I am a moderate and see things differently. Trump is a demagogue, and the Dems stood up to him and failed. This wasn't about right versus left, it was about right vs wrong and sadly the only Republican who stood up for right was Romney shockingly. It's a sad day for our republic. It might mark the end.
WSJ Editorial Board this morning: https://www.wsj.com/articles/james-madison-1-nancy-pelosi-0-11580948657?mod=hp_opin_pos_1 James Madison 1, Nancy Pelosi 0 Impeachment achieved nothing but more bitter political division. By The Editorial Board Feb. 5, 2020 7:24 pm ET A sorry period in Congressional history ended Wednesday with the Senate acquittal of President Trump on two articles of impeachment passed by a partisan and reckless Democratic House. Chalk up one more victory for the Framers of the Constitution, who realized the dangers of political factions and created the Senate to check them. A sign of our hyperpartisan times is that not a single Senate Democrat broke ranks on either article, not even the “obstruction of Congress” article that sought to eviscerate the separation of powers and two centuries of precedent on executive privilege. The vote was 53-47. Apparently the wrath of the anti-Trump resistance, and the risk of a possible primary challenge, was too fearsome to buck. Or perhaps it was a relatively easy vote since Mr. Trump was in no danger of being evicted from office. Republican Mitt Romney broke GOP ranks to convict the President on the other article, “abuse of power,” making that vote to acquit 52-48. That’s still far from the two-thirds that James Madison and the Founders, in their wisdom, required for conviction. Mr. Romney will now be derided as either a traitor or a hero, but we take his word that he voted his conscience. His explanation for his vote is another story. The Utah Senator set up the straw man that the President’s lawyers said an impeachable act must also be a criminal offense. But Mr. Romney knows that isn’t the proper standard that other Senators used to judge impeachable conduct. He also claimed Mr. Trump “withheld vital military funds” from Ukraine, when the President merely delayed it and no investigation of the Bidens was ever undertaken. “Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine,” Mr. Romney said on the Senate floor. But no election was corrupted, and no national security interests were jeopardized because other Senators and advisers persuaded Mr. Trump to release military aid. Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse offered a far more thoughtful argument in the Omaha World Herald for his vote to acquit: “You don’t remove a president for initially listening to bad advisors but eventually taking counsel from better advisors—which is precisely what happened here.” He also put impeachment in the context of today’s political furies. “Today’s debate comes at a time when our institutions of self-government are suffering a profound crisis of legitimacy, on both sides of the aisle,” Mr. Sasse said. “We need to shore up trust. A reckless removal would do the opposite, setting the nation on fire. Half of the citizenry—tens of millions who intended to elect a disruptive outsider—would conclude that D.C. insiders overruled their vote, overturned an election and struck their preferred candidate from the ballot.” This is conscience tempered by judgment and political prudence, and similar cases were made by swing state Senators Susan Collins (Maine) and Cory Gardner (Colorado), as well as Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander as we wrote Monday. The shame is that Mr. Romney’s vote hands a political sword to the Democrats running this year against Ms. Collins, Mr. Gardner and Arizona’s Martha McSally. Mr. Romney’s vote won’t matter to Mr. Trump, but Democrats and the impeachment press will now use Mr. Romney as an authority against his GOP Senate colleagues. At least Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has the compensation of knowing that Alabama Democrat Doug Jones has all but signed his eviction notice in 2020 by voting to convict on both articles. *** In the bitter end, what has all of this accomplished? The House has defined impeachment down to a standard that will now make more impeachments likely. “Abuse of power” and “corrupt motives” are justifications that partisans in both parties can use. Mr. Trump remains in office, but he will now claim vindication and use it as a rallying cry for re-election against what he will call an attempted insider coup. The partisan furies have intensified, and this election year will be even more bitterly fought. Mr. Trump’s political standing has even improved during the impeachment struggle, as voters concluded early on that his behavior was wrong and unwise but not impeachable. We doubt this is what Nancy Pelosi hoped for, but it is what her partisan impeachment has wrought. She lost to a better statesman—James Madison. Now let the voters decide, as Madison and his mates intended.
Their argument against Romney is that he doesn't understand Constitution but they provide no proof of that. Their validation for acquittal is that it is the less divisive choice for the country. Also unjustified and weak argument for the country whose values have always been the rule of law. Nobody willingly elected Trump to break the law (one would assume anyway - I'd love someone to come out on record here saying that they did). They elected him to drain the swamp and he is doing the opposite.
Absolutely I feel impeachment was right course. Mitt Romney said it far more eloquently than I can but one cannot turn away from one's duty to the Constitution. This whole idea that Trump is in full attack mode now do you actually believe he wouldn't be if wasn't impeached? This is the same person who tied his political opponent's family to the Kennedy assassination and that was a Republican. Whether Trump is going to be a dangerous demagogue eviscerating our institutions he was one already without impeachment. Impeachment hasn't discouraged him but it certainly hasn't emboloden him. Anyway basing impeachment on how the executive might respond politically is absolutely going against the spirit of the Founders and if that is the case then impeachment is no check by the legislature and we are surrendering more of our republican values to authoritarianism. Let's consider some things said from the trial the last few days, "Shameful", "impeachable", and "the House managers proved their case with an overwhelming mountain of evidence." That is from Republicans. While Trump might've been acquitted that a senator for the first time broke against a president of his own party and a large majority of senators acknowledged wrong doing on the part the Trump says much and shows how strong the case was. That Manchin, Jones, and Sinema still stuck with the rest of the Democrats, even though in Jones case this probably is the nail in the coffin of his reelection, shows how united the Democrats are. On the GOP side some major fractures are being exposed and that Trump's support is not nearly as monolithic as people think. We still have to consider where the Democrats would be without impeachment. Pelosi is a far shrewder political operative than anyone here and than most people in DC. You don't get to be House Speaker and Majority leader for that long, especially when you have members of your own caucus protesting you. She clearly understood the political risks and felt it was worth it. Without impeachment it's possible the Democrats fracture while Trump will continue to call his accusations a hoax and that the Democrats are so weak they won't do anything against him. Finally though the judgement of history matters. Romney said it eloquently that he can tell his children he did the right thing. As I've said before we are at a tipping point and no matter what happens we know that there were still people who when faced with a challenge didn't back down but still stood for republican Constitutional values rather than just shirk their duties and just hope for the best.
Where I disagree with you is on how it impacts Trump. He is a demagogue and I do think the idea of being a dictator crosses his narcissistic mind. By escaping impeachment unscathed and in fact, even stronger than he was before, he will be embolden. He now knows he has the Senate in his pocket and the only limit to his power is the election. He is now completely free to take even bloder steps to influence the results. There is no telling what he may try. Including more direct attempts to influence the vote such as voter intimidation. While votes are managed on the state level many swing states have Republican state gov'ts which he can now use to his advantage. And we both know that if he loses an election, he is still going to declare himself the victor.
Do you have Democrats in your family or close circle of friends? Is that how you treat them? Trump first? PS. Why are you insinuating that Iowa results are not trustworthy? Any independent watchdogs suggest results are not trustworthy?
Respond to my numerous direct questions to you please instead of sending me emojis. I'm not in the mood for emojis
You are like that guy who said to laugh at Democrats instead of engaging them, that I just responded to above. At least that person is not hiding behind a democrat/independent labels like you do.
Is this you Is this you being contrarian? Are you sure you are not illegitimate child of mr Trump. Don jr jr?
