Open Thread |Let’s Look Some More at Impeachment

Posted on September 24, 2019 by rikyrah

I am for impeachment as much as anyone else. But, I happen to agree with those that there is a segment out there calling for impeachment and getting crazy about it. Those that are there with Dolt45, and won’t care. I still believe we should impeach, because he’s a criminal. But, impeachment is only the indictment. It’s not the trial, which is the Senate. ;…under Moscow Mitch’s control.

Found this interesting Twitter Thread:
Teri Kanefield (@Teri_Kanefield) Tweeted:
(Thread) Trump Emboldened
Will Trump get away with this latest?
Answer: It depends
Spoiler: It looks to me like lots of Trump critics are giving the Republican leadership a good reason to CONTINUE shielding Trump👇
“What?” you ask.
Stick with me here.

1/ I’ll say at the outset that the whistleblower case is exactly what the drafters of the Constitution had in mind for an offense worth of impeachment and removal.
It’s also similar to other behavior we’ve seen from Trump.
It’s not a one-off.

2/ Evidently one of the phone calls occurred a day after Mueller testified.
https://t.co/sjmWAkMirK
I take it that Trump felt confident that he had enough allies who he viewed as loyal enough to protect him.
He was thus emboldened.
Remember, Trump demands and rewards loyalty.

3/ I also take it to mean that when the House impeaches, if the Senate then acquits, Trump will be even more emboldened.
Once articles of impeachment are drawn up, it will be hard (probably impossible) for the House to conduct any more impeachment hearings or inquiries.

4/ If Article of Impeachment are drawn up, and the Senate acquits, I don’t think the House can say “Wait! Let’s do it again! We have even more evidence.”
Legally they can probably impeach (meaning vote on Articles of Impeachment) repeatedly.
But Senate trials are a big deal.

5/ As a political matter, I don’t think we get do-overs.
Actually impeaching—drawing up the Articles of Impeachment—should happen at the end of the investigation.It seems to me that acquittal in the Senate may actually embolden Trump.
Plus . . .

6/ . . . if House investigations are effectively over, Trump becomes untouchable.I don’t see how anyone can argue that an impeachment, followed by an acquittal in the Senate will stop the lawbreaking.

7/ In another thread I’ll explain why I also don’t think gathering the facts and just censuring (or voting to impeach and not sending the matter to the Senate) will stop this behavior.
(Basically Trump’s strategy is to torpedo facts. He won’t care. He’ll say it’s just partisan.)

8/ That’s why I say that Trump is only part of the problem.
The other part is that he is being shielded by a major political party.
There is a strange thing happening on Twitter.
Each time Trump does something outrageous, everyone slams the Democratic leadership.

9/ I have a hard time wrapping my mind around it.
If you stop to think about it, it’s bizarre.
The House is trying to conduct oversight.
They’re being stonewalled at every turn.
But Twitter slams the people being stonewalled for not doing enough.

 

10/ Look how well this works: Whenever Trump does something scandalous, everyone attacks Pelosi.
Why not attack House Republican leadership for the stonewalling and outright support of this president’s behavior?
Scott Dworkin asks the right question:

11/ So far, nothing that has come to light will sway Republican leadership to stop shielding Trump.
If you don’t believe nothing so far has swayed the GOP leadership, watch last week’s Lewandowski hearing.
My personal hope has been that something comes to light. .

12/. . . from these investigations that will cause even the GOP leadership to stop shielding Trump.
Because until that happens, we’re stuck with Trump.
The drafters of the Constitution deliberately made it hard to remove a sitting president.

13/ Requiring 2/3 vote in the Senate, followed by impeachment in the House, means that a sitting president cannot actually be removed without broad popular support.
The Democrats are doing things the long way and the hard way, pushing to get the ALL evidence . .

14/ . . . and litigating the stonewalling.
Some people want the House to use GOP tactics. For why that’s a bad idea, see: https://t.co/V2xGWy02La
Lots of people are attacking the law-followers and the Constitution-respecters. Who does that help?
end/
(I may add comments)

15/ Sorry everyone. I left off the link to the thread I mentioned in the last tweet.
Let’s see if I do it right now.
https://t.co/uMJWbIWFbu
This thread is more of a summary of the position. I’ll attach a more comprehensive thread . . . https://twitter.com/Teri_Kanefield/status/1175417254332309506?s=17

16/ Here’s a more comprehensive explanation: https://t.co/h2lUXKJUlq
A Never Trump who still holds reactionary values (just doesn’t like Trump) has a motive to urge Democrats to use Hardball: It will Destroy Trump, the Democrats, and Democratic institutions.
Win—win-win. https://twitter.com/Teri_Kanefield/status/1175418650146344961?s=17

We have seen the hysterical ones about impeachment. When impeachment fails to give them their Dolt45 pony, they will become eeyores, and completely disparage the Democrats, all the while giving the GOP in the Senate and Moscow Mitch a pass.

These hysterical ones want to see impeachment as some sort of silver bullet; which it is not.

Folks like me, who are FOR impeachment, but, not to the point of hysterics about it, have been thinking about what is motivating the frantic ones.

Saw this possible explanation:

Kennymack1971

I think that at the core of all this is guilt.
Guilt that not enough was done to stop Trump in 2016.
Guilt that Hillary wasn’t supported like she should’ve been.
Guilt that the media coverage was trash and too many people ate it up.
And now they’re overcompensating by role playing as “resisters” and yelling at Democrats to fix this shit they didn’t break.
It’s sad.

Those of us who are most rational about impeachment are those of us without guilt. We just want it done because it should be done, but, we were already there in November 2016.

I’ll say it again..
IF all we had known was what we knew in December 2016…
If this had been 44?
The Electoral College would have never even met.

FYI:
Call your reps and tell them to support impeachment. GOP ones too — we need them to feel the fire. This tool is great — you can check to see if your rep is on board and then tweet, call or email them directly. They even give you a script:

Impeachment Inquiry

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70 Responses to Open Thread |Let’s Look Some More at Impeachment

  1. eliihass says:
    September 24, 2019 at 9:44 pm

    Tonight in Toronto, Canada.. My historic FLOTUS still filling those arenas in spite of the naysayers and haters.. And still blowing folks away with her smarts, wisdom, wit, integrity, humility, authenticity..

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B20EZLqljwU/

    Reply
  4. Liza says:
    September 24, 2019 at 6:28 pm

    His day was ruined. Cry me a river. Think of the lives he’s ruined/is ruining/will ruin.
    https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1176604222709751809

    Reply
  6. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 3:52 pm

    Kevin M. Kruse @ KevinMKruse
    Nixon released his own transcripts of the Oval Office tapes — which turned out to be wildly misleading.

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      September 24, 2019 at 7:53 pm

      It is the expectation that whatever they release will be as heavily massaged as and edited and not even remotely what or how it was said..

      Nobody believes that a brazen treasonous buffoon and the shameless crooked sycophants and puppeteers he surrounds himself with, have any intention of starting to tell the truth now..

      These folks have never had it so good.. all the power and position they’d never ever have been considered for or been anywhere near …even in their wildest dreams ..and tax-payer funded perks – including those they make up and add as they go along.. seeing as they’ve been largely unchecked..

      When the true extent of damage and grift is uncovered, people’s heads will be spinning for a long time to come..

      Reply
  7. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 12:35 pm

    Michael Strahan, Keke Palmer and Sara Haines recreate the opening credits of TV classic Three’s Company to kick off new season

    The opening credits , which starred John Ritter, Suzanne Sommers and Joyce DeWitt, has been recreated by the hosts of Strahan, Sara & Keke
    It will air Tuesday afternoon at 1pm on ABC, where the show has just started its new season
    Strahan takes on the role of Jack, which was made famous by John Ritter
    Sara Haines steps into Suzanne Sommers’ shoes as Chrissy in the recreated credit sequence
    New addition Keke Palmer is Janet, who was portrayed by Joyce DeWitt in the original show
    By CHRIS SPARGO FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

    PUBLISHED: 09:01 EDT, 24 September 2019 | UPDATED: 09:26 EDT, 24 September 2019

    Reply
  8. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 11:31 am

    And The Tweet Goes On (@lacadri34) Tweeted:
    Dear white liberals,

    Never threaten black people with a second Trump term. We survived 400 years of slavery, Jim Crow, the
    CIA planting crack cocaine in our communities. We’ll survive a Trump presidency. Believe that. We aren’t going anywhere. https://twitter.com/lacadri34/status/1175962443887075329?s=17

    Reply
    • Liza says:
      September 24, 2019 at 3:55 pm

      Kamala Harris has consistently polled close to 5 percent. She got a bounce after the first CNN debate which she did not sustain, then it was back to 5 percent.

      She’s had a lot of exposure, but she’s not catching on. It’s not her time.

      It’s looking right now like a two-way race with Biden and Warren with Sanders a distant third. When Sanders fizzles, and he will, Warren could easily pull ahead of Biden. With those choices, that’s what I hope happens. But if Biden is the voters’ choice, so be it.

      Right now this appears to be over for all but Biden, Warren, and Sanders. Assuming those three maintain their health and momentum, then one of them wins the nomination.

      Reply
  11. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 11:24 am

    BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) Tweeted:
    Over the past few years, Melania trump has masqueraded as an anti-bullying, “Be Best” advocate.

    In the past few days, Conservative heads attacked Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Climate Activist.

    This seems to be a prime example of bullying.

    Melania trump is SILENT.
    #BeBest https://twitter.com/mmpadellan/status/1176311703266582530?s=17

    Reply
    • Liza says:
      September 24, 2019 at 4:09 pm

      I always laugh to myself when people expect Melania Trump to be better than she is. What kind of a woman would be married to Trump? That #BeBest is a lot of baloney that they made up for her “project” because a First Lady is expected to do something other than primp and groom herself and have Botox injections until her face looks like stone.

      Reply
  15. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 9:32 am

    Meghan Markle wears headscarf in public for the first time then helps another woman with her head covering on Cape Town mosque visit with Prince Harry on royal couple’s Africa tour

    Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited South Africa’s first and oldest mosque, Auwal Mosque in Bo-Kaap
    Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met a group of children on Monwabisi Beach near Cape Town this morning
    They heard about the charity Waves for Change, which use the ocean as a therapeutic escape for youngsters
    Royals also heard about the Lunchbox Fund, which benefits from public donations made after Archie’s birth

    By REBECCA ENGLISH, ROYAL CORRESPONDENT IN CAPE TOWN FOR THE DAILY MAIL and AMIE GORDON FOR MAILONLINE

    PUBLISHED: 08:43 EDT, 24 September 2019 | UPDATED: 10:20 EDT, 24 September 2019

    Reply
  16. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 9:24 am

    This is the best FOX can do?

    Steve Doocy: “If the president said ‘I will give you the money but you’ve got to investigate Joe Biden,’ that is really off-the-rails wrong. But if it’s something else, you know, it would be nice to know what it is.” pic.twitter.com/wWpuLqeRUT

    — Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) September 24, 2019

    Reply
  17. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 9:09 am

    julie k. brown
    @jkbjournalist
    ·1h
    BREAKING NEWS: French police launch search at Jeffrey Epstein’s Paris flat, Karin’s modeling agency after at least Three victims come forward in Paris probe

    Reply
  18. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 9:06 am

    David Pepper
    @DavidPepper
    ·8h
    The chair of the Ukraine Caucus (@senrobportman ) was either lied to about aid that was supposed to go to Ukraine, or he knew others were being lied to.
    Tomorrow, he should be asked which it was.

    Reply
  19. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 9:05 am

    Woman discovers Renaissance masterpiece in her kitchen

    Christ Mocked, by the 13th-century artist who taught Giotto, is estimated to be worth between €4m and €6m (£3.5m to £5.3m), according to the old masters specialists Turquin. They said the work was owned by a woman in the northern French town of Compiègne, who had it hanging between her kitchen and her sitting room. It was directly above a hotplate for cooking food. The painting is thought to be part of a large diptych dating from 1280 when Cimabue, also known as Cenni di Pepo, painted eight scenes depicting Christ’s passion and crucifixion

    Reply
  20. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 9:02 am

    digby @digby56

    The silver lining in all this new focus on candidates’ children’s business dealings is that we will see the press digging deeply on Eric Trump and the golf course graft and Don Junior and his foreign travels over the past two years on behalf of the Trump Org.

    Right? Right ????

    ‏Speaking of which, Trump said yesterday that nobody can possibly believe that Biden didn’t speak with his son about business.

    Can a journalist please f/u by asking Trump if he speaks to his sons about his own business from which he’s currently profiting at taxpayer expense?

    Reply
  21. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 9:00 am

    BWA HA HA HA HA AHA H AH

    Trump visited the US border this week & said rock climbers tested his wall & agreed it cannot be climbed. But Mexicans have turned Trump’s wall into a tourist attraction & are playing a game to see who can climb it the fastest, no ladders or ropes needed. The record is 45 secon

    Reply
  22. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 8:48 am

    Ukraine potentially presents a much clearer story on impeachment for Democrats than Russia ever did. And it’s new, not something that was covered at max volume for 3 years. I still tend not to think that public opinion on impeachment will move much, but it’s hard to know.

    — Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) September 23, 2019

    Reply
  23. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 8:47 am

    Trump: I did it

    Rudy: He did it

    Whistleblower: He did it

    Senate Republicans: Well, guess we’ll never know…

    — Brian Tashman (@briantashman) September 24, 2019

    Reply
  24. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 8:47 am

    This is a conservative Democrat:

    US Rep Brendan Boyle @ RepBrendanBoyle
    I represent more Ukrainian-Americans than any other member of Congress. I’ve introduced more bills and amendments supporting Ukraine than any other member. What Trump has done is sacrifice America’s defense of Europe against Russia. It is deeply unpatriotic. He must be impeached.

    Reply
  25. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 8:45 am

    NYT’s Sulzberger says Trump admin refused to protect two US journalists targeted by el Sisi in Egypt,

    Reply
  26. Liza says:
    September 24, 2019 at 8:36 am

    Crazy mofo right here. When is it going to be enough?
    https://twitter.com/TrueFactsStated/status/1176252753942929408

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      September 24, 2019 at 8:22 pm

      Told you fam..

      This is that manifestation of non-black folks of color buying into the hierarchical totem pole.. the one that tells them they’re better than black folks..

      The one that emboldens them in their endless disrespect, demeaning and mistreatment of black folks.. even as these non-black folks of color are themselves the target of white supremacy..

      Don’t care what they did, they’d never dare do this to white girls/women.. never..

      Reply
  29. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 8:25 am

    He wouldn’t know courage if it came up and spit in his face:

    Sen. Marco Rubio: “It is possible to do something that is wrong and not be an impeachable offense and people are throwing that term around so loosely it’s lost all meaning.” pic.twitter.com/BTHQyySFGq— The Hill (@thehill) September 24, 2019

    Reply
  32. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 8:11 am

    Seven freshmen Democrats from swing districts — Reps. Gil Cisneros of California, Jason Crow of Colorado, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Elaine Luria of Virginia, Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia — released an op-ed in The Post this evening:

    Our lives have been defined by national service. We are not career politicians. We are veterans of the military and of the nation’s defense and intelligence agencies. Our service is rooted in the defense of our country on the front lines of national security.

    We have devoted our lives to the service and security of our country, and throughout our careers, we have sworn oaths to defend the Constitution of the United States many times over. Now, we join as a unified group to uphold that oath as we enter uncharted waters and face unprecedented allegations against President Trump.

    The president of the United States may have used his position to pressure a foreign country into investigating a political opponent, and he sought to use U.S. taxpayer dollars as leverage to do it. He allegedly sought to use the very security assistance dollars appropriated by Congress to create stability in the world, to help root out corruption and to protect our national security interests, for his own personal gain. These allegations are stunning, both in the national security threat they pose and the potential corruption they represent. We also know that on Sept. 9, the inspector general for the intelligence community notified Congress of a “credible” and “urgent” whistleblower complaint related to national security and potentially involving these allegations. Despite federal law requiring the disclosure of this complaint to Congress, the administration has blocked its release to Congress.

    This flagrant disregard for the law cannot stand. To uphold and defend our Constitution, Congress must determine whether the president was indeed willing to use his power and withhold security assistance funds to persuade a foreign country to assist him in an upcoming election.

    If these allegations are true, we believe these actions represent an impeachable offense. We do not arrive at this conclusion lightly, and we call on our colleagues in Congress to consider the use of all congressional authorities available to us, including the power of “inherent contempt” and impeachment hearings, to address these new allegations, find the truth and protect our national security.

    Short, and to the point.

    Reply
  33. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 8:07 am

    From WaPo:

    President Trump told his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, to hold back almost $400 million in military aid for Ukraine at least a week before a phone call in which Trump is said to have pressured the Ukrainian president to investigate the son of former vice president Joe Biden, according to three senior administration officials…

    Trump’s order to withhold aid to Ukraine a week before his July 25 call with Volodymyr Zelensky is likely to raise questions about the motivation for his decision and fuel suspicions on Capitol Hill that Trump sought to leverage congressionally approved aid to damage a political rival. The revelation comes as lawmakers clash with the White House over a related whistleblower complaint made by an intelligence official alarmed by Trump’s actions.

    Reply
  53. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 3:44 am

    I was going to published this tomorrow morning, but a lot has been happening. Lots of moving parts right now.

    Reply
  54. rikyrah says:
    September 24, 2019 at 3:43 am

    Good Morning, Everyone 😄😄😄

    Reply

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