Help me out here: Why is he still there?

[edwin]

I am at a loss. I am not a citizen, I am relatively new here on DU, I am not up to date on every detail on how things work here. What am I missing? Why is he still in office? Why is he not impeached? Is there an agenda that I don't understand? Why is he still in office?

[LSK]

1. 49 Republican Senators

:shrug:

[patrice]

2. Bernie Sanders is saying if he does Iran, there will be plenty of

bipartisan support to impeach him NOW. He was very definite on this point. Sanders is an Independent, so you know both sides talk to him.

[cooolandrew]

18. Well, being independent I am not sure he would talk to both side...

in the house he voted with the Dems more than most Dems did so not sure Republicans would favour him. Bernie is a true man of the people. He needs cloning and to run in every state.

[edwin]

4. Are you saying that 51 is not enough?

Is there a requirement of more than a majority vote in the senate?

[LSK]

5. Joementum

[edwin]

7. Thanks!

I learned a new word, plus I wasn't aware of the fact that there were currently 2 independent senators.

[Kagemusha]

6. Takes 2/3rds to convict and remove an impeached president.

FYI, because it puts the lack of impeachment in proper context.

[edwin]

8. But...

As I understand it currently, the House only needs a majority, and the senate "only" needs the 2/3 majority after the hearings, correct?

Does that mean it doesn't happen, because "we" are too scared not to get that 2/3 after the hearings?

[wtmusic]

10. I'm afraid it's 'off the table'...like accountability

I'm equally confused. :silly:

[cooolandrew]

17. Vidal '' It shouldn't be off the table, it is the table in fact Pelosi should stand on the table''

[Kagemusha]

13. Being scared or not scared has nothing to do with it

Dems aren't getting those 2/3rds. Period. It's totally unrealistic to the point of utter insanity to expect otherwise and claim that expectation to be rational. Why would Republicans go along with it? They wouldn't, simple tribalism and that's that.

[cooolandrew]

16. Yep, need 60 also one Dem is sell out so it's hard lines.

[sarge43]

20. Two thirds of the Senate has to vote for convinction

The numbers just aren't there -- yet.

The House of Representatives issues articles of impeachment; the Senate tries with the Chief Justice presiding.

Another thing that's putting on the brakes -- the Dickster Cheney. He's Bush's impeachment insurance.

[donheld]

19. 49 Republican Senators + the Yellow Party

[shance]

3. Edwin, you've just asked the 60 billion dollar question havent you?

The agenda is a lack of true courage and conviction by our Congress and an all too timid/distracted America populace at large.

There are many of us trying however to see justice and a true civil America can eventually restore what has been done. Of course that will take decades, if not longer.

[wiggs]

9. Good question that could elicit many DU thoughtful answers from many different

perspectives. Bottom line is that our democracy/republic is not healthy. If it were and we could have a meaningful, honest public discussion of the issues then he wouldn't have been able in the first place to be the dangerous rogue president that he is.

[jobycom]

11. It's hard to impeach, harder to remove a president.

Only two have been impeached, none have been removed. For an impeachment, a majority of the lower house of Congress has to agree to charges, and only specific charges laid out in the Constitution can result in removal. Treason, bribery, and "high crimes and misdemeanors," a term meaning political crimes against the state. Once a president is impeached in the House of Representatives, he goes to the Senate for a trial. If two-thirds of the Senate agree that he is guilty AND that the crimes warrant removal, then he would removed.

The Republican Party controlled Congress, both houses, until about a month ago. They blocked all attempts to investigate Bush. Now that Dems are in control, they could begin the process, starting with evidence gathering and ending with a Senate hearing. The process would likely take six months or so, and tie up all attempts to clean up Bush's messes. It's highly unlikely that the attempt would succeed, too, because the Seante ie evenly split, so a lot of Republicans would have to vote to impeach their own president. So more than likely the attempt would result in failure, as things stand now. And if successful, the result would be President Cheney, who is as bad if not worse. Then the whole process could begin again against Cheney. Meanwhile, Cheney would pick a Vice President he liked, and that person would be president if Cheney was removed.

So after a year and a half, we'd have a slim chance at getting the bastards out of office, just in time for an election in 2008. We'd have done little of the work that needs to be done to clean up behind Bush.

Plus, people are watching a trial that could result in legal problems for Cheney, with the hopes that he may be removed from the picture with little effort. That would change things. And, the mood of the people could change, which would put pressure on the Republicans in the Senate to vote for removal. So Democrats are watching, waiting, and compiling evidence, but so far not willing to commit to a battle they will probably lose.

It's triage in America right now. The Dems are trying to stop the bleeding before they remove the cause of the injury.

That's the short of it. The Constitution makes it hard to impeach, on purpose.

[liberal renegade]

12. the reason he's still here

is because nobody has smoked his presidential cigar yet....

[mmonk]

14. No good reason.

Just as there is no good reason not to try.

[cooolandrew]

15. First Dems need to go to rent a spine & 2nd most importantly they didn't get enough seats in senate