Posted on 02/15/2017 11:54:48 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
I can’t believe I’m writing this after the administration has been in office for 26 days, but here goes. The idea that Donald Trump is now inexorably on a path to impeachment has taken almost gleeful hold in the wake of the Michael Flynn resignation among liberal elites and anti-Trumpers generally—and everybody better stop and take a deep breath and consider what might arise from this. This isn’t fire we’re playing with, it’s a nuclear war.
That Trump might somehow be deus-ex-machina-ed out of public life has been a consistent feature of the past 20 months. He won’t run gave way to He’s only in it for the publicity to He only wants to show Obama he’s not to be trifled with but he doesn’t want to be president so he’ll drop out to We’ll deny him a first-ballot victory at the convention and then the party pooh-bahs can take over and find a new candidate to His poll numbers are so bad he’ll quit and let Mike Pence run against Hillary to The Access Hollywood tape will finally do him in…and then he won. Now that he’s president, the question I’m asked constantly is “will he serve out his first term.” The wish is father to the hope here; only the vilest and most monstrous of crimes has led to a negative answer to that question (save in the case of the first President Harrison, who caught a cold from not wearing a coat on Inauguration Day in 1841 and died a month later). No one has ever willingly or voluntarily given up the presidency.
The dream of his self-willed departure is just that—a dream. Which then leads to the question of whether his behavior or choices or emoluments will lead to his impeachment and removal from office. Remember, impeachment is not removal. It is an indictment of the president, brought about by a vote of the House of Representatives, which then refers the case to the Senate. The Senate tries the case and can only remove the president from office with a two-thirds vote.
Presidents have twice been impeached (Johnson, Clinton) and neither was removed. Nixon resigned but that was to avoid his impeachment, which would surely have led to his removal.
Let’s play with this scenario for the moment. The only way Trump will be impeached—by a Republican House!—is if there is unshakable, inarguable, and (forgive me) unimpeachable evidence that he has committed a crime as president. The Constitution requires this, actually; he must be accused of treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors. He has to have done something specific. He must, in effect, be charged. How on earth could this happen when Republicans hold a 50-seat majority in the House? Even if he mugs an old lady on Pennsylvania Avenue, it’s hard to see that happening sheerly as a matter of politics unless something catastrophic happens to his poll numbers. By which I mean, he needs to have become so overwhelmingly unpopular already that Republicans in the House who come from districts Trump won need to know that their constituents will not punish them for voting to impeach.
By catastrophic, I mean his numbers have to go lower than anyone’s have ever gone—lower than Bush’s in late 2008, lower than Carter’s in the summer of 1979, lower than Nixon’s in the summer of 1974.
And even so—even so—unless the evidence is beyond question and beyond all argument, this is an incredibly dangerous thing for people to be speculating about openly. Already pro-Trump voices on the right are calling the leaks that led to Michael Flynn’s firing evidence of an attempted coup d’etat. The fevered use of such terms is part and parcel of the way in which social media amplifies the melodrama of daily news stories.
I am myself unnerved by the evidence of high-level lawlessness in the Flynn matter, but a “coup d’etat” refers specifically to a military ouster of a leader, not a leak-driven campaign using the press to nail someone. This is sure to persist, though, if the Flynn-Russia matter accelerates—and if the reluctant House and Senate do begin investigating the matter in earnest. If the language surrounding the investigation remains florid and purple, if Democrats try to please their Trump-hating constituents by screaming impeachment and liberal media tries to garner audience by jumping openly and vociferously on the bandwagon, the Trumpians will respond in kind by stirring the pot through their media and their argumentation.
The result might well be violence. Not rhetorical violence. Actual violence. Actual political violence. Actual conflicts between anti-Trumpers and Trumpers. At demonstrations. In the streets. Of our cities. Political violence of a sort we haven’t seen in 50 years, and maybe haven’t really seen in this country in the modern era. Those who believe Trump is a unique menace whose threat to our democratic way of life will be met with those who believe the elites are using illicit means to oust the legitimately elected president of the United States.
This is not a fantasy. This is one possible future. And every rational person who cares about the future of the country should be mindful of it, and should work to forestall it.
The seditious Trump-haters haven't bought enough kevlar catcher's mitts to counter The Beast that they're awakening...
Yeah. It’s gonna be another 8 years like Clinton with the republican congress if this keeps up.
I’m not talking merit of the accusations, I’m talking the general atmosphere.
No one’s getting thrown out of office and Trump ain’t leaving.
He has the moral high ground, which Clinton didn’t, and he also can hit back very hard.
Clinton had others do that to individuals but he never took the republicans head on.
Trump will take the dems head on and he will win.
And the dems risk the chance of being obsolete for quite a while when BLM, vagina wearing women, La Raza and anarchists are it’s base.
Leftists have been physically assaulting Trump supporters since he announced his candidacy. Where has this guy been?...and yes, it's going full blown war in the streets if the current trajectory holds.
the socialists really want wwiii.
look its the only chance they have to further their goals quickly and get rid of a true equal adversary.
the regular people will crush them if they have the fortitude to do a necessary purge. we are split about half and half, that socialist half needs to have the dirt nap.
The socialist-democrats have found their chink in the Trump armor.
They’re not going to go after Trump directly. They’re going to attempt to crucify his subordinates.
You don’t have to knock down the big man if you can just kick the legs out from under him.
The left is all about soft targets, they don’t have the balls to take Trump head on.
Podhoretz is a responsible writer, so his thoughts are based on his years of experience. I agree that a real coup attempt will be met with force.
I would agree with that decision. The opposition leftists should be met with force by all freedom loving citizens.
I am kind of old but am a died in the wool Trumper and I am ready to support him as are a number of others in our neighborhood.
That there is an unelected, unresponsive element growing in our government that is outright hostile to the citizenry has been fairly obvious to many on the right for over a decade. It’s time that this is brought to a head and vanquished, assuming that’s still possible. We’re about to find out.
The dhimmis are all in on violence; haven't they proved that already; AND w/ Obama cheering them on!
Well, Bill Ayers, Obama mentor, said that 25 million Americans might have to be killed to advance the Leftist dream. That thought could go both ways.
President Trump should hold a Rally in Berkeley with the California National Guard activated under President’s Trump authority and used for riot control.
Milo would make a great introductory speaker.
As for what’s going on right now? People will eventually be arrested.
I wouldn’t want to be a journalist repeating the leaks to the public. A quick FISA court hearing and I’m pretty sure some of them will end up in Jail and incommunicado with a FISA court appointed Lawyer and forced to reveal sources.
Quote:
“And every rational person who cares about the future of the country..”
That eliminates the ‘Rats.
The only way to describe this leaking is an attempted bloodless coup. There is no doubt about it and Trump should act swiftly to remove every last person appointed by Obama. By any means necessary.
Transfer them all to a listening station in Nome, Alaska if necessary, just get them out!
hahaha, violence in the streets is already happening and this is what the left wants. There is a clear shadow government operating against the elected President of the United States. The only thing right now that is preventing a hyper violence (i.e., both sites are fighting) is the fact that the right is currently mellowed by the fact that Trump won. Take out Trump and I’m not sure that continues (it would be more than justified at that point). Actually, the violence that we’re seeing in the streets may be a reason that Trump could start pulling the non ideological left (The ones who happen to vote left but wouldn’t be caught dead at a leftist protest). The unhinged nature of leftists right now may actually work against them in the long run by increasing “democrat” support for Trump or get the other side to start shooting. Reading this article is a sign that the former may already be happening.
The second to last paragraph completely ignores the fact that there already is violence perpetrated against non anti-Trumpers. I say “non anti-Trumpers” because the democrat Obamaton thugs attack anyone who is not virulently anti-Trump.
Prepare for stories where every case of self defense from violent Obamatons and Soros bots to be proclaimed pro-Trump violence. Just like all the Berkeley rioters were not students. Completely false, complete lies, but the anti-Trump “movement” will eat it up and the media will dutifully report what the Obama (pbuh) commands.
Let them vote on impeachment. That will cause people to tune them out.
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