Impeachment as Politics

For John, BLUF:  I bet the Editors of The Atlantic think there should also be a new Brexit Vote, being unhappy with the last outcome.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Impeach Donald Trump

Here is the sub-headline:

Starting the process will rein in a president who is undermining American ideals—and bring the debate about his fitness for office into Congress, where it belongs.

From The Atlantic, by Senior Editor Yoni Applebaum, from the March 2019 Issue.

Here is a key paragraph:

John Doar, the attorney hired by the House Judiciary Committee to oversee the Nixon investigation, handed off the question of what constituted an impeachable offense to two young staffers:  Bill Weld and Hillary Rodham.  They determined that the answers they were seeking were to be found not in old case law, but in the public debates that raged around past impeachment efforts.  The memo Weld and Rodham helped produce drew on that context and sided with Black:  “High crimes and misdemeanors” need not be crimes.  In the end, Weld came to believe that impeachment is a political process, aimed at determining whether a president has fallen short of the duties of his office.  But that doesn’t mean it’s arbitrary.  In fact, the Nixon impeachment left Weld with a renewed faith in the American system of government:  “The wheels may grind slowly,” he later reflected, “but they grind pretty well.”

Well, those are a couple of familiar names, at least in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

And, it is clear from the above that Impeachment isn't so much about illegality as it is about animus.  I think we can safely say that there is a degree of animus in our nation's capitol.

Speaking of animus, here is the concluding paragraph:

Today, the United States once more confronts a president who seems to care for only some of the people he represents, who promises his supporters that he can roll back the tide of diversity, who challenges the rule of law, and who regards constitutional rights and liberties as disposable.  Congress must again decide whether the greater risk lies in executing the Constitution as it was written, or in deferring to voters to do what it cannot muster the courage to do itself.  The gravest danger facing the country is not a Congress that seeks to measure the president against his oath—it is a president who fails to measure up to that solemn promise.

I can see the standoff over the budget for a portion of the Federal Workforce leading to the Speaker of the House moving forward with a Bill of Impeachment.  I would prefer she cut a deal with the President.  But, part of this is about positioning for 2020.

However, there is still the question of Vice President Pence.

UPDATE:  Here is a review from The Hill.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff