It's quite likely that the Senate will not remove Trump.

[MineralMan]

However, the process of Impeachment in the House and trial in the Senate will still serve to publicize Trump's behavior, with massive public exposure of that behavior to the voters.

That is its true value. If that exposure leads to Trump failing in his re-election attempt, then it will have the same result as if he were removed from office by the Senate. Either way, he will no longer be President.

It is very likely that the Republicans in the Senate will hang together in voting against removal. But, they will have to do that publicly. They will have to add their names to the list of those who refuse to see justice done. That may well be enough to swing the Senate to a Democratic majority, which is a powerful goal. The Republicans will hang together, in more than one sense of that word.

If, following the 2020 General Election we have a Democratic President and Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress, we will have turned Donald Trump and the Republicans out of office and out of control. That is a goal we should all strive to achieve.

Impeachment in the House and the trial in the Senate will expose Donald J. Trump and his behavior to public scrutiny, and in a way that cannot be achieved in any other way.

Our goal should be to help the public view and understand what is happening, throughout that process.

[Ilsa]

1. And we need a strong conclusion: trump is not a patriot, he puts Putin's

wishes above our national security. His actions repeatedly show that. And meanwhile, his Roy Cohn is running around Europe trying to get dirt on our national security agencies.

I think Donnie Duetch was right in saying that we need to make this a meme about "trump is messing with national security. "

[pwb]

2. The Blue wave is like the energizer bunny.

Hopefully.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

39. First step: Reinstate every executive order that Trump has canceled.

Second: Close the children's concentration camps on the border and get the kids and their parents together, no matter what it takes.

Third: Throw a big-ass nationwide party.

[aeromanKC]

3. Senators will be remembered in history for their vote

[MineralMan]

4. Yes, they will.

[lastlib]

14. "Republicans in the Senate will hang together in voting against removal."

Then, I hope, they will hang separately.

In my wildest dreams, tRumpers will be hunted with dogs--open season, with no bag limit.

[getagrip_already]

28. we need all dems, ind's, and 19 or 20 repugs.....

They have plenty of chips they can hand out to people like collins and other endangered senators - and still have a healthy buffer to acquit.

Moscow mitch is all about retaining power. He doesn't care how bad trump ends up looking as long as he gets to replace one of the 4 remaining dems on scotus, and keep control of the senate.

He can let some senators vote to convict and still win. He can lose some senators in 2020 and still win.

That is his goal. It is attainable. Or not. But the votes, and time, are on his side.

[AllyCat]

33. No. We will not hunt human beings.

That is a terrible thing to say.

[erronis]

41. Who said they were human beings?

<wry>
Agree that the phrasing was not very appropriate.

Would lifetime imprisonment with no access to phones be better?

[EarnestPutz]

30. Not just remembered in history, but remembered in the next election, like MineralMan has said.

Their support of Trump needs to become millstones hanging around every neck that has defended the Donald. Their complaints about the process coupled with the coming ingenuous defense of his actions need to be made plain to the American voting public.

[Mr.Bill]

44. That means they will have problems in 2022 and 2024 also when

the ones not up for election this cycle will be. If the stain is deep enough, we may very well gain a 2/3 majority in the Senate. That's when we start impeaching some of the clowns Trump appointed to pose as judges.

[aeromanKC]

48. +1000

I like the way you think!!

[Scotch-Irish]

62. That would be AWESOME!!! Impeaching some of those rightwing judges would be the best thing

that could happen to the USA. And we need to start with the supreme court.

[smirkymonkey]

5. I'm beginning to think there is only one solution to this problem.

But I can't say what it is.

[Buckeyeblue]

17. I agree with you.

[getagrip_already]

31. I'm hoping for a natural solution.....

Heart, stroke, overdose, slip and fall (there is a plague of s&f among russian agents once they get outed).......

I'm partial to a slow, agonizing end,in jail, but any end will work.

[smirkymonkey]

35. Yes, that is what I am hoping for as well.

He is not a healthy man. I don't know how he manages to keep going with all his stress and rage.

[kentuck]

6. Assuming nothing happens between now and then...

You are probably correct.

But nobody knows what might be discovered next?

[edhopper]

7. I don't think there is any crime

that will make most of the Republicans turn on him.

He still needs to be impeached.

[Dagstead Bumwood]

46. There might be one or two crimes that could actualy do it.

For example, if there were solid proof he did something to a child, I believe that would do it. They would have no choice at that point. But just about any other crime? Yeah, they're with him for the long haul.

[edhopper]

47. He raped a 13 year old

and they don't care.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-rape-case_n_581a31a5e4b0c43e6c1d9834?h2bhwth1ccjgzxgvi=

[Dagstead Bumwood]

49. I was aware of that case, but I meant more like being caught in the act.

Like in the Rose Garden. Sorry I didn't specify that.

[edhopper]

50. I wonder if

they would even turn on him if he beat a child in the Rose garden. I mean children dying in cages don't bother them in the least.

[Dagstead Bumwood]

52. Well, we're talking about spineless, reprehensible enablers.

So it's hard to fathom where the lines of (what remains of) their actual morality and their instinct to defend tRump intersect. I just know we don't seem even close to that point, sadly. The 1974 version of Republicans would have likely run screaming from tRump 18 months ago.

[Garrett78]

59. They'd say it was Biblical and that the kid had it coming, especially if the kid isn't white.

[dustyscamp]

8. We better overwhelm the voting booths with Democrats and Anti Trumpers next November

[Joe941]

9. Wrong we need to remove him - not play games.

[MineralMan]

11. That would be great! Now, how to get 2/3 of the Senate

to agree with us? Any ideas? I have to work with the situation at hand.

[Arkansas Granny]

10. Republican Senators seem to have forgotten that their oath is to defend

and protect the Constitution, not the President. Their loyalty is to the party, not the country.

[MineralMan]

12. That's clearly true.

[Progressive Jones]

58. Every GOP Sen that sides with Trump needs to be tattooed with that fact.

Let everyone in their State know that they have aided and abetted a traitor.
Make them out to be no better than a pedophile or murderer.
Political careers and reputations must be destroyed.

[empedocles]

13. 'It is quite likely that the Senate will not remove Trump' . . .

. . . now, or in the near future. However, . . .

[lame54]

15. They will not but...

The goal is to make their votes as shameful as possible

[abqtommy]

16. The Senate may not remove tRUMP but if it happens that way we can sure make them wish

they had.

[MineralMan]

18. Yup. We'll hang that albatross around their necks until it rots off, stinking.

[Warren_Pointe]

19. Then they must be forced to regret it.

Are any smart enough to figure out that they are lining up with their hands out ready to takes checks that can't be cashed?

They need to suffer the consequences of their actions. Their pet projects and programs need to be defunded with the least collateral damage.

[Buckeyeblue]

20. It's not likely but it could happen

But we won't have any idea that it's going to happen until they vote. Because they will have to tell Trump up until the end that he has nothing to worry about. That way once the vote is final he is out before he even knows what has happened. He can't do any more damage.

[Garrett78]

60. If it seems like the Senate will convict, I'm sure Moscow Mitch will try to convince him to resign.

[Vinca]

21. Although I agree with you, I also think there's a shred of a chance they will.

The public hearings will do one of two things. Either they'll be long, drawn out and boring and people will tune out and not care one way or the other, or they'll be explosively bad for the wannabe dictator. If his numbers drop significantly among likely Republican voters, the GOP will dump him like the bag of trash he is. Either way, forever and ever and ever he will have been impeached in the history books. That's important.

[MineralMan]

22. I'd be ecstatic about that outcome.

That would be the best possible case. I do not expect it, though, although I'd welcome it.

[StarfishSaver]

23. You're probably right but it's not a certainty

Which is a change from even a few weeks ago. Who knows where we will be after another few weeks?

One of the beauties of Pelosi's strategy is that she waited until the house could extract and produce evidence that could actually move the needle, something that wouldn't have been possible if they'd moved right after the Mueller report.

[orangecrush]

24. The integrity to stand for justice

And to save the republic are enough.

[yaesu]

25. there is no way the fascists will vote to remove tRump

he will be impeached but when it fails in the Senate he will brag about it, use it as a badge of honor. This is what happens when you have billions of dollars bribing, manipulating, threatening those in office and those dollars are from foreign and domestic enemies.

[flying_wahini]

26. Unless Hannity gives Trump up on national TV, I don't see it happening.

IMHO Trump is going to remain in office and win second term.

Looking for real estate in Canada now.

[PatrickforO]

27. Many of us like the impeachment hearings for exactly that reason.

In the meantime, we all need to be tweeting and posting and talking to neighbors.

For sure.

[Chemisse]

29. And that will be to our advantage, frankly, in the next election. Imagine if he were removed,

And our Dem candidate had to run against a regular, old-fashioned never-Trumper Republican, like Weld or Romney.

We would lose our 'I'd vote for my dog before I'd vote for Trump' advantage, as voters considered both options and possibly chose the Republican.

I'd like to see Trump out before he does even more damage, but I am worried about what the next election would look like with him gone.

[struggle4progress]

32. Que sera, sera

[panfluteman]

34. Either Way, It's a Winning Situation

Excellent and well-written article!

[guillaumeb]

36. That is the current, general wisdom.

Nixon won a huge victory in 1972.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

37. Much too soon to jump to conclusions. Pelosi swung support for impeachment in one month. She can

Give her the same chance while presenting PUBLIC hearings, and she is likely to be able to swing support overwhelmingly to conviction, which will get the attention of ALL the Republicon Senators. Cue the "We had no idea it was this bad!".

[struggle4progress]

54. +!

[Smackdown2019]

38. I disagree

If we hold our Senators and congressmen that are lawyers in the House and Senate we should have them a hold their oath to the Constitution of the United States. If they fail to do their oath, then they should be disbarred from their practice of law. This will make them rethink the price they will pay if they fail to do their constitution Duty in deciding if a person that has been unlawful.

[Hulk]

40. Democrats need to get their message out there now and pound it every time they speak

Yes the Senate may not impeach this piece of s***. But the Democrats need to get their message out there now and everytime they speak in front of the camera or on radio... he is guilty of crimes, he has been indicated as a suspect in at least 10 cases of obstruction... he has a suitcase full of other crimes he should be held accountable for for example emoluments, campaign violations with hush money, and the list goes on.

If these cowards in Congress the Republicans are unwilling to uphold their oath to the Constitution then let's make it very evident and clear to the voting public for 2020. You know the midget Mussolini is going to claim innocence, because he won't be convicted by the Senate... so we need to make it very apparent that he is, in fact, a criminal sleeping in the White House, with the assistance of the Russian government.

[Garrett78]

42. Audio of Trump swearing allegiance to Lord Vladimir in exchange for Putin not releasing kompromat...

...still probably wouldn't get 20 Republican Senators (+ Manchin) to convict Trump. We're dealing with a party that is ethically bankrupt.

But, yes, impeachment is still called for. Trump has been committing impeachable offenses since day 1. To not impeach would set an incredibly dangerous precedent.

[MarcA]

43. Can the Senate vote on Conviction by a Secret Ballot?

I think the only way they turn on him is if he is seen as a threat to their
re-election or their majority in the Senate.

[Smackdown2019]

56. Good question

But we all know the answer..... wont happen with mitch.

Could it? Anything is possible.... but I believe there has to a record of vote and by whom.

[keithbvadu2]

45. Of course the republicans won't remove him.

Of course the republicans won't remove him.

But let them put themselves on record supporting his corruption.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

51. What the Senators do depends on what their constituents think.

The GOP Senators were pretty solidly behind Nixon almost until the bitter end. His approval ratings had been slipping throughout 1973 and started to slide even more after the Saturday Night Massacre, then more or less flatlined through 1974 until the tapes were turned over. But when the ratings hit about 25% the handwriting was on the wall and the GOPers knew they'd be toast unless they convicted him, and they let him know. Old Nixon had enough sense to take the hint and resign; Fat Nixon probably wouldn't, even under those circumstances. But the GOPers will be watching the polls very closely. That's what will determine how they vote.

[Garrett78]

57. We already have the smoking gun and Republicans don't give a shit.

And I don't think we can count on a significant decline in Trump's approval rating.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

61. public hearings have not yet begun

[Garrett78]

63. No, but I think we're already fairly close to the ceiling in terms of support for removal.

I wouldn't expect support for impeachment and removal to get any higher than 60%. Maybe McConnell will push for Trump to resign if it seems almost certain that Republicans will lose control of the Senate. But it's hard to say if Collins, Gardner and the other vulnerable Republicans are going to help or hurt their chances by turning on Trump.

Moscow Mitch may be confident enough in election fraud to not worry too much.

[underpants]

53. I agree.

Exposure of the truth and what will almost inevitably be an embarrassing public display by Republicans is the goal and the prize.

[brush]

55. Right. We must defeat him otherwise he will effectively be a dictator who can do...

anything because impeachment will no longer be a threat as will have already beaten it.

[Martin Eden]

64. Republicans in the Senate will hang together

Then, on election day, they will hang separately.

[MineralMan]

65. +100

[uponit7771]

66. ****EXCEPT THERE IS NO 2020 ELECTION WITH TRUMP !!! ****

Why do we feel Trump being in the election will allow us to have one that is free and fair of cheating!??

Who in the right mind is going to trust that ?!

Trump got caught cheating once means he wont do it again?!

I pray Red Don's numbers will be in the Hitler Nixon area and congress doesn't have to certify his win

[MineralMan]

67. I guess we're doomed, then. No use voting at all...

[uponit7771]

68. No, we're not. Get our pols not to certify any electoral win. There's no way Trump should be able..

... run for president after this and that is part of the case that should be made for his removal.

He aided and abetted cheating before, claimed he's gong to cheat in front of the camera's and then went about cheating to win.

[MineralMan]

69. Once again, you're calling for something for which there is no legal mechanism.

To beat Trump in the 2020 election, assuming he is the GOP candidate, just one thing is needed: A massive turnout of voters to vote against him, the likes of which has never been seen. That is legal. That will do the trick. Instead of looking for some way that isn't possible under our Constitution and laws, try helping to get people to the polling places, right where you are. That can work. Your extralegal plan cannot.

[StarfishSaver]

71. You are my spirit animal

[uponit7771]

73. Massive turnout doesn't defeat vote adding, shifting, VSM and a lack of auditing and logging which

... Moscow Mitch refuses to implement along with any other election security measures.

I'm not going to trust Trump wont implement such coming in the next election, Trumps stupid he'll make sure to implement the aforementioned even secretly this time.

"I trust Trump wont cheat again" isn't a confidence building statement from any of our pols or pols to be.

"If Trump runs we wont certify his win" is though

[MineralMan]

75. Actually, yes, it does. Trump won because of less than 100,000 votes in three

states. A massive Democratic turnout would have defeated him easily. But, we didn't get that, because we were fighting among our selves. I saw it in my own state of Minnesota. Hillary won here, but by only 50,000 votes. I know five people who voted for Jill Stein because they didn't like Hillary, and I don't know that many people, really.

If we turn out in historic numbers, we will win. If we screw around and don't bother, we will lose. It is that freaking simple.

[uponit7771]

79. We should turn out in historic numbers and expect Trump to cheat. Both can be true and if Trump

... cheats then his election should not be certified.

[bluestarone]

70. True words here

I'm really worried too. When they cheat again what will be done about it? THAT'S what worries me the most. They own the D.O.J. THEY make the rules. All they have to do is hold another FAKE investigation. We all need to take notice how our local elections are run. Get involved and push the vote! VOTE VOTE VOTE!!

[uponit7771]

74. "All they have to do is hold another FAKE investigation" ... THIS !!! Why are why are people going

... to trust Trump will do the right thing now !?!?

Tell Trump if he runs there's no certifying his win ... what other choices are there!??!

[brooklynite]

72. The tail end of the 2016 election focused on Trump's behavior...

Trump voters knew who he was. They didn't care.

[Turbineguy]

76. The open hearings will help

The republicans will turn them into a freak show.

A lot of people who have covered for trump should worry.

[MineralMan]

77. Yes, I agree. They will expose what has happened to an ever-growing

number of people.

[Turbineguy]

78. It's what the Watergate hearings did too.

Of course, in those days, the republican party was not owned by Russia.

[still_one]

80. You can count on it. Your assessment I believe is also correct, this is about making the case to th

Public, and the verdict will be the 2020 election

[MineralMan]

81. That's the most likely thing to happen, I agree.