“Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table…
In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo…
Do I dare to eat a peach?”
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, T.S. Eliot
It is difficult to overstate the negative impact that occurred when Civics ceased to be a mandatory high school or junior high class. I took Civics in the 9th grade at Carr Junior High in Vicksburg, Mississippi. (The fact that such a thing as “junior high” still existed pretty well dates me.) I cannot remember the teacher’s name (Harwell? Hargrove?), but I recall not liking him very much. I don’t even remember whether he was a “good” teacher or not. But I do remember the subject, which means I was taught how our government is organized: the separation of powers, the bicameral legislative branch, how the number of representatives is calculated, why senators have a 6 year term and representatives only a 2 year term, how the Electoral College works. All of that (at the time) was boring material, but which, as it turns out, was incredibly important.
And I learned about the process of impeachment.
Although the current blanket wave of news coverage likely makes it unnecessary, here’s a quick recap of how impeachment works. Many people mistakenly confuse impeachment with removal, but it’s only the first step on a path that may or may not lead to the removal of an officeholder. Impeachment is like an indictment. The House of Representatives, if it decides by a simple majority, can impeach a President, or a Vice President, or a Supreme Court Justice, or any civil office holder. In so doing, they have only accused that person of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” In order to be removed from office, the Senate must then hold a trial (which is presided over by the Chief Justice of SCOTUS). In order to convict, the Senate must decide by a 2/3 majority that the target of the impeachment is guilty.
And there’s the rub. There is no doubt whatsoever that the Democratically-controlled House could vote to impeach Donald Trump. There is an equal absence of doubt that 2/3 of the Senate would never convict him, regardless of the quantity and quality of the evidence brought to bear on such a decision. The GOP in Congress has locked itself in a death grip with Trump, and there is no indication that they will relinquish that hold, ever. They have lashed their fates to the mast of his ship of state, and they will not even pretend to independence, even if the ship is plunging to the ocean’s depths. Why? They either live in abject fear of losing their seats in the Senate or the House, knowing that Trump’s base would turn on them like mad dogs should they oppose Trump. Or else they are complicit with Trump, and share his authoritarian “philosophy”, and are willing, even eager, to subvert the Constitution, the democratic process and the rule of law. Not to mention (and this applies to everybody) the chance to suck at the teat of unabashed corruption, on a scale not seen in this country since the days of Teapot Domes and the Whiskey Ring.
Nancy Pelosi has made noises in the last few days that this political reality makes the idea of impeachment a non-starter. Knowing that conviction is not even a possibility, she has said that impeachment itself is futile. “Donald Trump is not worth it.”
It is true that the political reality of a failed impeachment (ie, bring articles of impeachment, but fail to get a conviction, as happened with Bill Clinton) would likely strengthen Trump, at least with his base. And it would also likely weaken the Democrats, or that is certainly possible. Aiming the gun but not pulling the trigger could be ruinous. Failure to convict would be seen as weakness for the Democratic party, or even weakness of the case against Trump, although the truth would be that the Republican senators would never vote to convict Trump regardless of the evidence.
So it is difficult to see Pelosi’s aversion to bringing articles of impeachment as anything other than a purely political maneuver, an action grounded in fear rather than principle, and therefore no more defensible than those Republicans who fail to stand up to Trump out of fear of retaliation. But an impeachment of Trump is so clearly required, failure to do so is basically an abrogation of the Constitutional duty of the House. It must be done simply because it must be done. It is impossible to think of a President more deserving of impeachment than Donald Trump.
Consider the two instances where a President was actually impeached and brought to trial. In 1868, Andrew Johnson was impeached because he ignored Congress and replaced the Secretary of War in violation of the Tenure of Office Act. Basically, the whole affair was a squabble between Johnson and Congress. The Senate failed to convict by a narrow margin. Clinton was impeached for perjury and obstruction, basically because of his actions in the Monica Lewinsky affair. The perjury charge was acquitted by a 10 vote margin, though the obstruction charge was basically a tie, which counted as acquittal.
Now compare the charges and actions of these two Presidents against the avalanche of corruption, obstruction, perjury and almost treasonous actions by Trump. The litany of wrongs, even those just in the public domain, is so vast and so overwhelming, that we have become essentially inured to drumbeat of his wrongdoing. Indeed, the sheer magnitude and frequency of his daily lies and misdeeds have served to come dangerously close to redfining “normal” for our nation’s expectations of “acceptable behavior”. It is so exhausting that it takes all we can do to simply maintain vigilance.
So impeachment is not only a moral imperative for this President, it should be regarded as absolutely necessary. But one has to admit that the timing is critical. No, Trump would never be convicted by the spineless Republican cowards in the Senate. But the investigation that would be part and parcel of impeachment proceedings would be the thing that could put the spear in the heart of a Trump re-election campaign. Mueller’s investigation is constrained by the warrant he was given: look for Russian interference in the 2016 election, and possible conspiracy with the Trump campaign. In the course of his investigation, Mueller has unearthed a treasure-trove of related corruption, and indicted and convicted key figures in Trump’s orbit. But the evidence brought to light have pointed to MUCH more than Russian collusion, including tax fraud, bank fraud, obstruction, witness tampering, and a host of other crimes.
Therefore, I agree we should not “dare to bring an impeachment”, at least not just now. Let the Mueller report be made. Simultaneously, let Elijah Cummings and Jerry Nadler and Adam Schiff continue to probe and investigate and subpoena. Hell, create a House Select Committee on Trump Corruption, like the House Select Committee on Benghazi, and dig even deeper. Bring as much to light as possible.
Then, in time to have the greatest impact on the 2020 election, so that the public can see it all laid out, impeach the motherf**ker. He NEEDS to be impeached, he deserves it more than any one in American history. Let the trial hound him right out of office and into the arms of whatever indictments the Southern District of New York has waiting for him. Let him and his family spend years in jail. Let justice be done.
That will be so much better than merely talking of Michelangelo.
© 2019 Chuck Puckett