M y, my, but there were a lot of breathless talking heads on CNN Thursday afternoon. After the vote in the House of Representatives, many were picking out curtains for President Trump's jail cell. If you watched another cable news channel, whose initials are "Fox" and "News", you got a whole 'nother view. It really is as though Americans are living in two different countries. Could John Edwards have been right all along?
No.
The country remains divided, politically, but what's new about that? In that regard, it isn't any more divided now than it was in the 2000 election year. Or 1960. Or 1968. Or 1876.
A banner headline yesterday said the nation was divided on whether to impeach the current occupant of the White House, almost down the middle, 49 for, 47 against. And that poll "has stayed relatively level." Here's predicting it'll be relatively level tomorrow, too.
What happened Thursday was important from a procedural point of view. But it was certainly not impeachment.
(That is coming.)
Take this from an op-ed by Joshua C. Huder in The (not-exactly-pro-Trump) New York Times after the vote. Mr. Huder works at the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown as a senior fellow. He notes that Thursday morning's resolution was aimed at undermining the president's legal and political defenses--for future reference. But it was only a beginning, as the loyal opposition in Washington puts its strategy in operating order, and for all the world to see:
"Passing a resolution throws the weight of the House of Representatives behind Speaker Pelosi's words, clarifying the House's purpose for judges who have, until now, been forced to interpret whether the House investigations amounted to an impeachment inquiry. It also undercuts Republicans' process arguments by outlining investigation and hearing procedures and the rights afforded to the president throughout the proceedings. But perhaps most important, the resolution details the specific roles of committees and members. The impeachment inquiry had raised a lot of questions."
So, paperwork and procedures. That is what Thursday was about. Little appears to have changed otherwise. Remember, impeachment of a president is a political matter, not a legal one. And as long as the American people aren't overwhelmingly for it, or even leaning that way, it's not going to happen.
The House of Representatives, with a majority of Democrats, many of whom are pulling that party even to the left of their base, will impeach the president of the United States--unless most political watchers and experts are very wrong.
The U.S. Senate, with a majority of Republicans, many of whom are pulling that party even to the right of their base, will not vote to remove the president--unless most political watchers and experts are very wrong.
For the rest of this year, and possibly into the next, this will be The Story coming out of our nation's capital.
Yet not much has changed since we said this last summer:
"If Donald Trump is forced from office or resigns, we doubt Vice President Mike Pence will have the resolve, determination or courage that Donald Trump has exhibited to do many of the things that need to be done on conservative wish lists.
"Because of that, but not only because of that, let's take Dick Gephardt's advice [from 1998] and proceed with sober deliberation, and study any evidence of wrongdoing as these almost-daily revelations make the papers. They call it the political process for a reason. There is nothing instant about it.
"As Charles Krauthammer--a Never Trumper conservative of the first order--noted more than once: Not liking Donald Trump is no reason to overturn an election. Even if you feel the man isn't qualified to be president, that is no reason to impeach him without proving high crimes and misdemeanors. Was Barack Obama, a community organizer barely two years into a Senate term, qualified to sit in the Oval Office? The American people know what they want--and deserve to get it good and hard. (Mencken, H.L.) And there will be more elections soon enough.
"Another reason to proceed with deliberation: basic fairness. Surely even if Donald Trump wouldn't grant as much, the rest of us can."
Editorial on 11/02/2019