I disagree with AOC. I have mixed feelings and large reservations regarding attempts to impeach Trump. Frank Bruni had a good editorial this morning which pretty much explains why I have reservations.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/21/opinion/sunday/corey-lewandowski-testimony.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
Did that look of unalloyed contempt come naturally to Corey Lewandowski, or did he rehearse it? I picture him in front of a mirror as his “testimony” before the House Judiciary Committee approached, fine-tuning his sneer, perfecting his glare, testing different tilts of his head to see which conveyed maximal disgust with his inquisitors. He was hellbent on acing this performance.
And ace it he did, if the goal was to distill the Trump ethos into a few ugly hours. A flamboyant defiance of authority? Check.
Alas, the route to the far side of Trump probably doesn’t run through committee hearings like the one that Lewandowski predictably turned into a farce. It runs through the ballot box. Nancy Pelosi gets this, and it’s possible that some of the House Democrats who keep muttering about impeachment get it, too — and are either fulfilling what they see as their constitutional obligation or trying to mollify a restive Democratic base. But I do worry that they’re blundering, and I hope against hope that after Democratic voters pick their presidential nominee, Democratic lawmakers will concentrate their energies on getting that person elected.
If you're not a Times subscriber and/or can't read the entire editorial, I tried to post the basics of it. I was very much for impeachment until I watched most of the Lewandowski hearing. If the Republicans in Congress, the A/G, the DNI etc. are going to refuse to testify, refuse to release information, and basically refuse to follow the law, how the hell would an impeachment hearing be worth it? I am well aware of the law and feel that there are plenty of reasons to impeach Trump, but we aren't dealing with normal people. We are dealing with a man and his sycophants that will do everything possible to disobey protocols and laws that would make an impeachment hearing worth while. They and Trump will do everything possible to make the Democrats look like the bad guys.
Plus there are moderates in the Democratic Congress who may refuse to vote for impeachment as they live in conservative districts, and are concerned about losing the 2020 election. I think Pelosi is a wise woman who is trying to do what's best for the country. I'm not opposed to impeachment per se, and I certainly would be supportive of such an effort. I just think that Bruni has made some good points, the same things I've been pondering ever since I watched that hearing earlier this week. We're not dealing with a president who obeys the law. We're dealing with a man who acts like a dictator who believes he is above the law. In fact, I watched his bullshit responses to reporters this morning. He kept saying that the president doesn't have to put up with whistle blower claims, that he had a perfect conversation with the Ukrainian leader and that Joe Biden was the bad guy, not him.
There are already Trump 2020 signs going up near me. That's how hardcore and brainwashed his supporters are. Any attempt to impeach will probably turn more voters away from the Democratic nominee, especially if we have a nominee who is perceived as too far left. I am deeply concerned about the future of my country. I'm just not convinced that impeachment is the best thing to do, since it will only frustrate Congress and allow Trump and the Republicans to play the victim card.
I like AOC, but she is sometimes very naive. She lacks the experience, so I don't take too much of what she says very seriously. I love her idealism, but I learned a long time ago, that idealism isn't as valuable as pragmatism.
I do have mixed feelings about this and I may change my mind again, but I think there are many reasons why trying to impeach may not only hurt the Democrats, it could do grave damage to the country, if it enables a second Trump term.
If you favor impeachment, please explain in detail how it will accomplish anything considering that Trump and company will obstruct any investigation. I'd love to see the fucker impeached, but I don't want to see what I did earlier this week.
