Impeachment Trial Theater
The President’s defense team spent last week “making their case” which was more theatrics than it was a clearly laid argument about why Trump is not guilty of the crimes for which he was impeached. At the end of it all and despite the existence of John Bolton’s book, the allegations by Lev Parnas, and statements made by White House Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney— the Republican-controlled Senate voted to not call any witnesses. The senate did not hold a trial in which evidence was considered and witnesses were heard. A mock impeachment trial at the now defunct Trump University would have provided a more fair trial.
Abuse of Power is Allowed
One of the most disappointing moments was when Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz stated that “abuse of power” is not impeachable and that the framers of the Constitution did not define it as a crime. The WHOLE reason we have separation of branches is to prevent ANY branch from over-reaching its power. Heck, the second amendment was put in place to allow states to prevent itself from a tyrannical leader!
A once highly-respected constitutional lawyer is using his academic credentials to condone the very thing that the framers feared, which is an executive that acts like a king. The role of the executive branch was heavily debated during the constitutional convention, but there was a consensus that the branch would not be all-powerful. In fact, they did not even know what title to give the person in the executive branch but they definitely knew that it would not be “King”! Here is a little snippet about what the framers had in mind when establishing the executive branch.
Professor Dershowitz’s passionately and eloquently delivered his faulty logic to the delight of Republican senators who can now use that as their reason for not checking the president.
It’s More than Just Inappropriate – It is Scary
The president’s behavior is more than just inappropriate. It is abusive and should not be allowed. Americans cannot publicly disagree or critique Trump without fear of him tweeting vicious statements attacking their integrity, trying to ruin their career, and even risking their physical safety. When Trump goes into a fiery rant at a rally about someone he does not like, one would not know he was a the President of the United States except for the flag in the background. You would think that he is the leader of some totalitarian government where anyone who disagrees with the “state” is punished!
It is very scary that Republican senators have allowed Trump to hijack the Republican Party and turn it into a Trump-owned company. They have made it clear that their job is to do whatever President Trump wants instead of what those who elected them wants.
The Electoral College does not Allow Voters to Check the President!
Republican senators continue to say that it is not their job to decide whether the President did anything wrong, but it is up to voters to do that with their vote. Well, the framers of the constitution did not set things up that way. The executive branch was, in part, established to execute the laws enacted by the Congress in all of the states because prior to the constitutional convention, each state was doing their own thing. So think of the president as one who makes all of the states act as one union and therefore speaks on behalf of the entire country. Congress, on the other hand, represents each person in their district — one vote for each person. So when we vote for Congressional and Senatorial candidates, we are voting for someone who will speak for all us at the national level. We also are voting for someone who will fulfill their duty to protect and defend our democracy. The framers of the Constitution, set things up so that the president would be checked by the Congress because it is they who represent every voter. It is not up to voters to check the president…that is the job of Congress.
Holding Congress and Senate Members Accountable
It is not voters’ job to hold the President accountable for his “inappropriate” behavior that got him impeached but they can hold their representatives in the Senate and House accountable for NOT doing their job. Whether or not Trump deserved to be removed from office should have been decided after having a trial with documents and witnesses. Voters deserved to know whether the President was indeed guilty of the actions for which he was impeached. Was there anyone with direct knowledge of the Ukraine issue that could speak in the President’s defense?
Voters can and should hold our elected representatives in Congress accountable for not doing the important job of upholding the constitution and making sure that our government does not fall under under tyrannical rule.
That’s all for now! Hopefully my whining has made you think. If so, tell your friends/family/colleagues that you heard it through the Political Great Whine! Also, feel free to whine yourself on the Facebook page!
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