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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSalon:Here's why removing trump from office more urgent than ever
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/04/heres-removing-donald-trump-office-urgent-ever/One of the most challenging tasks Americans can undertake at the moment is to impeach the president for his myriad high crimes and misdemeanors. Its challenging but we have no choice. It has to be done for a variety of reasons including and especially this: its almost impossible to simply name, much less adjudicate, every impeachment-worthy trespass by Donald Trump simply because there are so many.
Where to begin?
This is as good a place as any: CNNs Jake Tapper reported this week that Trump ordered federal agents in El Paso to not only disregard asylum laws but to also defy any court-ordered injunctions against Trumps barbaric and unconstitutional family-separation policy. Indeed, the most obvious impeachable crimes by the president involve abuses of power like this one literal crimes against humanity inflicted upon Central Americans fleeing from drug violence and death. Yet Trump clearly believes Richard Nixons unitary executive creed: When the president does it, that means that its not illegal. Hes milking this political theory so vigorously you could cut glass with Dick Cheneys erection.
What else?
There are his hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, with the conspiracy reaching into the Oval Office where Trump handed over the Daniels payments to Michael Cohen.
Theres Trumps obvious fealty to Vladimir Putin, going so far as to accept Putins word over the findings of our intelligence community.
Theres Trumps very fine people support for Nazis and white supremacists at the Charlottesville protests.
There are his tax returns, which, according to Michael Cohen under oath, could show intentionally underreported revenue to reduce Trumps tax burden. To this day, Trump refuses to let the American people see his returns, unlike every president since Richard Nixon. Why? To own the libs isnt a valid excuse.
Theres business fraud and violations of the Constitutions emoluments clause.
Theres his refusal to fill cabinet posts, instead circumventing accountability by keeping a record number of people in acting positions.
There are his nearly 10,000 public lies.
More at link
PSPS
(13,621 posts)Impeachment is worthless without a senate that will convict and that will never happen. Our system of governance is hopelessly broken.
PufPuf23
(8,843 posts)be to turn Red States Blue and establish a much stronger voting base in Red rural USA.
I do not understand why this is not a highest priority.
Rural USA was Democratic in the time of FDR and that position has deteriorated ever since, some causes for the deterioration are obvious. Some methods to improve are also evident but not actively addressed by the national Democratic party. Some prefer to think Red states and rural USA are a lost cause (IMO what a self-defeating stance!) so why bother. These areas are not monolithic and demographics and society change. This is a void of opportunity for our party.
Impeachment is impeachment, conviction in the Senate removes from office. Doing nothing or continuously waiting for a time that never comes does nothing. History of these times will put a decision not to impeach Trump by the House in poor light if this is what occurs.
An impeachment without conviction will weaken Trump in 2020, too many think the opposite but they are probably wrong.
Andy823
(11,495 posts)But unless the republicans in the Senate are willing to do their job, it wouldn't happen. How many of them would stand up to trump? All it would do is rally trumps base and give trump more talking points about him being a target of a witch hunt!
I would love to seem him gone, but how do we convince the Senate it's time to get rid of him?
bullwinkle428
(20,631 posts)defeated, I can't say for sure that it will be an easy process.
murielm99
(30,777 posts)transfer of power. I don't think we've seen the worst of him yet.
Mr Tibbs
(539 posts)DeminPennswoods
(15,290 posts)did not abandon Nixon until the very end when the full tapes were made public.
Right now most Americans only have a vague idea of all the lies and corruption of Trump, his family, friends and political appointees. That's why Impeachment hearings are a good idea. Pelosi could easily form a House Select Committee to investigate Trump rather than depend on Nadler, Schiff, Neal, Waters to hold defacto impeachement hearings. Select committee hearings need to be like the Watergate hearings, on TV every day so Americans can learn exactly what is and has been going on. Hearings need not even end in an impeachment vote, but Americans need to be informed and educated about what is going on in the Trump administration.
WA-03 Democrat
(3,056 posts)FakeNoose
(32,823 posts)... the fact that the American people slowly became disgusted with the Vietnam War. Nixon was elected in 1968 on a "peace" ticket don't forget. He ran against Hubert Humphrey in '68 who had no choice but to defend LBJ's Vietnam War, even though he himself wanted us out of Vietnam. Once Nixon got elected, he immediately extended the war into Laos and Cambodia and for 4 years we heard about "peace with honor" which was his excuse for not shutting it down.
Middle class Americans finally saw the light when their own kids were getting killed and maimed, and even the war vets were protesting. It really became "Nixon's War" by 1972 and people started showing their patriotism by protesting the war and Nixon. He still won by a landslide but the cracks were showing in his administration by then. To his benefit, the mainstream media ignored Watergate until after the '72 election. All I can say (to this day) is Thank God for the Washington Post and Woodward and Bernstein.
misanthrope
(7,432 posts)are nearly as ethically devoid as POTUS and his crew.
SammyWinstonJack
(44,130 posts)DeminPennswoods
(15,290 posts)impeachment. Right now the House is doing defacto impeachment hearings, but piecemeal even if the committees are co-ordinating.
Thomas Hurt
(13,903 posts)Once that fails, Trump becomes a martyr and any independents or Repubs who are on the fence will flock to Trump.
Then we are well and truly screwed unless we have massive Dem voter turnout.
Perseus
(4,341 posts)I believe Democrats can defeat Pence in 2020, I say IMPEACH the bastard now! Impeach Barr as well.
unblock
(52,387 posts)but he didn't.
and even if he did, that's a weak justification for not removing a monster.
if the next guy is also a monster, then get rid of that one, too. don't keep a known monster just because you're afraid of the next guy.
the better reason (really the only reason) not to impeach is because we know the senate won't remove. that's a strong argument for not bothering, though there are many situations where congress does things to "go on record" taking a stand, even if they know their actions won't result in a new law or in this case, removal of a president.
Demsrule86
(68,715 posts)What happens is he wins another term if you do this.
unblock
(52,387 posts)Republican beat Hillary by smearing her made-up accusations for 25 years.
We've got Donnie on a laundry list of real crimes but if we even *try* to kick him out it will not only fail but also cost us the election?
If that's the way it works, we're beyond screwed anyway.
Demsrule86
(68,715 posts)world wide wally
(21,757 posts)Bring up impeachment charges one at a time and make his life miserable permanently.
PufPuf23
(8,843 posts)Impeach every Monday on a new charge, rinse and repeat until the GOP Senators look like fools and capitulate.
Demsrule86
(68,715 posts)PufPuf23
(8,843 posts)would turn out better for the Democratic party regards weakening or removing Trump and gaining ground on the degenerate GOP.
If not removed by impeachment and conviction, the best alternative regards Trump is to weaken him to the degree the GOP will not allow him to be their candidate in 2020. Recent days Trump is becoming ever more entrenched. More damage to the USA daily.
We are pretty far down the rabbit hole already. Past time to stop it.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)Fiendish Thingy
(15,686 posts)Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)colsohlibgal
(5,275 posts)This is a fast moving hijacking of our Nation with blatant disregard for laws, morality, decency, etc.
Trump is a dangerous dumb mentally deranged psychopath. This is an ever speeding coup.
Equally to blame is McConnell. He has sold his soul to the dark side. If we weather this and return to some kind of normalcy we must ditch the Electoral College and make the Senate more fair and representative of our population dispersment.
My fantasy is that we are being monitored by benevolent aliens who at some point would transport Trump and his gang to some prison planet. A girl can dream.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)Demsrule86
(68,715 posts)Another attack on Democrats I suppose.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)a stand. Go on record for history that we say and show that his actions are despicable. Far worst than any other president. We allowed bush to get away with starting a fake war where hundreds of thousands died. Not again. Make the Republicans vote no so they are on record that they condone his behavior. They are breathing so easy now that they don't have to.
eShirl
(18,505 posts)KPN
(15,665 posts)suffer the same again.
It must be done ... for the good of the country, the good of the people.
We should not and cannot shy away from that reality.
Frankly, I feel his offenses reach the level of treason against the people. The penalties? Well, what does the law proscribe?
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)of futility is that all these months we have been saying and thinking that Mueller would take care of each new travesty. I know that his grand jury is still meeting but he's not actively investigating new crimes anymore.
Sure, we are having hearings, but to what end? Trump's got Barr as the showstopper. For SDNY too. Would we even know if there were any sealed indictments for trump?
Meanwhile, Trump's got Kavenaugh as an another blocker.
All the while his poll numbers are not tanking. And we have to have the three states he miraculously won last time. If TRussia did make that happen.. nothing's been done to stop it from happening again.
I really don't see how impeachment could make all this any worse. And the plus is to concisely spell out his crimes for the public to hear. This is important since Trump's MO is to spread them out, diminishing the magnitude.
If we present them all in impeachment hearing and the public says no big deal, then it seems unlikely that we could be in a worst position. Surely it would convince a number of people who aren't convinced yet? And we did the right thing...plus it gets GOPers on record.