He’s right. The country overwhelmingly elected a Democratic house so they would hold Trump accountable. Every day they do nothing is telling Trump and all the Republican evil doers that they can keep destroying this country and we’re ok with it.
ShivaX
3171
Honestly if politicians don’t start getting shot, they’re probably right, but we have to try to do the right thing at least.
CraigM
3172
When politicians fear their donors more than their constituents.
I wonder when we reach that point, one that seemed so unthinkable years ago. But when even the pretense of checks and balances, rule of law, working for the common good, and representing the people is stripped away in favor of using racism in order to justify enshrining a permanent oligarchy?
When the people no longer have a voice, history tells us what happens. Or does no one remember 1789, 1848, 1917, etc. eventually the people will be heard. Though ultimately no one may win when that happens.
ShivaX
3173
We shot quite a few of them in the 60’s for that matter.
But I guess when you forget all your history, like the GOP does, it all becomes foggy.
Except that within an hour or two of Mueller’s statement, Steny Hoyer (representing the Democratic leadership) and Jerry Nadler (chair of the House Judiciary Committee, who’d begin the process) both were specifically asked about impeachment, and both said that an impeachment inquiry was on the table.
Thing is: to anyone who watches the House, it seems really vividly clear that they are absolutely moving towards impeachment. The language used by leadership shifts, and with each refused subpoena and refusal to comply with document requests, it gets closer and closer.
40% of US voters are likely to some extent shaded towards favoring impeachment. 40% of US voters are likely to some extent shaded against it. It’s going to be tough to convince anyone in either of those groups – except maybe at the margins – to change their views.
So that 20% inbetween is where this plays out. And right now it feels like the Democrats in the House are playing a risky, but so far effective kabuki theater. They present an image of cooperation: “We’d like to talk to Bill Barr, DJT Jr, Hope Hicks, etc. etc” It’s also “We’d like these documents…”
And the White House and WH Counsel have been refusing that. Which for their strategy may seem like a good play. They’re calling the bluff of congress. BUT…for the House committees, they’re building a very good argument of continuing obstruction and obfuscation that helps them make a case for impeachment.
It’s my hope that they’re slow-playing this deliberately, but eventually planning to get to that end (“that end” = impeachment) in such a way that when the time comes, impeachment itself will indeed be something that voters act as the final jury on, rather than Mitch McConnell’s Senate.
I can also be talked into the idea of forcing the Senate into an impeachment vote by late Summer of 2020. Donald Trump won’t be President forever. It’ll be good to have on record for later years those who were willing to enable him.
Except for the leaked statements from Pelosi. Even she says publicly that it’s not off the table, but privately she disparages the idea, and people duly leak her comments.
I hope you’re right. My one caution is that impeachment hearings, or hearings designed to get an impeachment case, are going to take a very, very long time, because every single subpoena will go through the courts. So they better start getting serious soon or Trump will run out the clock on them.
I didn’t see any leaked Pelosi comments from after Mueller’s statement yesterday. I mean, maybe…but until I see something to the contrary, it’s my assumption that Hoyer’s strongly worded comments yesterday after Mueller were run up her flagpole, so to speak.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, brushing off new comments by Robert Mueller and 2020 Democratic hopefuls, feels as strongly as ever that impeaching President Trump would be a “fool’s errand,” a top ally told Axios.
Maybe it’s bullshit, but someone is leaking this stuff, and there’s surely a reason for that.
The bolded is BS. All of her actions are actually moving towards Impeachment, without calling it that.
“It’s not off the table” => Yes, it is still on the table. To claim otherwise is lazy and ignorant.
Just as Comey kept telling Trump he wasn’t a “Target” of the Investigation, when in actuality, the Investigation was increasingly focusing on him, just not to the degree of the legal definition of “Target”, so too is Pelosi laying the Foundation for Impeachment.
Subpoena Financial Records - check.
Force Mueller to make a public statement - check.
Pressure DoJ to provide the “complete” report and not just the cherry-picked version - check
Summon other witnesses to testify (Hope Hicks, etc.) - check
The list of Foundation-building moves towards Impeachment grinds on.
I don’t really understand this at all. What is bullshit? I’ve quoted the report alleging the leaked statement from Pelosi saying that impeachment is a fool’s errand. Maybe the leak is false, maybe not, but there’s no question that she has repeated dismissed impeachment as the wrong tactic.
The report doesn’t allege a statement from Pelosi, it alleges an ally of hers stating that is her disposition at this time. But I think what @Pyperkub is suggesting here is to watch what she does, not what she says in public. They are waving off the word “impeachment” while taking steps to support an eventual potential move that direction.
YOu can do it fast, or you can do it well. Choose One.
In what way does it help for her to say “We’re moving towards Impeachment” rather than saying “It’s not off the table” and allowing others to clamor for it, while all her actions are actually moving towards it.
Especially given Trump and the Right, as well as the sops in the media have a tendency to over-react, in the kind of fashion which could cripple the process rather than aid it (as all the smoke being blown up the Right’s arse about Steele, Strzok and Page, despite Mueller’s extremely strong “not a hoax” statement).
I’m not suggesting that. I’m saying that having your staff undercut your ‘impeachment isn’t off the table’ comment by leaking your private disdain for the idea is a strange way to move the ball forward, whether you’re slow-walking or sprinting.
I think that’s a distinction without a difference. Her staff/allies don’t read her mind, they hear her words.
If Pelosi orchestrates this as I expect (and as it appears is happening), the HJC will formally start holding hearings to draft Impeachment charges in the Fall, and it will go to the Senate in early 2020.
I love the imagery I’m getting from this discussion of Pelosi in a dark room with a bunch of junior and far left house members saying in a low voice “look, we’re going to impeach, but… shhhhhhhhhh”
Then they go out in front of the press and clamor for impeachment and she’s like
“Ixnay on the impeachyay!”
Geez, how many gifs are there of Nathan Fillion expressively not saying something?
I mean, I think that perhaps the real lesson of the backlash against the Clinton Impeachment was the rapidity with which it happened. Maybe. It could very well be that it felt reactionary to voters of malleable opinion.
It’s my hope that the Democrats are moving in such a way to avoid that…that they’re being very deliberate in creating a foundation that they can point to and say “With this, we had no choice but to impeach.”
But I could be wrong.
