Saturday 14 December 2019

Why Impeachment Is Always A Dud.

This post is on why impeachment is a dud, politically. It's also about why impeachment shouldn't be a dud but alas, will always be.

Impeachment is a dud because it isn't about conduct that the House deems impeachable. Rather, it's about the court of public opinion -- and conduct they do, or do not, consider impeachable.

Was the House correct in impeaching Clinton? Absolutely, as it relates to generally accepted norms of presidential conduct. Will the House be on target when it impeaches Trump? Without a doubt.

But none of that ultimately matters as impeachment conviction in the Senate lies with the votes of Senators, who will take their cues from party and public opinion. Remember that Trump said in jest that he could shoot someone...etc.

The American people didn't consider Lewinsky impeachable. Ditto today, as it relates to the two impeachment articles. So, in the final analysis, the voting public gets to be the jury and non-executioner. 

Thus, Impeachment becomes a political dud and foregone conclusion. But in the best of all worlds, it shouldn't be, ever. If convicted at trial, a president should go, period. However, our world has never been and will never BE anything close to that shining-city-on-a-hill-reality.

   

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