Why Does It Look Like The Repugs Are Daring The Dems To Proceed With Impeachment?.....

[global1]

Seems to me that the Repugs are just egging the Dems on to calling for impeachment. Even the comments of the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee this morning in his comments brought impeachment up.

What gives? Why do the Repugs want the Dems to move on impeachment?

[rzemanfl]

1. Putin is their master, they do his bidding.

Discord and chaos are his goals.

[lapfog_1]

2. Because of the Clinton Impeachment

They know that Impeachment will pass the House and that the Senate will not convict and remove.

They believe that they can spin the narrative to their base plus some independents that this was all "political over-reach" by 'the looney left" and that Trump will win re-election by playing the victim.

They may be right... which is why Pelosi is slow walking any impeachment talk.

On the other hand, if any President in history deserved impeachment, it is this one... and what he would be charged with is not getting a BJ in the oval office and lying about it... he may be charged with being an actual Russian agent or at least useful idiot, lying under oath, obstruction of justice, bribery, tax evasion, fraud (financial fraud), and, oh yeah, throw in the bit about campaign finance violations (paying off porn stars and playboy bunnies to win an election). Oh and the emoluments clause.

But the hope for the Repukes, and the fear for the Democrats, is that the public just doesn't care about these issues.

[Aristus]

21. The thing to do is call for pre-impeachment hearings in the House.

Then drag them out through Election season. Trump will have to have that hanging around his neck the whole time. Sure, it will shore up support for him among the die-hard Trumpanzees; but it might break away some waverers who will either vote Dem, third party, or stay home on Election Day.

The House doesn't ever have to hold a vote on impeachment. Never-ending hearings will do the trick. It sure ratcheted up the hatred for HRC, all those Benghazi hearings.

[NewJeffCT]

24. However, the advantage of an actual impeachment vote that passes

is that it would block Donny's ability to pardon

[StarfishSaver]

36. No, it wouldn't

Impeachment has no impact on a president's power to pardon federal crimes. The Constitution simply doesn't extend the president's pardon poweryo include the ability to prevent himself or others from being impeached.

FYI - Bill Clinton issued numerous pardons after he was impeached - including nearly three dozen people he pardoned between the time he was impeached and his acquittal by the Senate.

[redstateblues]

3. It would play into Trumps hands-make him a victim

And when impeachment fails he can claim victory

[watoos]

9. Yeah right, let's hold hearings and question empty chairs.

Trump/Barr are already playing the victim card, Barr through Grassley has started an investigation into the crooked FBI and Democrats who carried out a witch hunt against Trump. One of those Democrats being investigated is Hillary, Trump is going to put Hillary on the 2020 ballot.

Democrats have more clout under an impeachment hearing. Barr stated he would release grand jury testimony for an impeachment hearing, Dems need to call him out on that. Dems would have more clout in the courts in getting the courts to expedite contempt charge decisions.

There is no way in hell that Democrats are ever going to see the unredacted Mueller report, are going to see the grand jury testimony where all of the dirt on Trump is, unless they hold impeachment hearings.

Republicans are stalling until it's too late, until it's election time.

Democrats who say we need to wait until there is bipartisanship before impeaching are saying that we can never impeach a Republican president. Nice thing to know for future presidents.

[A DAY IN THE LIFE]

4. The Pugs will use Trump's "exoneration" by the Semate to label Democrats as vindictive, sore losers

The Dems need to get out in front of the Senate trial, showing that they do not expect a conviction because Repubs are party over country, grifters, have no morals ...

[spanone]

13. no one was exonerated.

[Chin music]

25. He's already done that.

[Fullduplexxx]

5. We should not be worrying about what they say ...

[Chin music]

26. Thats right.

[onecaliberal]

6. After the Clinton impeachment the republican senate and house gained seats.

They think the country will turn against dems, this is false. We’re at a crossroad in this country and we are either going to grab our country back from them by force or democracy and America are done. There is NO CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMEMT right now. Republicans are doing whatever they please laws be damned.

[Generic Other]

10. I am afraid if we do nothing

our party will suffer because we will have been branded as standing by helplessly while America falls to fascism.

[onecaliberal]

11. That would be an accurate description.

[lunatica]

22. If you watch what's actually happening

You’ll realize that we’re actually watching and following and even in the process of seeing Democrats DOING SOMETHING! Watch the hearings. Watch Speaker Pelosi making public statements. Watch the pundits analyzing. Watch the hearings. Watch the news coverage. Watch the individual videos of the hearings.

[onecaliberal]

47. I am watching, I just disagree with how it's happening.

[lunatica]

48. Why? They just started and you've decided they're defeated?

This fight is going to take a while. In some cases it will be months and even years.

Until Trump officially become Dictator for life and destroys Congress and the Judiciary and starts putting all Democrats in prison it’s not over.

[onecaliberal]

52. Please tell me where i said they're defeated. I don't need you to attack me because I don't agree

With you. Kind regards.

[lunatica]

55. If truth is an attack we'll so be it.

[onecaliberal]

56. So you're okay with lying about what I said. Enjoy the dust bin.

[Generic Other]

49. I do think it is moving ahead cautiously

as it must.

[lunatica]

50. It's also moving thoroughly cautiously

You can’t have your case thrown out on a stupid technicality. And you know it would be.

[walkingman]

27. You cannot compare the Clinton vs Trump impeachment. The nastier the WPP (white people's party)

is the better their supporters like it. They could care less about the constitution. All they care about is their reality TV star, Trump. The carryover from hating Obama to loving Trump is real.The GOP knows that if you get their 15sec. attention spans that is all it takes. They are much to tribal to care about the facts.

[jpljr77]

7. Because he'd never get convicted in the Senate and they would spin the "not guilty" verdict

to retain the White House and win back the House in 2020.

Pretty simple, really.

[onecaliberal]

12. There is no functioning constitutional government right now.

I am NOT OKAY with that!

[watoos]

16. I agree with you 100%

Democrats aren't aware how serious a situation we are in. Republicans are refusing to turn over documents are ignoring subpoenas, not because they think they are right but because they want to tie up subpoenas in the courts for 2 years.

Fining and jailing people who are in contempt of Congress is also a joke. There is no one to enforce it.

Fuck, we haven't even seen the good dirt on Trump from the Mueller report. Congress hasn't seen the grand jury testimony where all of the dirt is.

Barr is going to shut down all of the investigations that Mueller spun off to the SDNY and other jurisdictions, and we are supposed to wait because right wing polls show that the people don't want impeachment? WTF.

[jpljr77]

32. And my argument is that impeachment, right now, is a joke. HE WILL NOT BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE.

So why do it? Why bother if you can't get a conviction? To send a message? What message?

The only message Trump and his supporters will care about after the Senate fails to convict is NOT GUILTY.

You want the taint of impeachment on Trump? Does Clinton's impeachment taint him and his presidency? In fact, two people very closely associated with him -- his VP and his wife -- won the popular votes in their presidential elections. I consider that to prove that the taint of impeachment isn't much.

The only way to get rid of Trump is to VOTE HIM OUT on November 3, 2020. This is a democracy and that's how we deal with things.

[watoos]

34. I guess you didn't read all of my post,

Democrats have more clout in an impeachment hearing. Barr promised to release the grand jury testimony for an impeachment hearing. All of the good dirt on Trump is in the grand jury testimony that we will never see unless we impeach.

Hearings are failing because Republicans are refusing to provide documents are ignoring subpoenas. Democrats under an impeachment hearing will have more clout in the courts to ask for expediency in ruling on subpoenas and contempt charges. Without being in an impeachment hearing Republicans will tie up the subpoenas and contempt charges for years.

Your recollection of history is different than mine. First of all the decision to impeach should not be a political one, but let's make it one. After Republicans impeached Clinton, in the next election they won the House, the Senate, and the presidency.

Voting out Trump in 2020 will not guarantee that he will leave office.

[onecaliberal]

46. Not only that but they can now weaponize the DOJ against all dem candidates.

[watoos]

14. Then why did Republicans win the House

Senate, and presidency after they impeached Clinton?

[jpljr77]

31. Uh, they didn't.

Going into the 1998 midterms, Republicans held both chambers. They LOST five seats in the House and the balance was the same in the Senate, both considered major upsets for them and universally attributed to a distaste for the run-up to impeachment proceedings.

After the failed impeachment, in 2000, I would remind you that the Republican candidate received 550,000 fewer votes than the Democrat. In addition, Republicans LOST four seats in the Senate and two in the House, but neither was enough to flip a chamber.

So actually, going by popular vote, Democrats went 3 for 3 in the 2000 election.

[watoos]

37. I stand by what I said,

after Republicans impeached Clinton, in the next election they controlled the House, The Senate, and the presidency. I don't consider that a penalty for their impeachment. Consider how they impeached Clinton also. They found squat investigating Whitewater, and when they "came" upon the blue dress, they didn't even hold hearings they just flat out voted to impeach Clinton. After doing that they still won the House, Senate, and presidency.

[bluestarone]

20. Actually they are spinning this NOW!

Makes little difference?

[standingtall]

54. And they will also spin not impeaching as victory for Trump

while making Democrats look weak for not impeaching Trump. The safer political calculation is to do the right thing and impeach Trump.

[RockRaven]

8. Their experience with Gingrich/Clinton makes them think the public will react against the impeachers

and in favor of the impeached.

They ignore the little part where the public thought the relentless rabid pursuit of Clinton for any, ANY justification, however thin, they could find was unseemly, whereas with Trump the unseemly part is his overtly corrupt, criminal, and unconstitutional behavior which he commits in public on a regular basis and which Congressional GOPers ignore or enable. The circumstances are so different that the public reaction would likely not be the same.

What is more likely to be an apt comparison is the Nixon model, where the build up of evidence presented in public hearings eventually changed public opinion. That is one reason why the Trump admin is so uncooperative with House hearings, why the GOP Senate is trying to minimize their hearings, and probably why Trump is trying to goad House Dems to go straight to impeachment before they've had months of hearings illustrating his high crimes/oath breaking.

[watoos]

38. I haven't heard one Democrat

say not to hold months of hearings. I would hope they would drag out the hearings. Republicans didn't hold any hearings when they impeached Clinton, they just voted and they still never paid a price.

[uponit7771]

15. Because they're stupid people, Clinton gained but democrats won ... NOTHING ... after impeachment

... and the party of the impeached or proposed impeached doesn't fare well after impeachment.

[beachbum bob]

17. Simply start impeachment of Barr and every other trump admin official

Issued a contempt of congress citation. Flood McConnel with them so he can defend lawlessness.

Otherwise, GOP shows democrats are gutless.

[Kurt V.]

18. its a gamble that has an enormous upside. if they DON'T start an impeachment

inquiry, it means total capitulation by dems in all other matters.

[delisen]

19. Some want Trump out-but not be blamed

To the most powerful Trump is now a liability-they got everything they could out of him- judgeships, tax cuts.....

further scrutiny of international financial deals and
Russian oligarch influence on Republicans in and out of government is only to going to hurt them

Time to create distance, and let the die hard Trumpers blame the Democratic Party

The first primaries are many months away, court cases can take years to play out, public has short memory.

[lunatica]

23. Because they will cluster bomb with how unfair it is to Trump.

They will scream like banshees on steroids and drive Trump’s base to suicidal murder.

[watoos]

39. Trump's base will vote for him

with or without impeachment. Who gives a shit about his zombie base?

What do you suppose Democrats not impeaching Trump will do for Democratic turnout?

[lunatica]

43. I was answering the OP

Which doesn’t mean that like quite a few here I’m throwing my hands up in defeat. No one ever won a single battle by doing that.

[uponit7771]

51. They will do this anyway ... Trumps 37% base is nothing without Russia's help

[J_William_Ryan]

28. Yes.

Trump and the GOP would love nothing more than to have Democrats impeach.

Trump and Republicans know that the Senate would never convict.

They know that impeachment would backfire on Democrats, energize Trump's base, and guaranteed Trump's re-election.

[watoos]

40. History proves you wrong.

[Iliyah]

29. This 2019.

T-rump and Barr are criminals. Plus, people are suffering while the rich get richer. Truly, I think the Republicans are over playing their hand on this one.

Hate crimes are up, extremely. People are dying from violence perpetrated by such hatred. People are being put in concentration camps. They are destroying healthcare and pre-existing conditions. We are being taxed while the rich pay very little or nothing at all.

The economy is only helping the greedy.

Security for the USA down. Russia and China in control.

Please don't think the American people won't rise.

[LenaBaby61]

33. "The economy is only helping the greedy."

Which is why I cannot understand how that treasonous gasbag is at 56%--per a CNN poll--stating that people feel that he's doing such a 'great' job with the economy. NO ONE I know is doing 'well' or gaining anything in terms of finances. I don't know any billionaires--just working class men, women and families and most of them are struggling under the weight of this " tRump Rich Man's Economy."

[Jose Garcia]

30. Because a majority of voters do not support impeachment

[watoos]

41. Says who? Some right wing poll?

The last thing I believe in is polls, they are used for propaganda.

[Jose Garcia]

45. PBS/NPR:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/politics/most-americans-oppose-trump-impeachment-hearings-after-mueller-report-but-questions-remain

[The_Counsel]

35. Because They Want This to Be the Democrats' Fault

They can then push the "aw they're just mad because Trump won in '16" narrative. It's about winning in the Court of Public Opinion, seeing as how the Court of Law figures to be a little dicier for them.

I just wish the Dems and the news media in general made it clear that this isn't about politics, nor should it be...

[watoos]

42. What do you think that Barr and Grassley are doing now?

They are investigating the crooked FBI and Democrats who carried on a witch hunt against Trump. Trump is going to put Hillary on the 2020 ballot.

That will be the narrative in the M$M if Democrats fail to impeach. Impeachment hearings will counter the narrative that Democrats led a witch hunt against poor snowflake Trump.

One reason that Trump won was because turnout wasn't high, he didn't get that many votes. If Democrats fail to impeach goodbye turnout again. Also keep bashing Bernie and the millennial and younger voters will stay home. Also keep bashing Biden and women voters will stay home.

[GoCubsGo]

44. Not to me, it doesn't.

It looks like they're doing their best to sweep everything under the rug, and get away from the whole thing. They aren't trying to egg on the Democrats. They're hoping that will all of their stonewalling, obstructing, obfuscating, and poisoning the narratives, the Dems will just give up. Not going to happen...

[muntrv]

53. Because the republickers think that impeachment will

assure twitler re-election. Trumpanzees are energized, impeachment or not. Dems should not listen to Trump base.