Plea to Democrats and Speaker Pelosi: Impeach

2019-June-13

tags: 2020, congress, Country Above Politics, Democrats, Donald Trump, impeachment, politics

By Martie Hevia | Blue Beach Song™

grey ceramic landmark during daytime

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a dedicated public servant and one of the most effective House Speakers we have ever had, no doubt believes that she is doing the smart thing by not beginning impeachment proceedings. After all, she does not want to rally and mobilize Donald Trump’s base and get him re-elected in 2020, and Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has stated that he will quash the impeachment by refusing to hold an impeachment trial. So she may think that no impeachment is the smart political move, but is it really? Won’t voters who came out en masse in 2018 to put Democrats in control of the House and hold Donald Trump accountable, instead hold the Democrats accountable come 2020 for failing to impeach? And although we can debate whether it is the smart thing to do politically, is it the right thing?

Although it is unlikely that Democratic voters will vote for Donald Trump, they may simply not show up at the polls, seeing weakness, inaction, and vacillation on the part of Democratic leaders, or sheer frustration with them, as a reason to stay home. If Democratic voters stay home and do not vote, this may hurt Democrats running for all offices: local, state, and national. The House could revert back to the Republicans, the Senate may become ever-more deeply entrenched in the bowels of the GOP, and Donald Trump may get re-elected.

It sounds crazy, right? No, it doesn’t. American University Professor Allan Lichtman, who has correctly predicted for 35 years the last nine presidential elections, since 1984, including Donald Trump’s 2016 election, has publicly come out and said that unless Congress impeaches Donald Trump, he will most likely be re-elected in 2020. Professor Lichtman uses a system of 13 true-or-false questions, in which six or more true answers favor the party in power, and right now it looks like the one thing that may keep Donald Trump from retaking the White House is impeachment.

We all know Speaker Pelosi will find no support among Senate Republicans who right now see more value in standing silently behind Trump, hoping to ride his coattails to re-election in 2020, than in standing up to Trump or Leader McConnell. The whole country understands that even if the House does succeed in impeaching Donald Trump, the Senate will do nothing. Leader Mitch McConnell has made it clear that he will not hold an impeachment trial and he will not remove Trump from office.

So, what is the point of impeachment if nothing will come of it?

The point is to do the right thing.

Congress has a constitutional duty to hold federal government officials accountable. The House, specifically, holds the power to bring impeachment charges as part of its oversight and investigatory responsibilities. This mechanism of checks and balances that our founding fathers put in place have provided us with a strong democratic government for nearly 250 years and are there for a reason.

“The President, Vice President and all Civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
— U.S. Constitution, Article II, section 4

“The Constitution gives the House of Representatives the sole power to impeach an official, and it makes the Senate the sole court for impeachment trials. The power of impeachment is limited to removal from office but also provides for a removed officer to be disqualified from holding future office. Fines and potential jail time for crimes committed while in office are left to civil courts.”

United States House of Representatives: https://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Impeachment/

It is Congress’ duty to impeach a president who violates his oath of office, even when it is not bi-partisan, even when it is not easy. Congress should lead public support, not follow polls. And if they don’t act now, they will lose the opportunity the voters gave them in 2018. Specifically, I ask Speaker Pelosi and the House Democrats to:

DO THE RIGHT THING: Impeachment is the right thing to do. If Donald Trump’s egregious behavior is not worthy of impeachment, then no President will ever be impeached. Congress is abdicating their duty and responsibility to provide oversight and accountability, check and balance, over the executive branch. Set politics aside and do the right thing.
LEAD DON’T FOLLOW: Build the support for impeachment by educating the country through televised impeachment inquiry hearings. We all know that at the beginning of the Watergate impeachment hearings there was only 19% support in the country for impeachment, but a year later, after the televised hearings, 57% of the country supported impeachment. Lead, don’t follow.
TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY: Right now, Congress has the time and the opportunity to hold impeachment hearings. The House flipped to the Democrats in great part because people wanted and needed to hold the President accountable for his many abuses. If voters see that no one, not even the House Democrats, are willing to hold Donald Trump accountable, then disillusioned voters may stay home in 2020. The House may flip back to the Republicans and Congress will lose the opportunity in this small window in time to hold Donald Trump accountable.

Those entrusted to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” however low or high their public office, have a solemn duty to do the right thing, set politics aside, and put country above politics.

The Democrats should not allow the Republicans to dictate the course of action, to frame the debate, allowing partisan politics and gamesmanship to cloud what should be a clear choice: President Donald Trump should be impeached.

By words and deeds, Donald Trump has proven himself more than worthy of an impeachment inquiry:

He is a racist, a misogynist, a xenophobe, an Islamophobe, a liar, a cheater, and a bully;
His ignorance of the law, economics, and basic management, and unwillingness to learn or read, makes him incompetent and dangerous, leading to poorly conceived actions and policies;
He is ill-tempered, insecure, and narcissistic, which leads to dangerous behavior;
He insults our allies and friends, but befriends brutal autocrats, kleptocrats, and dictators;
He allows himself, his family, his friends, and members of his administration to waste taxpayer money in lavish and wasteful personal expenses, and use their positions to engage in corrupt acts to enrich themselves.

The list of egregious behavior, corrupt actions, and unpresidential speech worthy of impeachment is endless, vast, and deep.

Overview: Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Narcissistic personality disorder — one of several types of personality disorders — is a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that’s vulnerable to the slightest criticism.

A narcissistic personality disorder causes problems in many areas of life, such as relationships, work, school or financial affairs. People with narcissistic personality disorder may be generally unhappy and disappointed when they’re not given the special favors or admiration they believe they deserve. They may find their relationships unfulfilling, and others may not enjoy being around them.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder and the severity of symptoms vary. People with the disorder can:

Have an exaggerated sense of self-importance

Have a sense of entitlement and require constant, excessive admiration

Expect to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it

Exaggerate achievements and talents

Be preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate

Believe they are superior and can only associate with equally special people

Monopolize conversations and belittle or look down on people they perceive as inferior

Expect special favors and unquestioning compliance with their expectations

Take advantage of others to get what they want

Have an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others

Be envious of others and believe others envy them

Behave in an arrogant or haughty manner, coming across as conceited, boastful and pretentious

Insist on having the best of everything — for instance, the best car or office

At the same time, people with narcissistic personality disorder have trouble handling anything they perceive as criticism, and they can:

Become impatient or angry when they don’t receive special treatment

Have significant interpersonal problems and easily feel slighted

React with rage or contempt and try to belittle the other person to make themselves appear superior

Have difficulty regulating emotions and behavior

Experience major problems dealing with stress and adapting to change

Feel depressed and moody because they fall short of perfection

Have secret feelings of insecurity, shame, vulnerability and humiliation

Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/narcissistic-personality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20366662

Congressional Democrats, should not assume that Donald Trump will not be re-elected, if they do nothing. The Russians are still actively trying to influence our elections and the Republican Senate is unwilling to do anything to protect our election systems. Winning is all that matters to them, even if it means supporting Trump’s lies, incompetence, and corruption.

Fairly or not, preserving, protecting and defending our democracy, our country, and our constitution falls on Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats. This is their time and it is their duty. They should begin impeachment investigations. They should hold impeachment hearings. They should educate the American public and lead public support. They should not miss this window of opportunity. To repeatedly say they “are not there yet,” begs the question, what are they waiting for? What more must Donald Trump do to convince them?

If Speaker Pelosi cannot find reason to impeach Donald Trump, after his public showing of his character failings and prejudices, extensive emolument clause violations, allowing his family and appointees to profit from their positions, continued willingness to accept help from the Russians and other foreign governments to get elected, and overall general incompetence, then no one will ever be worthy of impeachment.

Democrats should lead, inspire, show strength, and do the right thing.

If they do that, they just might motivate the voters to come out in 2020.