The Impeachment Process Has Officially Begun (4 Viewers)

[Andrus]

By Laura Bassett

After months of internal arguing among Democrats over whether to impeach President Donald Trump, the dam is finally breaking in favor of trying to remove him from office. The Washington Post reported that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would announce a formal impeachment inquiry on Tuesday, following a bombshell report that Trump illegally asked Ukraine’s government to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, one of his political opponents. (He essentially admitted to having done so over the weekend.)

“Now that we have the facts, we’re ready,” Pelosi said Tuesday morning at a forum hosted by The Atlantic. At 5 p.m. the same day, she was back with more. "The actions taken to date by the president have seriously violated the constitution, especially when the president says Article Two says I can do whatever I want," referring to the segment of the Constitution that defines the power of the executive branch of the government. Pelosi's message was that checks and balances of those branches are just as central to the Constitution. And one more thing: "Today, I am announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry," she said at a conference broadcast on Twitter by the Huffington Post. ...

Read the Full Story - InStyle

 

[Saintamaniac]

I do feel sorry for you people. One wonders why the Internet is full of hatefulness.....see above.
Please get out your crystal ball which tells you my life patterns and habits. Ask it if I care about your passive aggressive insults. Shameful for you to live life so twisted up. I do feel sorry for the whole bunch of you.

This reminds me of yet another point about trump and his supporters; the habit of projecting onto their opponents the things of which they themselves are guilty. Aside from the inability to acknowledge their own faults, they tend to project the things that they are guilty of onto those who are calling them out. Again, it takes courage to acknowledge and accept wrong doing and faults. This is not something that is present in trump nor his most ardent supporters.

There's no need for a crystal ball. Everything about you is on full display when you post much like everything we need to know about trump is on full display.....and there's usually a tweet about it.

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

I’m not going to squabble with adolescent behavior any longer. I will enjoy watching you complain for 5 more years.

Good for you, taking the high ground and letting it go!

if I were only a cross dressing person who was born with a penis but wants a vagina, you and I would get along great.

 

[Lazybones]

I deleted the post of me defending myself for the sake of civility.

 

[insidejob]

I think back to John McCain when he stopped that crazy woman who called President Obama a Muslim as if there was something wrong with that. It would have been easy for him to just allow her to finish but that ugly lie she was telling made him uncomfortable because he knew the truth. McCain was the epitome of an alpha male. I didn't always agree with his politics but the man had dignity and that mattered to him. The truth mattered to him. We have no John McCains left on the right and very few on the left.

It's a shame no one in the Republican party has stepped up and into the shoes of John McCain (not that the shoes are easy to fill). You'd think that someone in the party has the moral fortitude that McCain had and would have loved to be the voice of sanity in the current Republican party. Then again, I think no one even tried because they know it's not possible with Trump calling the shots and the Republican members of Congress being his sycophants. They'd have been shouted down at every turn and basically forced to fall in line or be sabotaged in their next election

It's really a sad state of affairs that there isn't a single Republican with the balls to stand up to Trump like McCain did.

 

[Saintamaniac]

if I were only a cross dressing person who was born with a penis but wants a vagina, you and I would get along great.

I’m not going to squabble with adolescent behavior any longer.

LOL.....you can't make this stuff up.

 

[Lazybones]

It's a shame no one in the Republican party has stepped up and into the shoes of John McCain (not that the shoes are easy to fill). You'd think that someone in the party has the moral fortitude that McCain had and would have loved to be the voice of sanity in the current Republican party. Then again, I think no one even tried because they know it's not possible with Trump calling the shots and the Republican members of Congress being his sycophants. They'd have been shouted down at every turn and basically forced to fall in line or be sabotaged in their next election

It's really a sad state of affairs that there isn't a single Republican with the balls to stand up to Trump like McCain did.

John McCain lost all of his presidential bids.despite what the left thinks, we don’t want republicans who act like democrats to run our party.

 

[insidejob]

John McCain lost all of his presidential bids.despite what the left thinks, we don’t want republicans who act like democrats to run our party.

People like you are why the Republican party is shrinking and is a shadow of the Party of Reagan. McCain was an actual conservative who stood on principles. Y'all are Trumpists now. There is nothing conservative about the Republican party whatsoever and it's actually embarrassing that y'all let the Tea Party turn into Trumpism.

 

[Archies Ghost]

There are many theories about when it was exactly that Republicans lost their minds. Some will point out, correctly, that the strain of reality-free conspiracy-mongering that defines the Donald Trump presidency dates back at least to the era of Joseph McCarthy and the John Birch Society.

Others will note Richard Nixon's reliance on the "Southern strategy," which helped remake the GOP into a white ethno-nationalist party that was capable of nominating Trump.

Still others will point to the Tea Party, which was reported at the time as somehow an anti-tax movement, but now looks clearly like a panicked, racist reaction to the election of Barack Obama, and resulted in a purging of any moderate or reality-based impulses in the Republican ranks.

But whenever it started, I think it's safe to say that the upcoming votes in the Senate impeachment trial, in which the Republican Senate majority will hold tight to prevent any witnesses from testifying and will then vote to acquit Trump, will mark a point of no return for the Republican Party............

Acquittal: For Republicans, there's no way back after this

Today Republicans make it official: Out of sheer lust for power, they've rejected democracy and basic decency

www.salon.com

It is interesting that the party that wants to overturn a presidential election by any means necessary, wants to destroy an important part of the electoral system in our Republic, rushes an ill considered impeachment in order to meet political deadlines, allows only witnesses for the prosecution in the rushed impeachment, and demands that Senate fix the flaws of the House impeachment or the acquittal is "illegitimate" thinks the other party is totally corrupt and abandoning "democracy".

Democrat leadership is stupid.

They started with a hare-brained Trump is a Russian asset. A traitor to his country. Pretty much the absolute worst possible accusation to level at a newly elected President. You don't start with the worst possible charge and work your way down if you want to build an image of a corrupt President. You especially don't do that if the charge at the top of the bill is very likely to miserably fail.

After a few years of utterly failing, they move on to "Do me a favor, Ukraine, and dig up some dirt on Joe Biden" only to get outfoxed by Trump releasing the transcript. Instead of bailing out, they double down and cram an impeachment through without calling all possible witnesses, publicly deny any Trump rebuttal in the House, declare it is a national emergency requiring immediate removal, delay submitting the articles for a month in an attempt to strong arm the Senate into fixing the House serial screw ups, submit questions that insult the Chief Justice and anger the very swing Senators they need and spring stupid last minute, obviously pre-planned "surprises".

And now they are wailing "illegitimate". Journalists are declaring Republicans to be the devil's spawn.

I have some news for them. They did it to themselves. They built the strength Trump now enjoys.

When Trump entered office he had some incredible headwinds to fight. A large portion of his won party was "Never Trump". All the Democrats had to do was not be stupid. The Washington establishment could have easily made Trump a one term president. The Republican House spent the first two years slow walking or obstructing Trump's agenda. The Senate played its part as well.

It is likely that would have continued and a frustrated Trump, lacking any allies, would have had a difficult time.

And then the House went Democrat and the Democrats went insane. Embarking on a slash and burn program that seems purposely designed to create Trump supporters out of Never Trumpers.

And here we are witnessing the political harvest of the seeds of stupidity sown.

Yeah, its the Republicans fault. We are evil. Good luck campaigning on that, again.

 

[Saintamaniac]

I think we've ventured off the course of this topic. I certainly understand how it could get derailed. This impeachment and the defense of the actions of trump has gotten some people pretty damned heated about what this means to the country. We already see manifestation of the damage in the form of people not being able to acknowledge being wrong and instead doubling down on a lie....essentially following the lead the person they worship. Clinton was impeached for lying about a BJ. He acknowledged his wrong doing and apologized. Trump has been impeached for trying to cheat in the next election and using his power to cover up the plot.

Some republicans have already acknowledged that fact as irrefutable. trump has no intention of acknowledging the wrong doing and will continue to do so with republicans whistling past the grave yard. The only thing that will get republicans attention at this point is the be out of power. It's going to be up to Americans who still believe in the words in our constitution to relieve them of the burdon of power and begin to restore America as an ally that can actually be trusted. Time will tell.

 

[Beach Friends]

Lots of name calling ITT today. "Trump and his supporters" sound like some bad people if one were to go by recent comments here.

I wish Nancy and company had made better decisions. It's a shame to see them get their constituents all worked up.

 

[coldseat]

They totally get it from their leader. Case in point:

Trump said Sunday he will likely have a difficult time working with Democrats after his expected acquittal vote.

"I'd like to, but it's pretty hard when you think about it, because it's been -- I use the word witch hunt, I use the word hoax. I see the hatred. I see the -- they don't care about fairness, they don't care about lying," Trump told Fox News.

"You look at the lies, you look at the reports that were done that were so false. The level of hypocrisy. I'm not sure that they can do it, to be honest. I think they just want to win, and it doesn't matter how they win."

Trump and Pelosi haven’t spoken in months | CNN Politics

When he delivers his State of the Union address Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump will directly cross paths with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the first time in months.

www.cnn.com

I mean, the shear audacity for him to claim something like that is beyond comprehension. Literally leaves you with a busted cranium. But as I said in a post a while back, these are calculated messages by Trump to his supporters. It's a test of their loyalty and a dare of sorts to be as ethically and morally void as he is and to make the most ridiculous statements possible. But to claim that as "their truth" and be as indigent as possible, their by showing their fealty to him.

It's clear as day what he does, I just don't understand why people go along with it. I don't see what they think is in it for themselves by doing so (the 1% and cooperate america not withstanding, they're obviously getting something valuable out of it). The only thing they clearly get out of it group affirmation and praise for staying loyal. I guess that's enough .... me, I'd find another group.

 

[Beach Friends]

It is interesting that the party that wants to overturn a presidential election by any means necessary, wants to destroy an important part of the electoral system in our Republic, rushes an ill considered impeachment in order to meet political deadlines, allows only witnesses for the prosecution in the rushed impeachment, and demands that Senate fix the flaws of the House impeachment or the acquittal is "illegitimate" thinks the other party is totally corrupt and abandoning "democracy".

Democrat leadership is stupid.

They started with a hare-brained Trump is a Russian asset. A traitor to his country. Pretty much the absolute worst possible accusation to level at a newly elected President. You don't start with the worst possible charge and work your way down if you want to build an image of a corrupt President. You especially don't do that if the charge at the top of the bill is very likely to miserably fail.

After a few years of utterly failing, they move on to "Do me a favor, Ukraine, and dig up some dirt on Joe Biden" only to get outfoxed by Trump releasing the transcript. Instead of bailing out, they double down and cram an impeachment through without calling all possible witnesses, publicly deny any Trump rebuttal in the House, declare it is a national emergency requiring immediate removal, delay submitting the articles for a month in an attempt to strong arm the Senate into fixing the House serial screw ups, submit questions that insult the Chief Justice and anger the very swing Senators they need and spring stupid last minute, obviously pre-planned "surprises".

And now they are wailing "illegitimate". Journalists are declaring Republicans to be the devil's spawn.

I have some news for them. They did it to themselves. They built the strength Trump now enjoys.

When Trump entered office he had some incredible headwinds to fight. A large portion of his won party was "Never Trump". All the Democrats had to do was not be stupid. The Washington establishment could have easily made Trump a one term president. The Republican House spent the first two years slow walking or obstructing Trump's agenda. The Senate played its part as well.

It is likely that would have continued and a frustrated Trump, lacking any allies, would have had a difficult time.

And then the House went Democrat and the Democrats went insane. Embarking on a slash and burn program that seems purposely designed to create Trump supporters out of Never Trumpers.

And here we are witnessing the political harvest of the seeds of stupidity sown.

Yeah, its the Republicans fault. We are evil. Good luck campaigning on that, again.

I would add to that, they were perfectly willing to undermine the Supreme Court. Elizabeth Warren's little stunt of sending up that question to the CJ trying to make him look bad was a failure on several levels. If there was a chance the vote was going to be 50-50 she killed it. And now we have a 3rd Supreme Court justice who knows first hand what it feels like when the Democratic party tries to trash you for no good reason.

 

[SFIDC3]

Some republicans have already acknowledged that fact as irrefutable. trump has no intention of acknowledging the wrong doing and will continue to do so with republicans whistling past the grave yard. The only thing that will get republicans attention at this point is the be out of power. It's going to be up to Americans who still believe in the words in our constitution to relieve them of the burdon of power and begin to restore America as an ally that can actually be trusted. Time will tell.

Well put, above is always what it has been about to me. Folks that still care about this country need to vote Trump and the cowardly, complicit GOP senators out of office....It is the only way....hopefully it happens, we will see....

 

[Archies Ghost]

David Harsanyi echoes my previous sentiments.

The End of Impeachment | National Review

House Democrats rushed through a botched process and then complained bitterly and endlessly that Senate Republicans wouldn’t do their work for them.

www.nationalreview.com

Perhaps if the public hadn’t been subjected to four years of interminable hysteria over the United States’ imaginary descent into fascism, it might have been less apathetic toward the fate of “vital” Ukrainian aid that most Democrats had voted against when Obama was president.

And perhaps if institutional media hadn’t spent three years pushing a hyperbolically paranoid narrative of Russian collusion — a debunked conspiracy theory incessantly repeated by Democrats during the impeachment trial — the public wouldn’t be anesthetized to another alleged national emergency.

You simply can’t expect a well-adjusted voter to maintain CNN-levels of indignation for years on end.

Pretending that Republicans are motivated by historically unique strains of partisanship, acting like democracy is on the precipice of extinction simply because you didn’t get your way, though, is nothing but histrionics.

 

[coldseat]

David Harsanyi echoes my previous sentiments.

The End of Impeachment | National Review

House Democrats rushed through a botched process and then complained bitterly and endlessly that Senate Republicans wouldn’t do their work for them.

www.nationalreview.com

The only reason Impeachment failed in the Senate is because Republican Senators (and House members) are complicit with the President in covering up his crimes. Well, not really covering them up, since the House managers did such and effective job of uncovering it all. More like completely ignoring all evidence and not caring what comes as a result of not removing Trump. But whatever, on to the election.

 

[RegularChuck]

David Harsanyi echoes my previous sentiments.

The End of Impeachment | National Review

House Democrats rushed through a botched process and then complained bitterly and endlessly that Senate Republicans wouldn’t do their work for them.

www.nationalreview.com

That's a pretty hefty dose of propaganda.

 

[Taurus]

It's a shame no one in the Republican party has stepped up and into the shoes of John McCain (not that the shoes are easy to fill). You'd think that someone in the party has the moral fortitude that McCain had and would have loved to be the voice of sanity in the current Republican party. Then again, I think no one even tried because they know it's not possible with Trump calling the shots and the Republican members of Congress being his sycophants. They'd have been shouted down at every turn and basically forced to fall in line or be sabotaged in their next election

It's really a sad state of affairs that there isn't a single Republican with the balls to stand up to Trump like McCain did.

The truly sad thing is how the Utah delegation has completely submitted. We know for a fact that Mitt despises Trump and he's virtually invincible in Utah, but he'll knuckle under like all the rest.
It's pathetic.

 

[Optimus Prime]

The truly sad thing is how the Utah delegation has completely submitted. We know for a fact that Mitt despises Trump and he's virtually invincible in Utah, but he'll knuckle under like all the rest.
It's pathetic.

But why is that?

If Romney is invincible in Utah what does he have to lose by going against Trump?

Is it not so much the reaction in Utah but the response in Washington from fellow republicans he’d be worried about?