If corporate media and Democratic leadership spinelessness can let Trump bury the Mueller Report in plain sight, they can do it again.
If Democrats just focus on this one phone call, Trump has an opportunity to nullify it with another barrage of lies. Then it gets lumped in with the "failed" Mueller Report. Why give them that opportunity?
This is not The One Case that is going to sink Trump. This is the last Straw. The camel can't hold no more.
The many acts of Obstruction (each a Federal Felony) detailed by the Mueller Report and the Ukrainian phone call are both related to foreign governments interfering in our elections with Trump inviting them. He does it on purpose.
What happens to our Constitutional Republic when the president is asking foreign governments to interfere in our elections? He asked Russia to hack Hillary's emails. How could any patriot vote for someone that asks Russian Intelligence to hack any U.S. citizen's email?
Even after Mueller said that Trump could be indicted for obstruction after leaving office and that "the Constitution has a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting president," Trump was on TV saying that he would use "dirt" from a foreign government before he called the FBI.
It is a PATTERN of stating INTENT to VIOLATE the CONSTITUTION, and then DOING IT.
15
The message is a simple one so long as they keep the inquiry within constitutional guidelines, they are only looking to see if there's been any over stepping of his authority.
Since Trump sees himself as a monarch he feels that he doesn't have to answer to anyone, he forgets that he works for "we the people".
3
"Let's get to the truth." There's your slogan. It's kinda like "lock her up" but not malevolent, heinous and fascist. It's something all Americans can get behind. And in the end if the Dems don't think there are solid impeachable offenses here, they can claim they got to the truth. They did what they were elected to do.
9
Republicans, please sit down and read the Constitution.
3
Let's get to the truth" Illinois Bustos admitting "not ready for impeachment". Ready? Trump's guilt is in print--it cannot be disputed. That is the truth. Confused--Watch last night's 60 Minutes--the thuth is laid out..........
Voters soon will realize the only thing standing between their 401k plans and the Venezuelization of America is Donald J. Trump
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@batazoid
The equity markets performed better during the Obama years.
But, there is something telling in the specious attempt to distract with a factually unsupported appeal to fear - even Trump's supporters can't deny his illegal acts or offer cogent defenses to the mounting allegations.
2
Why is the fact that Trump tweeted a quote threatening a CIVIL WAR if he is successfully impeached and removed from office not a banner headline?
I understand that many of us have reached the point where we no longer take Trump's tweets seriously and just ignore the most outrageous ones for our own mental health. But this is an open incitement of his followers to violence and a naked attempt to obstruct the work of Congress.
5
Well, no one "likes" impeachment.
Just like no kid "likes" to be punished.
That doesn't mean you don't hold presidents/kids accountable.
Dem's need to stop wringing their hands (or being suckered into) false "dilemmas" such as:
--will Rep.s not agree with Dems if investigation moves "too quickly"
--will Trump's base not see the light if " " ".
The Rep. and their base will always find fault with what the Dems do----so, they need to ignore them and continue on, knowing that they are doing the right thing.
6
The Dems may spin this-but impeachment can only be spun so far-and this is really a stretch-I was a former leader of Dem Party in Northeast State-and I am certain this will be a disaster-it will cause massive attack on Biden, with fragile defenses-the destruction of the moderate control of the party- the emergence of the new young Turks- and their education at the expense of the election-they want control of the party first. The result? When impeachment reaches the Senate-if it ever does- the Senate will acquit-Bidden will lose-the Democrats will lose many seats in Congress- and Trump will win by a landslide. It will be followed by 4 years of Trump (who in my opinion could have run as a Democrat and won)-and I predict he will move to win support of the new young voters and a "healing" new administration-we all need to do that!
6
@logodos When did the Bahamas get the vote?
"Orange County was the epicenter of the 2018 House Democratic takeover, where Republicans lost four seats in what was once the heart of Ronald Reagan conservatism in California." Please read "Suburban Warriors: The Origins of the New American Right" by Lisa McGirr published in 2001. My how the world spins. Or some Joan Didion. Both amazing observers of the California Dream and the reality.
1
Impeachment now, right now, excites people who ate the cookie in the famous test. November, 2020 offers the White House, Senate, State, County, Town, and City sweeps of revolutionary proportions. Eat the one cookie right now and you could still have status quo - all over - or worse! I believe Nixon was deposed because he ended the gold standard, started the EPA, and opened China. It was too much for the movers and shakers of those days. They moved the public. I suspect resisting war may be too much for today's powerful to take. Nuclear deterrent credibility tends to win their arguments. When a critical mass of women are in power, visibly and unseen as well - a new day will have arrived. Trump is a lame duck, dead weight, albatross to the Republican Party, the patriarchy, and the war wagers. May 80 million voters reject all that in one fell democratic rising. Cake and cookies for all!
Intent matters. Intent is the difference between manslaughter and first degree murder.
Here is a crime parable: A guy bumps into someone and they get run over by a bus. He gets manslaughter and a suspended sentence. The same guy accidentally feeds his friend bad fish, the guy dies, manslaughter. Next week, his car goes out of control and kills someone else. How many manslaughters do there have to be before the local prosecutor sees the overarching PATTERN that illuminates an underlying intent to premeditate crimes? Some people are good at making murder look like an accident.
How many plausible-deniability Misdemeanors do we have to allow Trump before they add up to a PATTERN of High Crimes by attacking EVERY principle of the Constitution, as often as possible. The Trump attack on the Constitution is more than the sum of its parts, BECAUSE he is attacking all of it at the same time.
Trump keeps calling his critics "treasonous" and demanding that they be punished by the state, without ever mentioning due process. He chastised his own Attorney General for two years because he was not protecting Trump. These are demands for personal loyalty from public servants who swore to uphold the Constitution
This undermines the most basic principle that the executive faithfully execute the law, through due process of law, not rule by whim and edict. Trump rules by whim. His pronouncements change day to day on Twitter!
Trump keeps calling for violence without due process!
LIKE A KING
3
In the words of Detective Joe Friday, "Just stick to the facts." Make the facts clear and understandable to the American people and keep the rhetoric to a minimum.
8
This is not hard. Just tell the truth. Explain the law, put out the full transcript and it will show in trumps own words that he broke the law. No amount of proof will change the MAGA hat people, but that hat does not fit most heads
4
Democratic congressional leaders should sponsor a bill making it legal to request and receive foreign aid during an election. Let’s see the GOP leaders vote. We need to clear this up for future generations.
6
If the law doesn’t prevent it then no law is required. HRC sought British help and Schiff has his own problems seeking nude photos from the Russians.
Since Trump already knew that the Ukrainian didn’t have the goods on Biden it appears to be a trap for the Democrats and his disloyal WH staffers.
Looks like Biden has been caught suppressing the media networks with a demand to prevent his conflict of interest being disseminated by Mr. Giuliani.
1
The Democrats should buy airtime in small battleground towns and keep airing Nancy Pelosi's message that this impeachment inquiry was necessary even if it comes at a cost of losing the house in 2020. Democrats are choosing the law of the land and the Country over politics and this is the message they need to give to the American people .
9
What the Democrats should be emphasizing is that the rule of law is the cornerstone of our democracy.
There are obvious policy difference between the Democrats and the Trump administration. But there should never be a difference on the importance of following the requirements of the constitution and our federal laws.
If the House were to ignore Trump's transgressions, not only would they continue, but they would change the basic character of our government.
Whether a president followed the law would be a matter of their popularity and personal whim, and a democracy cannot survive under those conditions.
Finally, the constitutional role of the House is to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to bring an impeachment charge. This is no different than a grand jury indictment and the congressional testimony is similar to a preliminary hearing.
If the evidence supports a vote of impeachment then the trial takes place in the Senate. So the idea that this is merely the political opposition trying to harass the president is patently false.
Failing to conduct an impeachment inquiry would simply add members of congress to the list of those who take an oath to uphold the constitution, but like the president ignore their duty and fail to take that sacred oath seriously.
If there isn't insufficient evidence there will be no impeachment. But if there is, then the process must go forward.
4
I would suggest to those reps to keep saying that impeachment is one subject among others and ask who is still more placed to deal with healthcare, gun violence, environment, etc...
1
Too late...impeachment hysteria and hypocrisy have taken the hook!
“Surveys showed more Americans embracing an impeachment investigation.”
Surveys at the beginning of the Nixon impeachment hearings showed only 19% of Americans approved of impeachment. Halfway in the hearings 38% of Americans approved, after learning more about Nixon’s dirty tricks.
Americans will also learn more about Trump’s dirty tricks in the hearings & that will increase their approval of impeachment.
10
Congressional Dems and Dems running for office, and are not directly involved in the impeachment inquiry, should just go about their business regarding all the other issues in play: healthcare, infrastructure, climate change, good jobs vs just any old jobs, environmental regulations, and good old immigration. If they're asked a direct question about impeachment, just point to Trump's own words and the whole Ukraine deal and say they have the right people looking into it. Every Dem does not have to be tied up with it.
However, any Dem taking the Lindsey Graham "nothingburger" approach to Trump's Ukraine dealings is suspect as an American, in my book. It's not a partisan matter anymore, based on what we know; even if you're inclined to believe the truth favors Trump, you can no longer say it's not worth thoroughly investigating.
You think amnesty for DACA recipients is a slippery slope? You think registering guns and mandatory turn in of AR-style weapons for buyback is a slippery slope? We THINK we know what might happen from those policies.
Allowing Presidents to extort allies in danger from US adversaries, in order to get dirt on political rivals? Allowing cabals within the executive government to hide embarrassing and even criminal activities (for instance, in isolated, code-word servers)? Ignoring questionable and even illegal or immoral actions because you like one or another policy? We KNOW what happens when a government goes down that road. Slipperiest slope of all.
6
@Barry Williams
Amen, Speak on it. there is nothing more to say. Corruption has been spotted and if this was President Obama these loud mouth corrupt GOP traitors would be all over the place. Look at them now still investigating Hillary, to try and distract us. Enough with this insanity.
Trump made the call, he was enabled by people who should of known better, and they all covered up this deed against American democracy.
5
@Barry Williams Thank you - exactly!! so disappointing that the dems are once again waffling. What's going on here? Why aren't "the people" up in arms over this traitorous dictator and why is congress allowing it. I'm angry and frustrated. Why won't we fight for our country?
1
Boy. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm beginning to feel some health returning to our dysfunctional nation. As dangerous as it might be to a future election, it's the right thing to do, an action on behalf of a great democracy that's been going off the rails. It's a great feeling.
12
The challenge for Dems is to convince us to essentially bypass the specific causes raised in the High Crimes and Misdemeanors definition such as abuse of power and look at the totality of the argument. Zeroing in one specific issue can backfire from the public that may see this as simply inappropriate but not sufficient to remove him. More is needed from other witnesses to show malicious intent that harms our democracy
@irv wengrow
The public doesnt not want to be the handmaiden of Putin or the Saudis. Trump and the GOP want to be servants we dont.
3
As to the issue of legally sufficient proof to make a credible case for impeachment, the Democrats should limit their case to the Ukraine affair. However, the case they must make to the American people is that the shakedown of the Ukraine President is not a solitary act, but is part of the President’s pattern of abuse of power. That Trump would engage in such conduct was obvious on January 20, 2017 and was the inevitable consequence of his avoiding accountability for his arrogant malfeasance.
The shakedown is grounded in conspiracy theories; bullying a weak and dependent party; using the office of the President for personal gain; sociopathic disregard the the impact his acts and threats have on his target; defying normal and reliable means of governance and denigrating career professionals; unwarranted secrecy; and last but not least, there’s Putin.
We have seen these traits on display for nearly 3 years. The Democrats must convince the public that Trump must be impeached because he is unfit for office not merely because of Ukraine but that Ukraine is a symptom of broader unfitness and the last straw, not the only one.
3
It's inevitable that the GOP wants to frame this anyway they can to deflect from their own culpability in all this.
It would be irresponsible for any American to dismiss the issues raised by this whistleblower, and any genuine attempt to protect our democracy is no political stunt
I believe Speaker Pelosi has the right message: our country is worth it
4
Many people in these districts may not have impeachment at the top of their list. But it's all bound together: Trump's failure to improve health care or present a credible alternative to the ACA, his failure to bolster infrastructure spending, his failure to create new manufacturing jobs, his lack of any deal with China on trade, his lack of any deal with North Korea and Iran on control of nuclear weapons. The fact is, the great deal maker can't close a deal, and he has substituted a kind of bullying for a coherent foreign or domestic policy. Trump is all bluster, no accomplishment.
4
Emphasizing the threats to national security, and the self dealing that violates the emoluments clause, would seem like a slam dunk in terms of messaging.
3
It should sell very well.
If it doesn’t, then Trump is the president they deserve.
5
Republicans and Democrats would do well to rely on elections and not impeachment to change regimes.
6
@W. Ogilvie
Would the GOP stop gerrymandering, stop passing oppressive laws against women, The democrats play fair because they understand the foundation of this country. The GOP only understand getting over and putting their interest first not the country.
Hopefully we will have enough people resign from office so that new representatives come into office who care about this country and want to be remembered for moving the country and the world forward.
Right now we have a party who only cares about their bank accounts and oppressing people in this country who dont fit the mode that they believe in.
2
@W. Ogilvie
So in other words, Nixon should never have been impeached? All Americans should have sat back quietly waiting for the next election after hearing Nixon’s voice on those recordings?
2
Here's a simple message for low-information voters:
Should anyone be above the law?
3
People are most worried about their health care, yes, but isn't that why the impeachment is validated indirectly? Has Trump done anything for anyone but himself and his rich cronies? Impeachment is an imperative for the very reason that nothing has gotten done for the American people.
25
@Christine A. Roux If an elected official could be impeached for breaking campaign promises no one would be left in office.
4
Yes the first thing is to defend the need for an investigation. We are simply saying that we need to figure out the facts - then we can decide if they support the idea of impeachment. Anyone against figuring out the facts, is going to be on the losing end of public opinion.
9
I have a solution! Quickly amend the constitution to limit the president to a single six year term. Put impeachment on hold for now. If Democrats can take the Senate in 2020 then move ahead with impeachment. If Republicans win the Senate, Trump has only two more years, not four to ruin the country.
Or, we can support measures to National Popular Vote bill to ensure the winner of the popular vote garners the electoral votes of the electors in states possessing 270 electoral college votes. That would essentially require candidates to conduct a national campaign rather than pandering to fears among swing state voters.
@Robert Cadigan interesting thought. But did you say "quickly" amend the constitution? That's an oxymoron.
6
@Robert Cadigan
Wouldn’t it take Trump’s senate or Trump’s Supreme Court to amend the US constitution? You think that would be a quick fix?
1
I attended a Q&A session last weekend with a freshman Member of Congress elected in a district that voted for Trump. Questions were about issues such as prescription drug costs, flooding and the impact of tariffs on soybean prices. The impeachment inquiry came up at the end of the discussion, approvingly, but only in passing.
4
@Rick G.
The house has passed many bills to address everyday concerns of Americans, yet they languish on Moscow Mitch’s desk.
Democrats can, and have been, do more than one things st a time.
4
@Rick G.
Most people can do multi tasking , the overriding issue now is that Trump doesnt appear to care about America, only himself, so why would he have Moscow Mitch move all those bills from his desk to the floor. The GOP dont care about us the people. Those kitchen table issues, like the NRA allowing people to be slaughtered, prescriptions drug prices going up, now we find out that Zantac is made in China and has the potential to cause liver cancer. we have tons of kitchen issues that can only be addressed when corruption is no longer in the white house or in any other political office. Politics is not where people should be allowed to enrich themselves at the sake of the American people, when we see one person sleeping on the streets we need to put a politicians name to it because we are all causalities' of the politicians lack of forward critical thinking and caring about the people they are suppose to represent.
1
It's disingenuous and twisted to say that Democrats need to "sell" an impeachment inquiry. Americans may need to be educated about the nefarious activities of the trump crime family, about rule of law, and about the Constitution, of which most Americans no longer know anything about. But it's just a matter of providing the unvarnished truth to Americans. Nothing needs "selling." The truth is free.
18
@WR 40% of voters support Trump...clearly truth doesn't matter to these folks, hence why they need to be 'sold' on the facts.
3
@Steve
They are not buying your facts and never will. It is a waste of time to try to convince Trump supporters of anything. They are true believers.
What we have to do is unify the other 2/3 of the country against their attacks on the Constitution.
We have to mobilize the rest of the country to protect Our Republic.
We need the left base to come out in big enough numbers to get 60 votes in the Senate and overwhelm the electoral college.
The Right is extreme. The Right opposes the Constitution. The Right backs Trump.
The Left is moderate. The Left has values allied with the Constitution, and organizes to protect those values.
Don't try to convince the Trump base. Beat them at the polls, and in the courts.
Name and explain Trump's High Crimes.
Mobilize the people to outnumber the forces of Hate, Greed, and Violence.
All the quiet that the Dems complain about is the sound of renegade Dems quietly planning to vote for Trump in 2020.
12
@John Murray
The Reagan Democrats have been voting for Republicans for fifty years. They are gone and never coming back. Good riddance.
You need the real left to have enough votes to win the senate and beat the electoral college. If you stop trying to get the Reagan democrats to vote for Democrats you can get the left to vote for Democrats.
This is a base election. Our base must be bigger than their base.
This article states that “surveys show more Americans embracing an impeachment investigation”. But back in 2016 surveys showed that Hillary Clinton would be the first female president. They were wrong then. They are wrong now.
9
@John Murray: In fact the surveys were right in the sense that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote. The reason why she is not president are the 65,000 more votes that Donald Trump won in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The pollsters should organized 51 polls in the 50 states and DC. If they would have done that in 2016, may be they would have had realized that Clinton was losing the Electoral College and therefore the Presidency.
5
@Wilbray Thiffault
Surely, by now, you realize that it is the states that elect the President of the United States, NOT the people resident in those states. Thus the state of Ohio has 18 electoral votes not 12,000,000 votes which is the approximate population of Ohio.
These were the rules in place at the time of the 2016 and were applied equally to both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
7
@John Murray At one point (very close to the election in 2016), the Times had Hillary with an 85% chance of victory and Trump with a 15% chance.
4
I live in the GA 6th District. 'Swing' District, long Republican held, now in the very capable hands of Rep. Lucy McBath.
The initial, one-week in, consensus here: Unless someone will come forward who was in the room when cadet bone-spurs was told he was breaking the law, and can corroborate he chose to anyway, this impeachment exercise will just serve to turn off folks who want to declare themselves as 'reasonable' enough to vote for Trump's 2020 opponent.
8
@the last mccreanor
On the gym treadmill this morning, I overheard a conversation between two men walking beside me. The older man "confessed" that he voted for Trump, but said even he supported the inquiry. We have to protect our democracy, they said.
Those Republicans who are willing to excuse any behavior in order to stay in power will do so. But at this juncture, doing so will alienate significant populations in their party. I have to believe this matters.
8
@the last mccreanor
Trump released his own transcript of the call. He was in the room. It is Trump's version of the events that proves he committed a High Crime by hijacking national security for private advantage. He admitted it already!
My choice is that the investigation be done, with the result being not impeachment, but information is provided to voters to consider in the 2020 election. The Democrats can then tell the voters it is their choice. Trump is highly unlikely to be removed from office by the senate, and that failure will be treated as a great victory and vindication by Trump. Even if he were removed from office, many voters would be unhappy about not having their own say a matter of months later.
3
I'm not sure the Reagan-voting comparisons are worthwhile. We voted for Reagan in Vermont, and we're supposedly the leftist "commie" home to Sanders (who was a mayor here in the 1980's). The congress held strongly red/republican that year, too. I think it's time we stop comparing the current political climate to Reagan's.
6
Like a traffic cop who stumbles onto a bank hold up, Congress has no choice but to do its job even if it means putting themselves at risk. The Democrats didn't tell Mr. Trump to threaten the Ukraine unless they dug up some dirt on his opponent. They are obligated by the Constitution to investigate and stop this type of behavior.
If they do their due diligence and an impeachment vote moves forward, will the Republicans put country before politics as many of the marginal Democrats have? Will the Republicans do their job or politicize the moment and shirk their Constitutional responsibilities.
12
Once again Democrats can not win on their agenda alone. They created the impeachment issue based on hearsay allegations, which would not be admissible in a court of law. Indeed, the CIA only recently changed the whistleblower standard from 1st person observation to second hand observation, right before this fraud report was released.
The American voters want Congress to work for them and not waste time on inside Beltway politics. The Democrats message is simple: Vote for Trump. He will put you first.
9
@Jon Galt There's a difference between impeachment and inquiry - and secondhand summary by a highly experienced, eloquent, and well-placed intelligence officer seems like a good place to start.
The WB wouldn't have put his career and likely his life on the line for just rumors - I'm certain that he knows who can testify to what.
That said, Miller had it right when he said that Trump was the WB, because everything Trump has said and done about this issue to me has confirmed that a sharply focused, rapid inquiry is absolutely necessary for the safety and protection of our country.
But I challenge you - when has Trump EVER put ANYONE ahead of himself? Ever done anything selfless in the least? He doesn't put America first, he puts himself and his wallet and his business interests first. This is the guy who ran for President not to make things better, not because he wanted to make a difference, but because he thought it would boost his personal brand.
@Jon Galt
Trump released his own rough transcript of the call. That is not hearsay That is what everyone is basing our facts on, Trump's version of events. The whistle-blower was a third party source, but the transcript is a primary document released by the target of this investigation, so you can give up on calling this hearsay now.
Number 1 rule when it comes to 'impeachment polls': Ignore them all.
12
@batazoid. Yes, notice how the CBS poll cited “Americans” without saying how many, voters, age group, party affiliation.
2
While the Democrat Neros fiddle around with the sham of impeachment which will NEVER result in Trump’s removal, the vital issues they shun and refuse to address just get worse. New Jersey has NO representation in Congress. Corey Booker is Spartacus riding on Rocinante; tilting at a windmill he can never hope to reach. Robert Menendez is hunkering down in abject fear of looming sexual abuse and corruption allegations that will surely resurface in a second Trump term. Congresswoman, Bonnie Watson Coleman, is an inconsequential puppet of the BCC and is unable control her own family. They are thrilled with the specter of this obscuring impeachment fog as, with rabid, mindless media complicity, it provides them perfect cover for their impotence on and neglect of the things that really matter to the State and the Nation. Their apathy and ignorance, along with ours, will ensure that nothing of substance gets accomplished. They couldn’t care less about Donald Trump!
6
@Dudley Cobb Clintons behavior was bad, but in comparison it was a little to do about nothing. I think most of realize that #45 won't be convicted by the Senate (Clinton wasn't), but the GOP thought it was necessary. I fully support the House's move towards impeachment, as the last 2 1/2 years have shown us what our founding fathers tried to protect us from, a run amuck person in the White House. Hey I guess #45 will have to settle for being impeached as I don't think a Nobel Peace Prize will be in his future. The history books will not reflect positively on this administration.
6
@Dudley Cobb--Conviction is NOT the point, although it will be fun to see Senate Republicans cast their official votes, for the record, prior to the election. Impeachment is the point. Sorry, you don't get that.
7
Here’s a suggested narrative for Democrats at town halls in swing districts:
“Let’s say I found out that you voted against me in the last election and plan to support my opponent in the next election. I also find out that you just happen to work for a major employer in this district, who also is lobbying for particular legislation before Congress.”
“How would you feel if I called up the CEO of that Company and stated that if he wants my support for that legislation, I would need a favor from him: FIRE YOU!”
50
This should be sold back home using the restaurant buffet model. Selection of appetizers; tearing children from their parents at the border, no progress on infrastructure, unprotecting endangered species...from there to the entrees; holding back military aid to an ally under fire in order to manufacture dirt on a pollical opponent, Mueller's findings on multiple cases of obstruction of justice, increasing threats from Iran, North Korea by abandoning international treaties, increasing threat of climate change, profiting off his office in his business endeavors of course desserts; 10 million less people have health care, supporting anti vaccination nonsense, kowtowing to Putin.
In short there is no reason to focus on one outrage. Modern media has conditioned people to take in multiple sources of stimuli so they can process a lot of his behaviors simultaneously.
11
@greg I agree and why are the Dems shying away from that you have to ask. I think they are afraid of having some of their own sins brought to light. Remember the corrupt members of the Democratic party and all the elected Republicans share many of the same donors.
5
@cheerful dramatist I think felt burned by Mueller and did big in the 2018 mid terms by focusing on health care and are feeling their way. Me I agree with you, throw the kitchen sink and the toilet at the monster.
1
@greg
Concentrate on actual attacks on Constitutional Principles, not bad policy. He says and does hundreds of things that are attacks on the Constitution. They are impeachable. Many outrageous things he does not attacks on the Constitution. They are not impeachable.
It is important to list and explain Trump's many High Crimes against the Constitution, because you can't impeach without High Crimes.
"Impeachment Inquiry" - what Impeachment Inquiry. The House has not voted to do a Imp.Inq.
If the Dems were serious they would take a vote and go on the record. Doing so would add to the legitimacy of the investigations. And it might enable the House to have a legitimate reason to obtain info from the White House.
Instead we have the Speaker acting an "Imperial" Speaker.
5
@PI Man: With Nancy Pelosi being reluctant for so long to start an impeachment inquiry despite more and more insistent calls to do so, her doing so now when the majority of the House favors an inquiry, is hardly acting as an “Imperial” Speaker. She is using her legitimate powers as Speaker. She is acting cautiously and with impeccable timing, as always.
9
My feeling is that the democrats had to show themselves as different from the republicans : ironically as the party that believes in laws and loves America (we are even embracing states rights because of trump). They have done the right thing and the outcome is secondary. If we live in a country where a majority of people will re-elect trump, it has nothing to do with impeachment or the democrat presidential candidate. It has to do with citizens who no longer care about what America is (and was to their own immigrant ancestors) and aren’t interested in morality as a guiding principle.
16
@Sean Casey junior--Yes, there must appear to be a difference between Republicans and Centrist Corporate Democrats. Unfortunately, there is little difference, other than the level of concern for the good of the people, if not action for the good of the people. They all ignore their constituents, in favor of the big donors.
4
I'm a moderate who is a registered Democrat but I occasionally vote for a moderate Republican. I loved the women in Congress who served in the military or CIA who said the president's phone call to the Ukrainian president, and the withholding of military assistance to Ukraine, convinced them that an impeachment inquiry was warranted. They and other moderates with intelligence or military experience should be the face of the party in this. The far left Congresswomen -- including Tlaib with her impeachment T-shirts -- just turn people like me off.
10
@P.A. I couldn't agree more!
Carefully ?
Are you guys serious ?
“I’m concerned that if we don’t impeach the president, he will get re-elected.”
Yep, that sounds pretty carefully worded to me....
And also, an accurate summary of what's really going on.
14
Sure. That must be it! Not a lying out of control petulant mobster spewing phony conspiracy theories and using the levers of power to dig up phony political dirt based on a debunked conspiracy theory?
4
@Michael Fremer
When a conspiracy theory about the son of a sitting Vice President getting a $50,000 per month job at a Ukranian company under investigation for corruption, is debunked by members of the the Vice President's own administration, headed by a President who was put into his job by the Democratic political machine from Chicago, then the debunking process has no credibility whatsoever.
This is going to get really ugly for Biden. So far, he has been operating as the dignified elder statesman.
But with this impeachment scam, Trump is going to go all out to smear him. We are going to hear about “Crooked Biden” and how he fired the prosecutor who was investigating his son non-stop now. Like with Hillary, there is enough truth there for this to gain traction.
Trump doesn’t mind the mud, but Biden is going to lose the primary because of it. Which is actually brilliant because then he will be left with Warren, whom he has already defined.
11
In reply to Jay Lincoln NYC
And that leaves Elizabeth Warren as the Democratic nominee which also means the Democratic Party will be running another female candidate. I believe the odds are good that another female candidate from the Democrats will mean that they lose the 2020 Presidential contest.
5
@Jay Lincoln This can only work if the news media keeps mentioning Trump's allegations...the fact that they are qualified as unsubstantiated does not help. I agree with the Biden campaign that the media needs to stop giving Trump and his cronies air time to keep repeating their lies.
2
@John Murray
'And that leaves Elizabeth Warren'
Actually that leaves Tulsi Gabar, who is the one candidate that did not jump on the impeachment band wagon.
Warren has been chanting for impeachment for months, she is deeply mired in this mess.
If she is the nominee, Trump will love it as he will single her out as a pro impeachment leftist looney, and roll over her in 2020.
4
Might someone please take a shot at explaining to us horrified lovers of democracy and viewers outside of your country - and in terms that a seven year old could comprehend - this apparent reluctance or unwillingness of their fellow countrymen to approve of an investigation of DJ Trumps most recent blatant misuse of your highest office or worse, threaten backlash at those elected officials with the decency and integrity to do so little? In the words of John McEnroe, "...you cannot be serious...!!
21
@Mhawk Because most American voters are not smarter than a 7-year old.
6
If trump should win again, which I find unlikely because trumps ratings have been mid forties at best, it means he and the republicans found a way to steal the election. Democrats are doing absolutely the right thing. Investigating a mentally ill president of the United States who is not on medication but seems to be unable to learn from past errors of judgement. Trump ran his own style of organized crime for many years. Now, he has managed to get the Republican establishment to drink the same tainted kool aid. If the democrats do not fight trump AND the corrupted republicans now, there may not be another fair election in the near future. The stakes are too great. Pelosi was right to be cautious. Pelosi is right to put trump on trial. The majority of Americans did not drink the kool aid and do not subscribe to bullies, crack pots and white supremacy.
7
In reply to Johnson Orono Minnesota
You write “Trump’s ratings have been mid forties at best”. Don’t you remember how in 2016 all the polls and ratings guaranteed that Hilary Clinton was going to win? Well, the polls were wrong then and it is highly probable that they are wrong now. Don’t forget that Trump voters have been known to lie to the pollsters just to stick it to the media.
3
@Johnson
Trump is not going to "steal the election." The Democrats are in the process of handing it to him. Again.
5
If the Democrats have to "sell" impeachment to voters like a bunch of tricky used car salesmen, it indicates the actual evidence really isn't there. Lies, innuendo, and slanted news will never replace truth and evidence in the minds of American voters. There is no majority that wants to divide the country based on hate and Rep. Schiff's phony "parody."
10
@Micoz Nobody has to sell anything. Just have trump tell the truth and stop stonewalling investigations (which is impossible, and is why republicans have to "sell" every single swindle they come up with). What are republicans afraid of? Joining Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort? They should be.
3
As incriminating as the Mueller report was, it was nuanced. The Russians clearly meddled in 2016 and Mueller established that the Trump campaign knew about it and took advantage of it. However, while thier were clear ties to campaign officials (e.g. Manafort handing over polling data to a Russian oligarch), Mueller uncovered no direct ties to Trump.
Mueller's evidence for obstruction of justice tied more directly to Trump. However, Barr took control of the narrative by clearing Trump since Mueller had left that for Congress. And many of the obstructions charges were indirect, with Trump issuing orders that aides didn't follow. Attempting obstruction of justice is still impeachable, but it would have been hard to motivate public opinion.
Ukraine is a horse of a different color. Trump was clearly driving the pressure campaign personally and (stupidly) released the incriminating reconstructed transcript. Unlike the report produced by Mueller, the Whistleblower's report was short, understandable to laypeople and got straight to the point. Much of the report has already been corroborated.
The Whistleblower, unlike Mueller, followed the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid), which gives Trump's defenders much less opportunity to obfuscate.
24
@David Mueller gave Congress a road map for how to move forward but the apparently thee Democrats forgot how to read maps.
Ask the voters who are not irretrievably in the tank for (46-1): "How long do you think it would be before you are in jail if you thought you could do anything you wanted and did so?"
11
Democrats in swing districts (like mine) can backpedal all they want, but the focus in the foreseeable future won't be on health care or global warming - it will be impeachment. Period.
5
So here’s “the rub” with republican support of impeachment inquiries.... I’m a republican and if you asked me “would you support an impeachment inquiry”
My answer: “Yes i would support a long drawn-out deliberation that finds really grey-area impeachable offenses, taints the democratic message in 2020, and makes them look like all they do is obstruct. So yes I support the impeachment probe but not in the way dems would like”
9
@Tom. So are you saying that you only support the impeachment inquiry if it makes Dems look bad, and don't support the inquiry to actually investigate probable impeachable & illegal acts? So you don't care about actual laws broken, and national security concerns they present? Political messaging is more important to you than the constitution?
5
If the Impeachment inquiry is handled correctly, and Adam Schiff is the right person for the job, all this hand wringing will subside.
By almost any standard, our Constitution requires the President to be investigated for impeachable offenses. There is no other choice, that's why Speaker Pelosi is taking this path.
I'm not sure what the outcome will be, but we as a country owe it to our forefathers to at least seek the truth.
28
Caution and education are absolutely critical as the impeachment inquiry moves forward.
Over the past few days I have been browsing the online newspapers from a number of random small cities in the centre of your country, in states such as Iowa, Wisconsin, Montana, NM, AZ. My objective has been to see what the coverage is, and it has been interesting to see how little coverage there is of this whole impeachment / Trump mess, and when it can be found it is deep down in the newspapers' home pages.
If public opinion is going to be swayed, it will take a massive information campaign at the local level. The NYT, WaPo and LA Times are not reflecting what is of local interest in these communities.
57
@Another Canadian There has been a lot of coverage in Colorado.
@Another Canadian
Those papers can’t really serve those communities. It’s up to the local press to report the news unintimidated by the lame threat of being “ fake news “.
Truth is as sunshine to falsehood.
Fight for it.
1
Why would voters be focused on the impeachment? Nothing in the evidence should come as a surprise to them- the president has never shown any respect for rule of law or respect for anything not related to the empire of Trump.
Anyone still loyal to him, and that represents at least a third of American voters, are unshakable in their support, most of the rest of us know what the man is, and some of us will vote for him anyway.
Many who vote Republican are voting their economic interests and just expect politicians to be dishonest. Loyalty has nothing to do with it. As long as the economy is good they will support the status quo.
That said, it is always swing votes that determine winners- those without an allegiance to either party, mostly. These most important voters tend to be the least aware of the inner workings of our political system and tend to be focused on the world they actually live in.
Democrats will win or lose based on how these voters feel which side most helps their world. Dems need to talk about the issues they are most concerned about.
Pelosi understands this and is orchestrating the impeachment wisely.
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That's the way you do it, as history has taught us.
If polls show a majority of voters in these purple states are in favor of impeachment, impeach, regardless of what the senate does.
Otherwise concentrate on getting rid of the alleged serial criminal Trump by the ballot in 2020. If you impeach, it could backfire and give the alleged criminal another term.
Great leaders like Lincoln taught us sometimes you have to put up with an evil in a democracy to eliminate it.
He saved the union first and then ended slavery because without the former he could not get the latter.
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@Paul If there is no successful impeachment Trump has shown that he will continue election interference. I see no choice but to impeach. I also see no choice for Republicans to join impeachment, however unpopular for them, if they want to preserve elections.
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@Paul -
He saved the union first? It isn't like he had a choice is it? He couldn't very well declare an end to slavery in a confederacy that had declared itself independent and hence not bound by his rules could he?
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@Paul
If you spend the next year explaining ALL of Trump's attacks on the Constitution, which constitute a blatant PATTERN of High Crimes designed (by thought or instinct) to destroy Constitutional limits on Presidential power, then this will hurt Trump's re-election chances.
There is no reason to rush investigations in the House, so that we can throw the ball to McConnell and Roberts.
The smart thing to do is to point out that the investigations are dragging out because Trump refuses to comply with Congressional Oversight while putting out long lists of Trump's attacks on the Constitution, and explaining why his clear PATTERN of weakening every part of the Constitution by threatening to do, then often doing, the opposite of what it says.
If the focus is on this one phone call and the attack falls apart, Trump wins! That is too risky.
But to just let Trump attack the Constitution in word and deed for another year without calling those attacks High crimes, and making logical arguments for why they are High Crimes, is surrender.
Yes the Candidates must make promises to the voters so they have a reason to vote FOR Democrats, but they also need to see that Trump is attacking the Constitution and We are defending it, because they are saying the opposite daily, even though the actual facts are on our side, not theirs.
The operating instructions of Our Republic is the Constitution, and Trump keeps saying and doing the opposite of what the Constitution says:
High Crimes.
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Aren’t they lucky that Pelosi didn’t call for a vote but decided on her own to move ahead with impeachment?
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This is a misstatement of what she did on her own: What she did on her own was call for an impeachment INQUIRY, which is what is now in place. The constitution does not allow her to call for impeachment without a vote. If house members feel that the inquiry suggests enough evidence to impeach, they will vote to impeach.
Luckily, the constitution actual means something to Pelosi, unlike the guy in the White House.
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This article "describes" and "explains" the task of legislators to carry on their legislative activities while dealing with a potential impeachment.
The article does not try to "sell" this information or "sell" its readers. It describes and explains.
So why call the legislators' activities "selling voters on an inquiry into the president"? They are describing and explaining and discussing.
By a sloppy or intentionally deceptive choice of words the reporters are editorializing, and provide no justification for that.
When we think of selling something, we often think of pushing, using tricks, exaggerating, distorting, manipulating -- just think of Volkswagen selling its fuel efficiency, or Juul or Boeing selling its product's safety, or Exxon selling its product's environmental harmlessness, or drug companies selling their products to naive viewer of their ads. That is what comes to mind. It clearly has developed an implication of unsavory behavior, even if that is not its literal base meaning.
Is there any evidence that the legislators are doing this. It seems that the reporters' article itself does not go there in its descriptions of what is actually going on.
So why use the word "sell' in the headline and the end of the first paragraph? What does it accomplish other than suggest that the activities of these folk are something they are not -- or at least not what the article actually details.
Saying something just to get a rise is beneath good journalism.
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@Just Thinking’
Very well said. Choice of words matters immensely, especially for a major source of news. Writers and editors should be careful about the connotations of words, especially in headlines.
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@Just Thinking’ Exactly. It's as if the article were written by one of Putin's trump team.
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@Just Thinking’
That's Jonathan Martin. I've seen him on TV talk shows doing the same.
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Republican strategy of calling the whistle blower's complaint hearsay will fail in a disastrous way.
After the whistle blower testifies, not only will he or she be deemed credible, but the sources of the information will be identified.
Then the country will ask themselves, why would republicans take the word of trump over that of career intelligence professionals?
Republican senators will be on the mind of American voters, for their role in defending trump rather than defending America from it's second foreign interventionists.
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@King Philip, His majesty
Dessert the fact that I sincerely hope your statements will prove to be true, deep down I’m very concerned that trump’s continuing ability to sell his lies to his base and to his fellow Republicans will hold.
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Trump is riding on “fifth avenue” partisan tribalism, which is blinding our ability to see the truth. Lack of trust in media is just exacerbating the problem, which otherwise would have had a centering influence in a democracy!
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The Democrats should continue their push for health care and lowering the prices of prescription drugs-constituents want this and Democrats are eloquent and credible advocates.Their case for Impeachment should not be complicated.Russia is an enemy of the United States-they are fighting to take over a country in Europe-We and NATO have supported Ukraine .Trump withheld defense funds which congress approved because he wanted Ukraine to first help him find information to use against a political rival.Republicans have been anti-communists-why would they support Russia’s move to crush a democracy and condone Trump’s assistance to Russia?
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Republicans are afraid. They have hitched their wagon to Donald Trump coattails and they had no idea that they would be led down this path. I am not defending them. I am saying that they started out defending Donald Trump and now they can’t even defend the defense of Donald Trump. The whole Trump movement is one big cult and the members are afraid to leave the organization because they will be ostracized.
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@JANET MICHAEL
It is very important that impeachment not be focused on just one phone call that Trump can dodge and weave.
It is too likely to backfire, and it leaves all of Trump's other attacks on the Constitution unchallenged.
The point of the Trump presidency is not that Trump has committed one violation of the Constitution. Every president probably has one violation of the Constitution.
The point of the Trump presidency is his blatant PATTERN of attacking all of the Principles of the Constitution as often as possible. He must be held accountable for serial High Crimes.
Intent matters. Intent is the difference between manslaughter and first degree murder.
Trump makes clear to everyone (even his supporters) that everything he does is based on how it affects Trump.
Trump berated his Attorney General for over two years, because he was not loyal enough and did not protect Trump. Trump called the Democrats "treasonous" when they didn't clap for his speech. Trump spent over two years calling the entire U.S. Intelligence Community "treasonous" because they were investigating Russian attacks on our elections.
Trump doesn't call people treasonous when he thinks that they have betrayed the USA. Trump calls people treasonous when he thinks they have betrayed Trump.
Then he calls for violence, without due process, against U.S. citizens who criticize him in clear violation of Constitutional restrictions on executive use of state violence.
Trump acts like a king: High Crimes.
Congress in the 21st century is so “careful” that it has forfeited most of its Constitutional powers to the executive branch. Not sure how that works here - maybe a tough place to start.
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"...a retired teacher...expressed nervousness about what an impeachment battle could mean for Democratic candidates.
“I am afraid it’s going to hurt them,” she said. “A lot of people — even who don’t like Trump — don’t like impeachment.”
With "educators" like this, no wonder we're ignorant about civics and responsibility and duty. Impeachment means that proof is almost certainly present that the accused--president or other high office-holder--has displayed a serious unfitness for his office.
It's more than understandable that Democrats who are up for re-election next year are nervous about their prospects, particularly those in swing districts. But Congress is supposed to be the nation's tribunal. If wrongdoing is both alleged and then proven, it should be investigated. To refuse to do so would be an abdication of the representative's sworn duties. That comes with the office.
The most difficult part of the impeachment process is that too many Americans think that it's a partisan political tool. It can be when employed by intellectually dishonest ideologues or those whose "moral" compass swings about with no real fixed point.
In Donald Trump, we have the most seriously grave threat to our way of life. If citizens fear that its exposure and the necessary process(es) to expunge it from our midst is frightening, then perhaps they should consider the alternative: living with a threat that will ruin us all.
For if this president goes unchallenged, worse--far worse--will come.
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@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18
Thank you for expressing this so well. Impeachment exists because someone elected as president may reveal himself as unfit. It is not meant to be a criminal proceeding meeting courtroom standards of evidence. Impeachment is meant to make a distinction that was lost in the Kavanaugh hearings: that you can be unfit to serve the public in a particularly powerful capacity while not meeting a legal standard of criminality. Serving as POTUS or a Supreme Court justice (or senator or federal court judge, for that matter) requires a higher standard of conduct and public trust than merely "you can't prove I'm a criminal."
A clear majority of Americans recognize that Trump is not worthy of the office. This is not a case of some guy in a cubicle watching sitcoms on Netflix when he should be working but we don't want to see him lose his job and health care so we don't make an issue of it with the boss. The job of POTUS is too important for us to let Trump's corruption continue.
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@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18
If this President goes unchallenged then we will have one political party that uses impeachment, investigations and hearings to go after their opponents for anything real or imagined, and another political party too timid to act in the face of the most blatantly corrupt and incompetent President in our history.
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@Pat
I think we already have that.
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Note: in objecting to Hunter Biden to getting a cushy but legal job, I assume Trump is willing to commit to not doing the same thing when he leaves office? Nor anyone in his family?
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I keep wondering when an article will be published about the cushy "jobs" Trump's family members have gotten during his time in office. The rather simple-minded objections being expressed by pro-Trump people to Hunter Biden's making "so much money" for something they say he's unqualified to do should be counteracted with examples of Trump's progeny's positions and "earnings" since 2016.
3
@Katydid Let's also not forget George W. Bush's cushy assignments, draft avoidance, purchased entry to Harvard, and failed business ventures while his dad was head of the CIA, then VP, then President. And I seem to recall some sketchy behavior by Reagan's son. And Clinton's brother.
Let's look at all of the improbable places that family members of powerful people have ended up while we criticize Biden's son.
@Katydid This is a difficult question. I'm sure the president will consult with his advisors Ivana and Jared.
Trump is a powerful man who can crush the dreams of life out of those who do not succumb to his will. That is why almost all Republicans (for the moment) dare not speak out against him; if they do, their political career is gone and all they left is their dignity, patriotism, and knowledge that they did the right thing.
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@Think and why is that? Why does he hold this sway? It’s baffling!
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@Geneva9
Its not baffling. They have never accepted the Enlightenment, which means they have never really accepted Constitutional government, except as something to corrupt into a list of lies.
The Right has a Golden Rule: Do unto others before they do unto you, and since they are likely to bad things to you, you should do bad things to them first. They believe this is the ancient rule of the jungle, Natural Law. They may not believe in evolution, but they believe in "the survival of the fittest," a brutal, zero-sum, win/lose competition between U.S. citizens.
They are not shy about their actual moral code. They openly say, "the ends justify the means" They say that it is natural that groups of people divide themselves out and compete for power and wealth. They say it is natural to hate members of other groups and use language to dehumanize them.
They are not shy about claiming that "greed is good" and talk about the wonders that were created by greed, which is actually just putting money above all else. Ask Midas.
They say that violence must be employed to protect their "way of life." They fight any restraint on police violence. They promote war to solve every foreign problem, lying to invade Iraq. And they cheer a president who repeatedly calls for and threatens violence against American Citizens.
The use of violence to make political decisions was a feature of feudalism. The Constitution replaced it with debate and voting.
Trump and the Right attack the Constitution.
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@McGloin
Freakish but probably true.
Definitely chilling, a real clear cold shower.
1