impeachtrump
Impeachment. The process has finally begun.
We all thought that the Mueller investigation would make a clear case for impeachment, but there was too much reading between the lines in his long thesis. His presentation to Congress was uneven to the point of impotence, surprisingly for a man of such stature. Or perhaps putting kids in cages and separating from their parents, violating fundamental human rights, would have been perceived by the political establishment as a high crime. Bush blew past the Geneva Conventions on torture with no repercussions, so no dice on kids in cages as a rationale for impeachment. Instead, Trump openly admitted to colluding with a foreign power to dig up dirt on a political opponent who was engaged in the 2020 political campaign. Trump forced the reluctant hand of Nancy Pelosi to act on impeachment of a despicable President.
Even for those who look at American institutions with a healthy skepticism given its uneven record on producing political outcomes that represent the will of the majority while protecting the rights of the minority, the impeachment is vitally important to the future of the republic. There is a lot more at stake than getting rid of Donald Trump, a hollow man who fills the deep void of his being with the very worst human emotions that most of us try to avoid. His narcism requires anger, spite, and hatefulness as fuel and corruption and corrupting those around him to serve his ego and his financial interests comes as second nature. His corruption has seeped into the institutions and basic norms that have allowed the United States to function, however imperfectly, as the longest standing Constitutional Republic in human history.
Getting rid of Trump is thereby the first, and most immediately necessary, step in de-corrupting our system of government. We need to do so not because we like or dislike Trump, but because we have some fealty to the rule of law and a deep appreciation of the separation of powers laid out in the Constitution. Any institutional healing process will need to further expunge lawless Trump appointees, reversal of norm-shattering policies, and the establishment of new constraints on the power of future Presidents to behave in such a manner.
Before Trump, we took our institutions and the rule of law largely for granted. Yes, there were politics, often nasty in their attempts to sway public opinion, but much of what our civics classes taught us held true. There was some sense of permanence to the notion of the United States and its 3 co-equal branches of government, competing institutions that balance power. Trump's actions have shown thus far that this system is actually a good deal more fragile. Bad actors who show little respect for others and the norms that history and good practice built. Compromised players in the system will offer little resistance and find themselves complicity in destroying the institutions and relationships that they once held so dear.
Of course, Trump is not purely an anomaly and is largely a creation of the times. Money has so inundated the political system it has often drowned out the notions of representative democracy. If corporate and big money donors can have their say with representatives who do their will and not the will of the people who voted for them, we have broken the system. The twentieth century saw the rise of an Imperial President who has an incredible amount of power rapped up in the leadership of the Defense and Intelligence agencies. The War Powers Act and other Congressional and Judicial decisions tried to maintain some balance, but it is clear that the Executive Branch has gotten out in front of the other 2 branches of government. And let us not forget the Mitch McConnell as minority and majority leader of the GOP in the Senate has instituted a scorched earth politics that have undermined the basic norms of the "world's greatest deliberative body," going so far as to steal a seat on the US Supreme Court.
These issues need to be corrected so that the system never produces a viable candidate for President with such autocratic proclivities. But it all starts first with upholding the rule of law and maintaining the basic integrity of our elections. The Republicans will need to choose how they want history to be written about themselves, what legacy they want to impart to their children and grandchildren. They need to be able to answer the basic question of every generation, did you leave it better than the way you found it? There is little doubt that the Democrats will impeach because the case has already been made public by Trump himself. The real question is will the system of checks and balances hold? Will Republicans fulfill their obligations with history and future generations looking on?
Impeachment. The time has come. Is this political generation up to the challenge or will they fail again?
Politics #trump #impeachtrump #democracy
#impeach #impeachdonaldtrump
#Democrats in the #house need to get in with it. #obstructionofjustice #collusion #impeachtrump #impeachtrumpnow
When in Boston, overseas, and Maryland, folks would ask me why I cursed so much. I would explain that I'm from Philly and this is just the way we talk. I would joke, "I've been cursed out by nuns in Philly," which is sorta of a true story. Now that I'm back home, I love being in a business meeting and f-bombs randomly dropped with people you may not know that well. This is part of the working class culture of the city. I embrace it. As such, I know I may not be the best judge about profanity. Cussing doesn't phase me in the least and I have been known to use colorful language as my manner of speaking.
When the news broke that one of the powerful new women of color in Congress was quoted as wanting to Impeach the Motherfucker in reference to Donald Trump, the inevitable media outrage followed. Most of this is manufactured as folks on both sides of the aisle have at least one point thought to themselves through his awful campaign and Presidency, "This motherfucker is saying/tweeting/doing what now?" Admit it. You have. I think I have multiple times a week.
So now we have an elected official who is saying out loud what most folks have thought to themselves and probably said to a colleague, friend, or family member. Trump has been the most base, uncivil person in perhaps all of American political history. This is a man who rose to political prominence by questioning the citizenship of our first African American President. Whether bragging about his hands and penis size at a Republican debate or demeaning Megan Kelley by suggesting that she was on her period, from the very beginning of the campaign, Trump has said completely awful things demeaning and dehumanizing anyone who confronts him or anyone else. His tweetstorms attack allies, American war heroes, and anyone else who dare to challenge Trump or his policies. The man has zero moral compass and we are all along for his ride of assuaging his ego through any means necessary. More often than not, he must demean others to make himself feel better like the insecure bully you tried to stay away from in Middle School.
I can tell you this. I don't think we need to direct any ire at a newly elected woman of color representative expressing her righteous outrage after having lived through the Trump campaign and Presidency thus far. We should be angry and we should now be in full confrontation mode with a want to be autocrat. Cursing is absolutely nothing compared to the profaning of this country's institutions and alliances. Lest we forget here are a few times where we have been both dismayed for our country and angered at Trump's behavior and his policies:
- During the campaign, we learned that Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women. A dozen and half women have come forward as victims of his sexual assaults.
- He offered a racist view that a Latino judge could not do his job impartially because of his ethnicity.
- He attempted to ban Muslims from entering the country.
- He assured us there were good people amongst the Neo-Nazis and white supremacists who rallied in Charlottesville and ended up killing a young woman.
- He separated children from their families for crossing the border and put children in detention centers.
- His policies have led to the deaths of two children in custody.
- He teargassed immigrant women and children, for a second time in the last week.
- He attacks our allies and the alliances that the United States built to protect itself and make the world safe.
- He coddles and celebrates dictators like Putin in Russia and Duterte of the Philippines.
- He lies multiple times a day undermining the basic trust the American people have in their government.
- And so on...I'm sure you could add your own examples of abhorrent behavior from Trump.
This shit is profane, immoral, and undermines the character our country. Cursing at such evil does not undermine or make us any less civil. In fact, refusing to accept and normalize Trump is part of what is required to taking back the country. Civility is on hiatus until this awful person and his policies are challenged around every turn. And yes, eventually we are going to have to remove him from office, whether through impeachment or at the ballot box.
These newly-elected women to Congress did not come to play. They came to challenge, to agitate, and to win. Don't waste your energy being upset about a curse word. Celebrate the righteous anger and the fact we now have folks who understand the fight we are in. We should be keeping up the fight against normalizing anything about Trump, his sexism, his racism, his xenophobia, and his policies that reflect those abhorrent views.
#Politics #RashidaTlaib #trump #impeachtrump #ImpeachTheMF #racism #racialjustice
We Agree Pop! #greggpopovich called out #trump as #soulless #coward who belittles others. We have a #pathologicalliar in the #whitehouse,unfit intellectually, emotionally, and psychologically and the whole world knows it. #pop #resigntrump #impeachtrump
#nazis chant "Jews will not Replace us" and commit acts of #terrorism. Trump's true response today was that there were fine people involved on #bothsides. #impeachtrump #finepeople don't go to #whitesupremacist #rallies. #antisemitism #racialjustice
#Trump is lying about #Obama. Yet again, the man breaks any #norms we have as a #democracy. When the sitting President attacks the previous #President with no evidence. It is a lie intended to distract us from the closing in on the #Russia investigation. #trumprussia #impeachtrump #resistance #resist
#trumprussia Demand a #specialprosecutor to investigate #trump ties to #Russia. Demand that Sessions recuse himself from investigation. #resist #dumptrump #resigntrump #impeachtrump #wheretheressmoke #putin #showusyourtaxes