Impeachment 2 — The Unwanted
An argument on waiting to deliver the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate.
An argument on waiting to deliver the Article of Impeachment to the Senate.
In just a few days, it will be morning in America.
I’ll admit, there is a lot of detritus around from the night before, but on January 20, the sun will rise again.
Having said that, whatever one’s feelings are about the soon to be former president, I don’t think anyone wanted a second impeachment.
However, in light of the insurrection of January 6 and his role in promoting it, this second impeachment was inevitable and unavoidable.
The next step in this process is delivering the Article of Impeachment from the House of Representatives to the US Senate. While I understand the sense of urgency, nothing will be achieved by rushing it.
The impeachment trial of the soon to be former president should be delayed, and here’s why:
After President-elect Joe Biden gets sworn in, his cabinet appointees must get approved quickly. His agenda to rebuild what has been destroyed over the past four years should begin immediately. As the Democrats control both the House of Representatives and the Senate (albeit by a razor-thin margin), this should be a pretty expeditious process. And it needs to be.
The Senate is evenly divided with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans. I anticipate the next few years seeing Senate vote results split. As of January 20, Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris will become President of the Senate and thus be the deciding vote.
To convict the soon to be ex-president on the Article of Impeachment, 2/3 of the US Senate would need to find him guilty. That’s around 66/67 Senators voting to convict. Does anyone believe there will be 16/17 Republican senators who will vote to convict? For reasons that defy the rational mind, too many in the Republican party feel they owe fealty to him and appear to have little interest in facts.
Negotiations have begun between Democrats and Republicans about knotting up the Senate with an impeachment trial. The two parties are trying to find a path to handle the trial and work on President Biden’s plan. Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, said, “a dual-track [of the trial and Biden’s agenda] is perfectly doable if there is a will to make it happen.” [the emphasis is mine]. It must be asked, is there a sincere will to make that happen? Of course, the media is spinning it as though there is hope that maybe, just maybe, Republicans will vote alongside Democrats and convict the soon to be former president. But if the House of Representatives vote is any indication, in the end, they may get a few Republicans to vote alongside them, but probably a far cry from the 2/3 majority needed to convict. I understand the urgency, but realistically, we already know the outcome — not guilty.
The soon to be former president was already impeached. Whether the senate trial begins January 21 or June 1, it doesn’t matter — he will end up having been impeached …twice. That won’t change. His conviction stats currently sit at zero convictions, one acquittal. It’s safe to say the final impeachment conviction tally will be 0–2.
Of course, there should be a trial. But it can, and should, wait until we’ve begun the process of shifting the country away from the mayhem that the soon to be ex-president has caused over the past four years — and in particular, the past two months. [ADDED BONUS — he wouldn’t be in the news as much, and that will be sure to bother him much more than an impeachment trial.]
Let’s credit Mitch McConnell with three things — 1: being a soulless, heartless, and vile cretin, 2: being a racist, biased and despicable person, 3: being a smart, savvy politician, albeit transparent. In the past few days, McConnell has said he won’t reconvene the Senate to have a trial to impeach. By acknowledging he won’t bring the Senate back, this means the prosecution gets pushed on to Senator Chuck Schumer’s calendar when he begins his term as the Senate Majority leader on January 20.
McConnell has also said he is unsure of how he’ll vote when the trail gets underway. Mitch McConnell is on record as being an “obstructionist.” I suspect this ambiguity is to nudge Democrats into moving forward with the Senate impeachment trial ASAP. If the Democrats take the bait, as it appears they are, it will invariably delay the advancement of Biden’s plan. Regardless of party, these Senators' constituents are suffering! That is more important than a trial for which we know the outcome. Does anyone think McConnell’s pathetic display of uncertainty about how he would vote is anything other than a veiled tactic to delay, if not blatantly obstruct, the advancement of Biden’s plan?
Nothing positive can be gained by rushing an impeachment trial. The soon to be former president’s legacy will be remembered for many awful things. Not least of which will be having been only one of four presidents impeached …and the ONLY one to have been impeached twice. That is the crown jewel in that man’s horrible legacy …although I fear that stirring up his shit for brains, insurrectionists and militia may one day usurp the double impeachment.
All said the US Senate couldn’t begin the trial UNTIL the House of Representatives delivers the Article of Impeachment. Contact your representative HERE and ask them to hold off on providing the Article of Impeachment to the Senate. At least until after Biden’s first 100 days.
Furthermore, I think we could all use a break from the dog and pony posturing — from both sides — that the impeachment trial is sure to bring. The process is essential, but we know the outcome. Don’t we?
Here’s hoping the trial takes place after the much-needed steps have been taken for the country to take a breather to heal and begin the rebuilding process.