What ‘National Nightmare’? We Got Through Impeachment Just Fine, Thank You

[EasyAce]

By Gene Healy
https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/what-national-nightmare-we-got-through-impeachment-just-fine-thank-you

Our long national nightmare is over”: That’s how newly minted President Gerald Ford described the impeachment struggle that led Richard Nixon to resign. “Nightmare” wasn’t hyperbolic enough for Kenneth Starr, the former independent counsel and scourge of Bill Clinton who joined President Trump’s impeachment defense team in January. In his argument to the Senate, Starr proclaimed that “impeachment is hell” (now he tells us!).

That impeachment is a grievous national trauma was the rare bipartisan sentiment on Capitol Hill over the last two months: a “sad,” “solemn,” “grave” affair — so many reasons to wear black. Pols and pundits warned us that we risked rattling the markets, distracting Congress from the vital business of government, stoking partisan furies — perhaps even civil war . . .

. . . But after three serious presidential impeachment campaigns in the last five decades, we should know better by now. Putting a president on trial for his job has never been a national nightmare. None of the scare stories are true . . .

. . . And can we finally put to rest the notion that impeachment is so divisive it might lead to actual war? That particular scare story seems to have originated with former Trump consigliere Roger Stone, but it somehow got serious consideration in respectable publications like the New Yorker and Bloomberg News. The idea that impeachment would stoke red‐​on‐​blue violence was silly to begin with and looks even more absurd now. Judging by the Trump trial’s weak Nielsens, most Americans weren’t even mad enough to tune in.

All told, our third presidential impeachment didn’t do the country any visible harm

But did it do us any good? Perhaps so: Recent polls suggest that Americans were split on whether Trump should be removed, but clear majorities agreed he abused his power. Impeachment by the House, without conviction in the Senate, had the effect of censuring Trump for his conduct without ejecting him from his job. Indeed, it’s the only kind of presidential censure that’s ever worked . . .

[Cyber Liberty]

With just a little bit of luck, Bernie Sanders will be inaugurated President on 1/20/21.

[EasyAce]

With just a little bit of luck, Bernie Sanders will be inaugurated President on 1/20/21.

@Cyber Liberty

#NeverBernie

[Cyber Liberty]

@Cyber Liberty

#NeverBernie

 

[skeeter]

I beg to differ - the recent farce cheapened the whole process.

Efforts to impeach Trump:

H.Res.13 Introduced March 1, 2019 by Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA)[138] on the grounds of obstruction of justice during the Mueller investigation
H.Res.257 Introduced March 27, 2019 by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)[139] for opening an investigation with no specific accusation made
H.Res.396 Introduced May 25, 2019 by Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee (D-TX)[140] which named several areas of concern, including:
Violations of the Domestic Emoluments Clause
Violations of the Foreign Emoluments Clause
Obstruction of justice
Inappropriately disclosing classified information
Destruction of public records
Payment of ransom with federal funds in violation of international law
Authorizing security clearances for people who are known security risks
Failure to protect U.S. elections from foreign interference
Campaign finance law violations
Condoning white nationalism
Using law enforcement to punish political enemies
Attacking the press as "enemies of the people"
Mismanagement by failing to fill vacancies
Separation of immigrant children from their families
H.Res.498 Introduced July 17, 2019 by Rep. Al Green (D-TX-9)[141] on the grounds of being unfit for office after various racist remarks

On the bright side, at least the rats didn't pursue Tlaib's "resolution to open an investigation for no particular reason"