An Impeachment Update

[David G]

December 12, 2019 --

Impeachment Highlights: Judiciary Committee Finished Debate and Recessed for Vote Friday Morning

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee spent more than 14 hours trying to gut or water down the Democrats’ draft of the articles of impeachment. All their amendments failed.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/12/u...peachment.html

[TomF]

Votes have passed in the Judicial Committee now - will go to the full House for an impeachment vote next Wednesday.

[LeeG]

Pure party line vote. GOP is ok with Trump. GOP is laying the groundwork for the next experiment in authoritarianism.

[Rich Jones]

Repubs dragged the hearings deep into the night so the TV viewing public would be asleep when the vote was taken. Nadler would have nothing of that and recessed until this morning for the final vote. He wanted this done in the light of day in front of TV cameras for all the world to see. Red's heads exploded when he recessed last night.

By this time next week, Trump's 'perfect' presidency and his legacy will be permanently stained with the disgrace of impeachment.

[skuthorp]

I note that donalds's party line now is that the hearing is a "threat to the presidency". Not the President, the presidency, the reputation and confidence in the Office.
Remarkable from the party that has done more to cause that loss of confidence than anyone since pres. Dick.

[Dave Wright]

So everyone is happy that impeachment is proceeding? It was clear from the start that the political risks exceeded the potential political gains for the Democratic party. I wish that Nancy Pelosi's reluctance to impeach had won out.

Now, in January in the Senate, we're going to get the fully orchestrated "Donald Trump victory and spectacular campaign kickoff show." He couldn't have conceived of or bought a better reality show for his purposes.

The man is a lying, cheating, arrogant, flaming asshole, c*cksucker, and parasite, far worse than any fools that voted for him. But that can happen in politics, and the only legitimate way to remove him is through the ballot box, and that's where the full focus should have been, and should be - not playing a political game that benefits him.

Next year at this time we just might be realizing that impeachment was the biggest political mistake of all time.

[David G]

So everyone is happy that impeachment is proceeding? It was clear from the start that the political risks exceeded the potential political gains for the Democratic party. I wish that Nancy Pelosi's reluctance to impeach had won out.

Now, in January in the Senate, we're going to get the fully orchestrated "Donald Trump victory and spectacular campaign kickoff show." He couldn't have conceived of or bought a better reality show for his purposes.

The man is a lying, cheating, arrogant, flaming asshole, c*cksucker, and parasite, far worse than any fools that voted for him. But that can happen in politics, and the only legitimate way to remove him is through the ballot box, and that's where the full focus should have been, and should be - not playing a political game that benefits him.

Next year at this time we just might be realizing that impeachment was the biggest political mistake of all time.

You could be right. I wish I had your certitude. Where DO you buy your crystal balls?

[Nicholas Scheuer]

Impeachment doesn't matter to Repugs. It's now a badge of honor.

Pure party line vote. GOP is ok with Trump. GOP is laying the groundwork for the next experiment in authoritarianism.

[TomF]

Rick Wilson, who has a particular gift with imagery IMO, talked about the problem that Trump defenders are going to have all through this next phase of impeachment. Nobody knows what else is out there, which they'll have to support too. He called it a "fecal iceberg," where folks are aware of the little bit of stinky stuff up above the surface of the water, but a massive proportion still lies beneath.

"Fecal iceberg." I'd have never thought of that.

[Dave Wright]

You could be right. I wish I had your certitude. Where DO you buy your crystal balls?

You don't need crystal balls to see the obvious. The Senate vote against impeachment was a given even before the full articles of impeachment were known. As I said some weeks ago, unless you have video and uncontestable eye witnesses of him banging a nine year old altar boy in church, he walks.

The news media is already reporting on his staff preparing for the Senate "trial." You can bet that he'll show up in person to strut and prance and proclaim his innocence. And he'll get full free media coverage throughout all of it. Then we'll have to listen to him relating how he "vanguished" his illegitimate foes for the rest of the year.

[David G]

You don't need crystal balls to see the obvious. The Senate vote against impeachment was a given even before the full articles of impeachment were known. As I said some weeks ago, unless you have video and uncontestable eye witnesses of him banging a nine year old altar boy in church, he walks.

The news media is already reporting on his staff preparing for the Senate "trial." You can bet that he'll show up in person to strut and prance and proclaim his innocence. And he'll get full free media coverage throughout all of it. Then we'll have to listen to him relating how he "vanguished" his illegitimate foes for the rest of the year.

Again with the certitude. Well... I suppose it's comforting not to have to wrestle with the volatility of politics and public opinion... and the lack of surety that tends to obtain when dealing with humans.

But you do know that there are knowledgeable folks who take a different view... right? One example is shown below. What makes your view more likely? What makes you more perspicacious on this issue than the gamut of other careful observers?

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/laure...b047e8889d9c99

[Osborne Russell]

It's not that Tribe is wrong, he's not.

The reason it may backfire is that an exoneration, if that’s what emerges by a Senate that is essentially rigged and fixed so that it’s coordinated in this way with the defense, really doesn’t clear the name of the accused so that the president will go down in history as having been essentially found guilty by the House in a proceeding where he had a chance to defend himself but didn’t take advantage of it, and then in a kind of rubber-stamp sort of toss-off, not really given a meaningful trial so that he will have been adjudicated fundamentally by the House of Representatives to have abused his office, abused his oath, and endangered the national security and then blockaded in the inquiry as though he were a dictator.

It's that you can be right and still lose. How does one lose? By losing the vote. Tribe being right doesn't alter the odds of losing the vote. Tribe being right makes it more likely to lose the vote. Because, Republicans.

What bites is that the real party in interest here is the American people. It is their interest in their life, liberty and property that is at stake. It is they who are being denied due process, by Republicans sabotaging the process that is due.

[oznabrag]

Again with the certitude. . .

. . .

[skuthorp]

It's not that Tribe is wrong, he's not.



It's that you can be right and still lose. How does one lose? By losing the vote. Tribe being right doesn't alter the odds of losing the vote. Tribe being right makes it more likely to lose the vote. Because, Republicans.

What bites is that the real party in interest here is the American people. It is their interest in their life, liberty and property that is at stake. It is they who are being denied due process, by Republicans sabotaging the process that is due.

And donald's party have calculated, and probably rightly, that enough of 'the American people' either don't care, are distracted by football, are sick of the goings on or never cared in the first place (that 40% no shows) that they can get away with almost anything at all………… 5th Avenue shootings anyone?

[Paul Pless]

thanks for keeping us informed david

[John Smith]

How, among the Republicans here, does it play for McConnell to come out and tell us he will be coordinating how the senate runs the trial with the White House (the accused)?

I'd like to think MOST of the voters will see this as Trump is afraid of a fair trial.

I also wonder how the dems handle this. Do they barge into an admittedly (by McConnell) a rigged trial? Do they have other options?

Can they hold onto the articles until the senate sets rules they deem fair?

[Tom Montgomery]

And donald's party have calculated, and probably rightly, that enough of 'the American people' either don't care, are distracted by football, are sick of the goings on or never cared in the first place (that 40% no shows) that they can get away with almost anything at all………… 5th Avenue shootings anyone?

You are too cynical.

The results of the 2018 mid-term election indicates that the American electorate is indeed paying attention and holding the bastards accountable. The Democrats seized control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Had that not happened we would not be where we are at this moment with Trump about to be impeached.

Stay tuned for the 2020 general election.

[George Jung]

I was talking to my investment advisor - and he/his company are convinced trump will win re-election. That's the reading in fly-over, we're awfully red, mid-America. Love to see him wrong - but lots of pundits writing how the Dems are throwing the election away, mostly by trying to go too-far left.

[David G]

thanks for keeping us informed david

If only. If only...

[skuthorp]

'Too far left' is largely a propaganda campaign by sections of your media, but I agree with George's investment advisor.
But I'd love to have to eat crow.