The editors of the Wall Street Journal summarize the outcome of the entire investigation, impeachment, and acquittal process this way:
In the bitter end, what has all of this accomplished? The House has defined impeachment down to a standard that will now make more impeachments likely. “Abuse of power†and “corrupt motives†are justifications that partisans in both parties can use.
Mr. Trump remains in office, but he will now claim vindication and use it as a rallying cry for re-election against what he will call an attempted insider coup. The partisan furies have intensified, and this election year will be even more bitterly fought. Mr. Trump’s political standing has even improved during the impeachment struggle, as voters concluded early on that his behavior was wrong and unwise but not impeachable.
I think it’s actually a bit worse than that. Democrats have actually improved the likelihood that Trump will be re-elected and both Trump and the Democrats have removed some of the last shreds of decorum from our political process. I don’t think this is an egg that can easily be uncracked.
The odds of a 2nd Trump impeachment in a possible 2nd Trump term is significant, especially if Republicans were to lose both houses of Congress.
The last shred of decorum was gone when McConnell refused Garland. That guaranteed it. We are just seeing it acted out now.
“The House has defined impeachment down to a standard that will now make more impeachments likely.”
I dont think so. You are going to have to do something pretty drastic, like getting a foreign govt to help you with your election. What we can hope is that lying about sex is no longer cause for impeachment.
Steve
You’re wrong on both of your statements, Steve.
McConnell played the kind of hard ball the Democrats are used to playing on the opposition party. Just research an earlier Biden approach, to what ultimately was the approach taken with Garland. The Dems would have done the same thing if given the opportunity.
The whole rationale behind Trump coercing Ukraine to help influence the 2020 election is a subjective appraisal, primarily based on one’s already formed opinion of Trump. If you dislike Trump, then you believe the worst motives were somehow the basis for that phone call. if you don’t dislike Trump, then you view his words, and circumstances surrounding Ukraine aid, at their face value – meaning the conversation was benign, and the aid was delivered on time, with no accommodations being made by Ukraine.
I think what this shows is what has always been the case – that impeachment is only a threat if one party controls the WH and the other party controls both houses and has a supermajority in the Senate.
Otherwise, it’s just going to be a partisan boondoggle.
Looks to me like Speaker Pelosi, observing President Trump’s successes, has concluded the whole thing is a melodrama and is trying his approach. Democrats need new leadership but the current gauntlet of Woke-ness is deterring their best candidates who correctly determine their families don’t need to be put under that microscope. Democrats openly hate traditional families anyway. Toxic Masculinity, you know.
The Fifth Avenue Moment may yet come..
If you’re right, it would explain the confident smile etched permanently on the serene face of Mike Pence. Seems likely to me the next impeachment push will happen after the election.
More rational legal minds, than was demonstrated by these Democrat House Managers, say the silly precedent, established by a politically motivated impeachment, will essentially dilute the impeachment process going forward. Consequently, because of Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler’s nonsensical obsession to oust this sitting president, we may see this folly repeated all too often in the future, to the detriment of getting any worthwhile work done “for the people.â€
“McConnell played the kind of hard ball the Democrats are used to playing on the opposition party. Just research an earlier Biden approach, to what ultimately was the approach taken with Garland.”
Might have, would have, could have, but they didnt. The Democrats did not do what McConnell did. They also didnt refuse to hear and confirm lower level judges like McConnell did at the end of the Obama years.
“then you view his words, and circumstances surrounding Ukraine aid, at their face value – meaning the conversation was benign”
Nope. If you take it at face value, Trump asked for a favor, investigate Biden. You guys have to offer explanations telling us that what Trump “really meant” was that he wanted corruption investigated.
“say the silly precedent, established by a politically motivated impeachment, will essentially dilute the impeachment process going forward.”
So you think we are going to see impeachments over lying about sex again. Could be. Lets go interview Trump about his sex life. Bet we could start there.
“Democrats openly hate traditional families anyway”
I dont know any who hate traditional families. I live in one. Well almost, I dont have a bunch of ex-wives and lots of affairs while married like your icon, so maybe we arent traditional.
Steve
We all sow our wild oats, Trump took a little longer to settle down because he had the advantages money brings. He’s raised and supported his children. His wives were all female. He attends church, if you think that’s a charade, fine, it is for a lot of people.
On the downside, he is cisgender and white, and won’t repent his privilege. But when the hyenas are hungry and surround you on all sides, showing weakness is not an option.
Steve, look up “The Biden Rule,†based on a speech delivered by Biden in June 1992 where he opined that Supreme Court judges should not be nominated during an election year. McConnell cited The Biden Rule to justify his actions to bypass Garland, in order to have the newly elected president make that choice. Most thought the next president would be HRC, too.
Just because the Dems didn’t have an opportunity themselves to embrace Joe Biden’s opinion, regarding the timing of SCOTUS selection, doesn’t invalidate the intent behind this assertion. McConnell simply took the lead from a Democrat’s own mouth -: someone who was VP and is now vying for POTUS – no minor player in the D party And, don’t be fooled that, given a democrat senate majority, they would do the same thing, without any misgivings. Just look at how Reid used the Nuclear Option to the advantage of ushering in more jurists – an option that historically had been off the table.
If there had been any known deviant intent behind or in that Ukraine phone call, why would the WH immediately release the transcript without redactions? This was not a private phone call either, and yet there was no hesitation on the part of Trump to publicly release both calls he had with President Zelensky – both of which the recipient of that conversation said he felt no pressure, and the aid was given over unconditionally. Furthermore, many legal minds have concluded the same thing – that the call did not violate any laws nor reach any level of inappropriateness to trigger impeachment.
As for ramifications stemming from this politically motivated impeachment – stay tuned, as more will find there way to the House floor based on precedents set by the Schiff/Nadler folly.
“McConnell cited The Biden Rule to justify his actions to bypass Garland, in order to have the newly elected president make that choice. ”
The only ones to carry out the rule, which Biden was just speculating about, are the Republicans. Besides, it is clear that you have not actually read the Biden rule and are unaware of its context. Garland’s situation was nothing like what Biden was talking about, and if they had truly followed the Biden rule there would have been a vote, just after the election. Feel free to learn what you are citing at the link.
https://www.politifact.com/article/2016/mar/17/context-biden-rule-supreme-court-nominations/
“why would the WH immediately release the transcript without redactions?”
He is a master of the big lie and knows that you guys will always find a way to believe what he says. This has gone on from the very beginning. He lied about biggest inauguration crowd ever, and you guys defended and believed him even though we had photos from the park service, counts from the trains and subways in DC, hotel rooms, restaurant activity, etc. No amount of evidence, not even his own words will convince you guys. I thought it was a brilliant move on his part.
“as more will find there way to the House floor based on precedents set by the Schiff/Nadler folly.”
As bad as impeaching over lying about sex? I find it hard to believe we ever sink that low again, but then you did investigate Benghazi 8 times.
Steve
“He lied about biggest inauguration crowd ever………â€
Impeach him. No, burn him at the stake. As we all know, politicians never self aggrandize.
There are various links regarding The Biden Rule. It all depends on the one selected which best fits the narrative being supported. The underlying core of Biden’s point, though, was a Supreme Court justice should be selected by the incoming president. Period! That’s the position Biden took, and that’s the position McConnell stood by in 2016. Dems are simply not used to republicans not caving under abrasive intimidation, with name calling that debases one’s character. And, when a Republican acts with affirmative tenacity favoring their own party – something Dems do all the time – they are soundly excoriated, berated for acting in the same self interest that Dems routinely do.
Consequently, I applaud McConnell for having a spine. That’s not doing something wrong, either. It’s simply refusing to be run over by the opposition party machine.
Finally, in 2016 I used to wince @ Trump’s harsh rhetoric, rationalizing my vote for him as more of an anti-Hillary than a pro Trump one. However, I now understand that such a gruff personality, refusing to be cowed by rude, tasteless, dishonest tactics of the opposition party, is the only way someone could stay the course of his agenda, pursuing policies the Dems tried to derail at every turn of his presidency. So, he has had to be unflaggingly stubborn, stalwart despite the never ending obstacles, road blocks, snide snubs thrown at him and his family by a biased media, establishment politicians and relentlessly partisan elitists.
I’m actually starting to admire the man, even though his words still make me wince from time to time.
BTW, Clinton was impeached because he lied under oath and obstruction of justice. These charges are muted because his sexual misconduct seems to take front and center to the actual crimes cited in his articles of impeachment. Nevertheless, if Clinton had an affair (he had many while in the WH), didn’t lie about it under oath, didn’t intimidate witnesses and obstruct justice he would not have been impeached. So, stop blaming sex for his impeachment! It was his conduct and cover-up that comprised the legal basis for his impeachment.
I was wrong, looks like the Dem. House is planning to file new articles of impeachment before the election. Guess they think the optics will help their candidate. Their lily white, cisgender candidate.
I believe filing more articles of impeachment will only increase the growing irritation people have with house democrats and their serial impeachment practices.
I think that some people will react as you suggest but it will delight others.
I agree Dave. It’s just another symptom of the deep divide in this country.