The Impeachment Option

National Review ^ | 5/20/2013 | Robert Costa

[Servant of the Cross]

Jason Chaffetz raises the prospect.

Representative Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican, says President Barack Obama may face impeachment over his administration’s response to the Benghazi attack.

“They purposefully and willfully misled the American people, and that’s unacceptable,” Chaffetz tells me. “It’s part of a pattern of deception.”

Behind the scenes, he says, House Republicans are frustrated by the White House’s evasiveness, and the calls for impeachment will likely increase.

[Reddon]

America has laws to remove bad leaders, and not just Presidents but congressmen and judges as well. What we don’t have is the will to implement those laws. Barack Obama is a disgrace as President and as Commander in Chief. A nation who would willingly allow itself to be led by such a man is itself a disgrace.

[fwdude]

True, everything you said. If an impeachment fails or succeeds but fails to remove, it could embolden Obama’s supporters even more - the “Teflon President” that even a boatload of scandals couldn’t sink. It would elicit sympathy from the moral-less Left, who will cast it as even further “racism” by Conservatives and Republicans. And the drones will lap it up.

[RedMDer]

IMPEACH!


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[Servant of the Cross]

If the Senate Democrats stick with Obama regardless of the evidence, then, as you said, impeachment would be counterproductive.

I submit to you ... 13 current Senate Democrat 'seats' that are up for re-election in 2014 ... they should be very afraid of "sticking with 0bama" ....

Mark Begich (D-AK)
Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Mark Udall (D-CO)
Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Carl Levin (D-MI)
Al Franken (D-MN)
Max Baucus (D-MT)
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Kay Hagan (D-NC)
Tim Johnson (D-SD)
Mark Warner (D-VA)
Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

[Leaning Right]

The ‘calls for’ might increase, but the ‘i’ will never happen. They would be painted by both the Dems and the Media as racists.

Back in 1998 when the Clinton impeachment hearings were going on, there was some discussion between the White House and the GOP leadership about a compromise.

One idea floated was this: Do not impeach the President. In return, Clinton himself would appear before Congress and accept a Censure.

Think how that would have changed history after 1998! With a public admission of guilt, Clinton and his allies would have been finished.

But, no, the House GOP would have none of that. They wanted to pin the word "impeachment" on Clinton. They won the battle but lost the war.

[varmintman]

If the outcome of the last election as determined by fraud and gangsterism, you’d think the election could simply be voided and another election held.

[o2bfree]

Impeachment will stop tyranny dead in its tracks.

It’s a good idea to prepare for it now.

[o2bfree]

Obama would never accept censure. Tyranny is his religion, he’s doing exactly what he believes no matter the rules or the outcome.

[taxcontrol]

Impeachment now does us little to no good and runs the risk of the Dems playing the victim. If the Republicans can win the Senate in 2014, then impeachment may come into play.

However, strategical, the target should not be Obama. It should be the people around Obama and the players in the 2016 election cycle. Go after the 6 senators who signed the letter to the IRS demanding that they investigate the Tea Party groups. Go after IRS officials. Go after lower State department officials. Get the Dems to throw them under the bus. Use that as leverage for the 2014 cycle.

Then, if we do take back the Senate, leverage the lower officials (we wont prosecute you and send you to jail if you cooperate and name you bosses) and the impeach Hillary. Even if she is not removed, the cost in money and the cost in TIME will make it next to impossible for her to run for the President in 2016.

If you can get Obama out, then you have an added bonus. If not, keep hammering on “the most corrupt administration ever”. Keep tying Hillary to that corruption and incompetence.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY - run a conservative GOP candidate!

[blueunicorn6]

Too many people have the wrong idea of what impeachment proceedings are. An impeachment is not just a formal vote by members of Congress to retain or discharge the President. Our Founders were smarter and more just than that. An impeachment proceeding is designed to be a long, hard process to keep politicians from just using it all the time for small disagreements. It is very much a fact-finding process. And Presidents have not been the only people impeached. Judges have been impeached as was one cabinet member. Much as the Democrats would like to portray an impeachment of a Democrat President as some sort of witch hunt, the truth of the matter is that it is an extremely fair process very similar to a grand jury proceeding and indictment proceedings. As Americans, we all live under our laws. The President is an American citizen (well, he’s supposed to be), and this puts him under our laws. If there is probable cause to see if a “high crime or misdemeanor” has been committed by the President, then an impeachment proceeding must start. Ask yourself, “What high crime or misdemeanor” did President Nixon commit? And I mean specifically. Has President Obama reached the standard set by THE DEMOCRATS back in the 1970s? If he has, then justice, and fairness, demands that impeachment proceedings be started. We are American citizens. The President is our employee. He may not like that fact, but it is a fact. He is not a king. It appears that our employee has been involved in some wrongdoing. We need to see whether he should continue to be on our payroll. If one employee does something wrong, and is not punished, then the millions of other employees who work for us may decide that they can profit from wrongdoing.

[Jim Noble]

you’d think the election could simply be voided and another election held

The power to do that does not exist, and for good reason.

[TomGuy]

They wanted to pin the word "impeachment" on Clinton. They won the battle but lost the war.

More Pubbies lost their jobs than Dems did. Newt Gingrich and his successor, Bob Livingston.

In the world of ironies, all 3 had zipper control problems.

[Servant of the Cross]

Ask yourself, “What high crime or misdemeanor” did President Nixon commit? And I mean specifically. Has President Obama reached the standard set by THE DEMOCRATS back in the 1970s? If he has, then justice, and fairness, demands that impeachment proceedings be started.

Yes. This is exactly right. Do you think the liberals would have any hesitation on this if this occurred under a Republican administration?!

Ninety Three Articles of Impeachment against Obama

[Cheerio]

Impeachment is great, but it must be accompanied with REMOVAL, otherwise the 0bama regime will come back like a drug resistant germ - STRONGER. If you don't believe it, look at Bubba Klinton!

You are obviously correct. I would like to see IMPEACHMENT if for no other reason to get some public air time and to set the history books straight. I do not want this buffoonish clown going down in history as the messiah so many think He is. BUT you are correct that he must be removed - any way possible. If Boner and Reid cannot do it, well then.........

Of course Republicans will be blamed - they are blamed for everything - grow a paid and accept it under the culture rot that is American in the 2010s.

[Seattle Conservative]

Thanks for the list and I agree that Pubbies should ‘target’ these senators & states.

I may not have this right, but IIRC the following have already said they’re not running in 2014, which would hopefully give Pubbies a better chance of winning those seats (if they don’t once again screw things up):

Tom Harkin - IA
Max Baucus - MT
Tim Johnson - SD
Jay Rockefeller - VA

[Servant of the Cross]

You are correct.

Which is why I was very specific that ..."13 current Senate Democrat 'seats' that are up for re-election in 2014 ...

[Seattle Conservative]

You are absolutely correct. I read too quickly - sorry I missed that.

Best,
SC

[Rumplemeyer]

Excellent point, don't re fight the last election, focus on the future...

[Rumplemeyer]

This is were the fight is, these are the battles to be won...

[Sivad]

I completely agree.

Impeachment is a fool’s errand at this point for
many reasons. One of those reasons is that it
provides the opportunity for the MSM to ignore
Obama’s scandals even more than they currently do.
So, let’s just hold that thought until his positives
reach down to about a baker’s dozen.