Was Impeachment a Mistake?

[babylonsister]

https://prospect.org/impeachment/was-impeachment-a-mistake/


Was Impeachment a Mistake?
Republican devotion to the Great Dictator held. Now Trump is gloating. Was impeachment always a fool’s errand?
by Robert Kuttner
February 4, 2020

snip//

I do think Democrats had to pursue impeachment. Trump’s contempt for the rule of law was so flagrant that it would have been a dereliction of constitutional duty for the House Democrats to turn the other cheek.

snip//

You might second-guess Pelosi on that delay tactic, which failed. But overall, given the available choices, the general course the Democrats followed was the best one on offer. No impeachment would have been worse; likewise a more complex impeachment extending well into the election year, based on a very slender majority that excluded some Democrats.

There is no evidence that the impeachment will hurt Democrats in November, and some evidence that it helped. During the entire investigation, polls scarcely moved. To the extent that public opinion shifted at all, it moved very slightly in the direction of favoring Trump’s removal from office, especially among independents.

As a sheer matter of politics, there is one strong benefit. Depending on whom you include, between seven and eleven Republican Senate incumbents are up for re-election in swing states next November.

Their vote to excuse Trump’s dictatorial behavior by refusing to convict will force them to answer extremely damaging questions during the campaign. These include Cory Gardner of Colorado, Martha McSally of Arizona, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Susan Collins of Maine. McConnell himself, up for re-election, has approval ratings in his home state of Kentucky of just 37 percent.

Whether or not Trump is re-elected, Democratic control of the Senate is crucial for maintaining a semblance of democracy in America. So no, impeachment did not remove Trump, and may not even have damaged him. But it had to be done, and could yet produce major benefits for the Democrats and the country.

[pnwest]

1. No. Period.

[abqtommy]

2. No mistake. Impeachment is only one tactic availalble and in pursuing it the reTHUGS have had

to publicly commit to their treason. Now things will get interesting.

[BusyBeingBest]

3. It was a duty. There was no other choice.

[kentuck]

4. Of course not!

It was not a mistake.

Or we would stand for nothing and everything.

(edited!) Wow!

The people must stand against tyranny.

[MontanaMama]

5. It was NOT a mistake.

I’m scared to death he will be re-elected. If we can take the senate, we might survive it.

[Mosby]

6. No.

[Squinch]

7. Why is this even a question people are raising? Of course not.

[Mersky]

8. No.

The republicons that moved to acquit* are damaged goods, and they did it to themselves.

[meadowlander]

9. No. Especially if it gets Mitt to split the GOP ticket.

All the Republicans "Christians" got a very stark contrast to take with them into the next election year.

[ibegurpard]

10. Had to be done

Democrats had to and must continue to try everything they can to keep this evil man and his rogue political party in check.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

11. No.

[ismnotwasm]

12. This makes me want to go back in time

And listen to the howls for impeachment and the calls for Nancy Pelosi to step down again. Jesus.

[Blue_Tires]

13. No, next question

[greatauntoftriplets]

14. Nope.

[VOX]

15. Hell NO! The rule of law still matters to Democrats.

Republicans have shown all too clearly that the rule of law means nothing to them. A reactionary coup has taken place, and Trumpists don’t give a damn about anything, except pushing us back into another Dark Ages.

[Mme. Defarge]

16. Non! Absolument pas!!

It may help to remind ourselves that 79% of the voting population wanted witnesses at Trump’s impeachment trial. And it helps to remind ourselves that now all but one Republican Senator is on record voting for his acquittal. And that this was the first time in our history that a member of the President’s party voted for his conviction and removal from office.

Knowing he would be acquitted, I still believe impeachment it was the right thing to do. Now we must all work like hell to keep the House and take the Senate.

[moondust]

17. No.

Constitutional duty.

[BlueJac]

18. No

[budkin]

19. No

No.

[GoCubsGo]

20. I'll add one more thing.

It's not just a partisan thing. It also was not a mistake, because it tells the rest of the world, particularly our allies, that most of America is not in lock step with that bigoted, mentally ill Mussolini wannabe. He is not a reflection of all of America. That will go a long way toward regaining trust and healing rifts in all the foreign relationships he is destroying.

[Retrograde]

21. No. It shone a light on Trump

and his actions, publically, and possibly for the first time in his life. It also forced the Republicans to individually state that they were ok with his corruption.

[maxsolomon]

22. does my aunt have balls?

If they hadn't, I'd have been apoplectic at this point.

Its the only comeuppance Trump's ever had in his life, and it will never be a mistake.

[jberryhill]

31. Do you have a picture?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

23. No but

We probably could have dug up more shit on him. Other than that I have no regrets about it.

[bdamomma]

24. Nope

Presenting facts and witnesses to a crime is never wrong. We/They did the correct thing.

He did commit obstruction of justice, and asking a country to investigate a candidate. That is in the books and documented. Lying to the people too.

All those career people who testified they were true patriots, and our House Managers were in tune to everything and presented their case.

The repigs are finished they are nothing but a filthy cult.

[democrattotheend]

25. Impeachment itself was not a mistake

But I think trying to time it with the primary calendar was. It would have been better to draw it out, even past the election, with battles in the court and public testimony. Trump would have been in a weaker position for re-election if he was still under the cloud of impeachment instead of being able to trumpet his acquittal and pretend it means exoneration (knowing that sadly, many people don't understand the difference.)

[kentuck]

39. They wanted to give the candidates time to campaign.

Interesting.

But, I think some may have believed that some Republicans would see the danger in a similar way. The only danger they saw was from the Democrats. The propaganda was/is intense.

[Arkansas Granny]

26. No. If Democrats had not impeached, they would not have been keeping their oath of office.

[CentralMass]

27. No.

[krissey]

28. It was exactly what Pelosi knew it was going to be. At least she waited for a slam dunk case.

I had three people at work look at the headline... Acquittal. And all three state their disgust and surprisingly their surprise that Trump was acquitted. Each ones reaction had me flummoxed for a moment processing their surprise. Each time I asked, where is the surprise for you. Republicans stated well in advance they would vote in this manner. Didn't allow witnesses, or documentation.

People just do not follow what is happening in the nation, politics.

One is a Republican. My boss. When she said something, I was ready to cut her off because I did not want to hear it. I was surprised because she had expected Trump to be impeached. She was on our side. If she felt that, I know our Republican GM felt the same way.

That was the big surprise for the day> Two strong, fox news watching Republicans were disgusted with the Republican vote. I had no idea how Republicans see this because I refuse to listen to them. It was interesting.

[H2O Man]

29. No.

[Jirel]

30. No. What a morally repugnant question.

You don’t stand by and let someone be raped because it’s scary to step in, and maybe the rapist will just go away after violating her. You don’t let a cop feed a homeless guy a shit sandwich because you know the POST board will back him no matter what depravity he does, and it’ll cost a lot of time and money to get him off the force.

You do the right and necessary thing. You do it whether it’s hard or not. YOU DON’T LET A MANIAC DESTROY THE REPUBLIC AND CRAP ALL OVER THE CONSTITUTION BECAUSE YOU MIGHT NOT WIN THE ROUND. You do your job - the one you specifically swore to do in your oath of office, even if you are likely to lose. You try, you fight, and then you plan how to keep fighting as hard as hell if you fail. You chart the possible outcomes, and how to use those outcomes for the next fight.

You. Do. Not. Allow. A. Dictator. To. Win. Through. Inaction. Because. Fighting. Is. Risky.

It has been said over and over, but I’ll say it again:
Did you wonder what you’d be doing during the ruse of the 3rd Reich? Well, look in a mirror, because you’re doing it now.

If you are too scared of resistance, then have the grace to stop second guessing the people who are risking themselves on the front lines.

[WePurrsevere]

32. Of course not and it wouldn't be...

a mistake, there's evidence of other impeachable crimes, to impeach him separately for every single one of them. We must always do the constitutional and the correct thing for our country and not be like the cowardly Republican Trump enablers who refused to do their JOB and have a proper hearing with witnesses and evidence presented.

The reality is that innocent people are willing and eager to do everything they can to prove that they're innocent.

Only the guilty (and their accomplices) continuously push to suppress testimony and hide evidence. Only the guilty, like Trump, who are very sure that they can get away with anything, will do so in such a blatant in your face manor.

[Progressive dog]

33. Impeachment was not a mistake

whether or not it was politically expedient. Sometimes doing the right thing works out for the best and impeachment was the right thing.

[jayfish]

34. it's A Wash But...

it had to be done.

[GeorgeGist]

35. NO. eom

[William769]

36. Hell No!

[MyNameGoesHere]

37. Well. Keel hauling is illegal. So.

[WyattKansas]

38. Pull out more legitimate reasons for impeachment that have been sitting around.

Bury tRUMP and his fellow republicans with all the dirty corrupt crap they have been doing, just to expose it all. I do not give a damn if a microscope gets shoved up every republicans ass too.

Anyone with dirt on tRUMP, tRUMP's cabinet - especially Billy Barr , and any republican should be running to the media with it and telling all. The republicans have thrown down their marker that only them winning matters and nothing is sacred, so expose all of their graveyards in their closets.

[kentuck]

40. What did it accomplish?

It fired a shot over the Trump regime, if nothing else. Someone is watching.

It showed Donald Trump there were limits to his disloyal and illegal maneuvers. He would be impeached.

What would have happened it they had done nothing, as our Constitution was being attacked?

It was something that had to be done, in my opinion.

[Buckeyeblue]

41. No.

It got the truth out and exposed Republicans as being part of the cover up. It did damage to Trump. I think he will further do damage by trying to get revenge.