And it looks like that may just actually happen. I didn't really make this clear in the earlier post about the New Mexico Impeachment Resolution passing it's final committee hurdle:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x347942What its fate would be after that, we all have been debating here for quite a while, but the point of this post is to emphasize that the New Mexico resolution has a real chance to succeed in the New Mexico legislature. Here's info, background and action alert:
Jodin posting at
DemocracyForNewMexico.com: Both the NM House and Senate are in the control of Democrats. I think it will be close but we have a good chance, according to the bill's sponsors.
Dem party stats in New Mexico chambers according to
DUer berni_mccoy's research:How does this all work? From
Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_in_the_United_... House of Representatives
Impeachment proceedings may be commenced by a member of the House of Representatives on his or her own initiative by either presenting a listing of the charges under oath, or by placing a resolution in the hopper for referral to the appropriate committee. The impeachment process may be triggered by non-members, for example: when the Judicial Conference of the United States suggests a federal judge be impeached; a Special Prosecutor advises the House of information which he or she believes constitutes grounds for impeachment; by message from the President; or by a charge from a State or territorial legislature or grand jury; or by petition.
The type of Impeachment resolution determines which committee it will be referred to. A resolution impeaching a particular individual is typically referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. A resolution to authorize an investigation regarding impeachable conduct is referred to the House Committee on Rules, which then is then referred to the Judiciary Committee. The House Committee on the Judiciary, by majority vote, will determine whether grounds for impeachment exist. If the Committee finds grounds for impeachment they will set forth specific allegations of misconduct in one or more "articles of impeachment." The Impeachment Resolution, or Article(s) of Impeachment, are then reported to the full House with the committee's recommendations.
The House debates the resolution ...
From
Leland Lehrman at
MotherMedia.org:In what may be a national first, a State-initiated impeachment resolution against the President and Vice-President of the United States has reached the floor of a State Senate. Drawing support from hundreds of supremely dedicated citizens willing to wait hours on both weekends and weekdays for the opportunity to speak, the five Democrats present on the New Mexico Senate Judiciary Committee, voted in favor without doubt or hesitation. No audience member spoke against.
Former Congresswoman Liz Holtzman's expert witness testimony appeared via videotape and was enormously influential due to her standing as a member of the Judiciary Committee that begain impeachment proceedings against Richard Nixon.
Senator Rod Adair, the sole Republican willing to answer the charges made a best effort to deny them, but was ultimately unconvincing. Predictably citing the now suspect war powers of the Executive Branch and claiming that the United States is the guardian of the free world against fascism and totalitarianism, Senator Adair used the propaganda term Islamofascists to vilify America's opponents in the Middle East and justify the ongoing wars. No Democrat attempted to refute Senator Adair's position, but the hour was late and their vote said it all.
The resolution now goes to the Senate floor where the vote is expected to be close. Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, who controls the floor schedule, voted solidly without comment for the Resolution in Judiciary and recently stated to the press that he expects the measure to pass in a party line vote. However, Democratic Senators John Arthur Smith and Shannon Robinson have declared their hesitance to vote for the measure and Senator Tim Jennings and Phil Griego remain uncommitted. There is some question as to whether or not the vote must pass with a majority of the Senate (22 yes votes) or a majority of those present. Authorities on the Rules of the New Mexico Legislature are working on the question but believe that a majority of those present will suffice.
Report from
Desi Brown at
AfterDowningStreet.org (particularly aimed at NM DUers:- snip -
Now, take a deep breath, relax, stretch for a minute and congratulate yourselves.
....Alright, time to get back to work and help us push through our next step - the Senate Floor - and beyond!
Take your focused energy, your renewed faith in the process, your
understanding of what this bill is about ? and try to stay away from the
Senators this week! Now is a stressful time for all of them and the
sponsors of this legislation will most assuredly be working hard behind
the scenes to try to ensure there will be enough votes when SJR5 comes
to the Senate Floor. What you can do is:
o Continue to call all 42 of their offices to
simply show your support for the Resolution.
o Particularly try to contact constituents and
local civic/democratic groups in Senators Smith, Jennings, and
Carraro's (yes, he's a Republican!) districts to see if they will
support SJR5 and forward that info to those three Senators. We are
leery of direct contact between them and the public at this point so
please try not to approach any of the three directly. Please honor
this request by Senator Ortiz y Pino.
o Begin casual contact with Representatives on the
House side in the event of passage off of the Senate Floor.
o Keep in mind everything we have been discussing
before!
o Really try to ramp up public input through
letters to the editor of local and national papers, call in to radio
shows, talk to everyone you know and continue spreading the word.
o While of course staying on topic and focused on the
process, not the end result.
o Our mantra is that we are asking Congress for an
investigation into possible Impeachment via a legally recognized and
constitutional means provided to the people of the U.S. thanks to Thomas
Jefferson and the founders of our nation.
If this Resolution passes the Senate Floor, there needs to be an
IMMEDIATE and INTENSE upswing of public support in order to get it
through the House side of the Legislature. We are counting on each of
you to make that happen!
No word on when this will be scheduled for the N. Mexico Senate, but I'll keep an eye and if anyone else hears, please post. This may go nowhere. Impeachment may go nowhere. The end result matters, but the process matters, too, and, at this point, the process is, well, proceeding, with all signals apparently on green. Make no mistake, someone in the White House is paying attention to this.
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