An Impeachment inquiry is under way into the conduct of President Donald Trump. There’s a lot to be said about this, but the entire process is a reminder both parties are corrupt. My top three takeaways are:
- Blind Tribalists Dominate the Republicans and theDemocrats
Regardless of the facts, the House will impeach President Trump and the Senate will acquit him. In both cases, this will be due to partisan affiliation and the interests of the parties, not the interests of the American people. The number of Republican members who haven’t even bothered to read the Whistleblower report is stunning, but it stems from the fact Republicans and Democrats in Congress frequently ignore their oath to uphold the Constitution and don’t take their duty seriously. They fall into lockstep behind whatever partisan position they’re supposed to take for the good of their career.
The number of persuadable Republicans and Democrats are limited. Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) may vote for removal, but only because he is bulletproof in his home state of Utah and won’t face voters until 2024. The most likely Democrat to vote against conviction is Doug Jones (D-AL) who faces a tough re-election campaign next year in a state where President Trump is hugely popular.
In the impeachment trial, the facts don’t matter to either major party. Each party will stick to its own narrative no matter what the truth is.
2. Both Parties Have Led Us Down a Road of Declining Standards
During the lead-up to the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton, Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) informed the lead House Manager Henry Hyde (R-Ill) that it didn’t matter if they had evidence Bill Clinton raped a woman, stood her up, and shot her, there would not be 67 votes to convict. Donald Trump boasted he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue in New York and not lose any support. Both were sadly right.
Now many feel that impeachment and removal is inappropriate for legal and constitutional reasons. I get that idea in principle, but that’s not the only way for a party to address misconduct by a leader. Richard Nixon was forced from office when senior statesman led by Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) came to him and informed him he needed to resign. Many political leaders for lower offices have been involved in scandals that haven’t merited impeachment, but have been challenged in the primary. This would be an opportunity for a leader to stand up for character and integrity of the office. Instead, the good of the party are keeping their heads low. There is no moral or political leadership, leaving Trump with three well-intentioned but hopeless challengers.
3. Both Parties are Into Self-Dealing
Hunter Biden’s chief qualification to be on the board of a Ukrainian Oil Company earning a six digit paycheck is he was the son of the Vice-President of the United States. It’s part of a disgraceful pattern of children of those in public service cashing in on their parents’ connections and in the case of the sitting Vice-President’s son, you can bet the company hoped for some advantages from this arrangement.
However, Republican attacks on Biden lack self-awareness given that President Trump’s sons continue to manage his business empire, his daughter and he are obtaining patents and intellectual property rights in other countries while they hold public office. In the read-out of the Ukrainian phone call, the Ukrainian President buttered Trump up by talking about how he stayed at a Trump hotel, which is just the latest proof that the President’s continued ownership of his properties is creating opportunities for people to use staying at Trump hotels to influence the hotels’ owner.
Add to this, the overwhelming number of grandstanding hypocrites in the Democratic Party whose motives for impeachment and removal are entirely political, and you have a picture of dysfunctional moral cesspool that the Major Parties have created.
The impeachment efforts will end one way or another, but for citizens who want honest, competent government, this should be a reminder that we ultimately need a new political party.
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