Democrats allowed Republicans to steal the 2000 election in Florida. They didn’t put up a fight. Democrats allowed Republicans to steal the 2004 election by electronically rigging the vote in Ohio. They didn’t put up a fight. A fight would look petty and partisan, the party leadership reasoned, it will work out for the best if they keep their powder dry.
“I’m not for impeachment,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the Democrats yesterday in the party’s latest decision to keep the powder dry. The Democratic Party has more dry powder saved than France right before it surrendered to Germany in 1940.
Pundits and politicians praised Pelosi’s decision as genius, particularly the attack on Trump’s narcissism by declaring, “he isn’t worth it.” The Speaker may be right that Trump isn’t worth it, but our country is.
The President committed multiple felonies during the campaign and in office, some on live television. Congress has a duty to impeach. I understand McConnell’s senate will look the other way and that Fox news and conservative commentators will bray that it’s all just politics but they’ve been doing the same thing for decades. The law is the law and it applies to all of us equally. If Republican Senators want to go on the record against the rule of law after evidence has been presented in televised hearings, so be it. Let’s get all the corruption and those who support it out in the open. Those senators can be voted out of office (as long as you don’t live in Georgia, North Carolina or Texas because they rig elections).
If it’s cool that I can lie on my taxes, steal money from charity, commit bank fraud, break campaign finance laws, commit insurance fraud and obstruct justice on a a daily basis with no consequences please let me know because I’ve obviously been playing by the wrong set of rules my entire life.
These high crimes and misdemeanors would put regular people in prison for years. It is toleration of these crimes in multiple administrations out of ‘respect for the office’ that got us to the point that we have a reality star President with ties to organized crime and the Kremlin. How about we respect the office by impeaching crooks? Each time we ignore the lawbreaking, we encourage more of it.
While liberals think Trump is somehow hurt by “not mattering enough”, what Trump heard yesterday was, “keep breaking the law,” as he continues stacking the federal court system, stuffing his pockets and destroying our civil service. The longer he is in office, the more damage he can do.
There will always be another election right around the corner and we will always be told it is the most important one in our lifetime – is that a reason we should not pursue justice?
If Trump manages to rig the 2020 election and push the Democrats from the House at least their powder will be dry for the next time.
Wes Clark Jr. 