Slow Motion

It seems to happen so quickly.  The stories break, and the focus swings wildly from one part of the story to another.  From the Ambassador, to the texts, to Giuliani’s friends:  a nation used to the drip-drip-drip of the Mueller investigation is standing, mouth open, in front of a fire hose.

The evidence showing the President has abused his power is already out there.  The House could vote today to impeach the President, and send the matter to the US Senate for trial.  So why don’t they?

Teaching America

Nancy Pelosi recognizes that the issue is greater than the technicalities of the Constitution or a vote count on the floor of the House.  Her goal is to educate the American people in what she already knows:  that the President of the United States is using his powers to force other nations to intervene in our election.  

If she can achieve her goal, then the American people will place the Senate Republicans in an impossible position.  Either they vote to remove Mr. Trump from office, or they adhere to the Trump base and face disaster in the general election 2020.  It’s already happening, the latest Fox News poll, the “Trump Broadcasting Network,” shows 51% of Americans want Trump impeached and removed, while another 5% believe he should at least be impeached (Fox.)  Only 40% say he should not be impeached, a figure that closely correlates to the Trump base number.

Republican Plan

The Republican strategy is one of delay-delay-delay.  Members of the House are creating a new theory of impeachment, literally “out of whole cloth.”  They want a “trial” in the House, giving them the ability to present defense witnesses and develop an entirely different theory of the President’s actions.  

That’s not how the process works, but it “sounds” good on the Sunday news shows.  Republican conflate the criminal justice process with impeachment, demanding that the President is innocent until proven guilty, and that he has “due process” rights.  Of course, even in the criminal justice system, a defendant isn’t allowed to exercise those rights until after indictment, the process analogous to the impeachment process.

And the President is “stonewalling” every attempt to get information.  Witnesses are ordered to not testify, subpoenas for information are ignored, and the President’s counsel claims the entire impeachment process is “illegitimate.”  The stall is “on.”

The Courts are gradually ruling against the President.  The Federal Court of Appeals ruled that he must allow his tax returns to be turned over, the Supreme Court, despite being slanted in his favor, is likely to agree.  But the Courts grind slowly, months of argument, debate and decision.  And that’s fine by Republican standards; the longer it takes, the better.

What are they waiting for?  The closer that the impeachment process gets to the primary elections of 2020, the more pressure is placed on Republican candidates to “stand by their man” the President, exerted by the Trumpian base.  And the closer it gets to election; the power of their strongest talking point grows.  That point:  why are we overturning “the will of the people” from 2016?   With only months until the 2020 election, why not let “the people” decide?

The Danger of Delay

And that’s the most valid point Republicans have.  

It should be “the peoples” choice, if possible, rather than the twenty Republican Senators placed under the gun.  The problem is that the evidence shows that the President is trying to subvert the election process.  Speaker Pelosi is trying to educate America on this most important point:  the President is breaking the laws governing elections.  Waiting for 2020 doesn’t change that fact, and if we can’t trust election results (as many feel we couldn’t trust the results of 2016) then we can’t depend on them as the arbiter of Trump’s behavior.

Delay allows the President and his henchmen to continue to demand that other nations intervene in our process.  Trump has already openly asked Ukraine and China, and of course, Russia, “…if you’re listening.” 

And that underlines the greatest danger to our nation.  The danger is that impeachment and elections are both seen as illegitimate by substantial chunks of the American electorate.  And if both of those Constitutional processes don’t work, then what are we left with disaster, in slow motion.

In Support of Bernie

I’ve made it clear that I am not a big “Bernie” supporter.  But on one issue, I understand and agree with him:  heart attack.  Bernie states that he had two stents placed in his heart, and he feels better than ever.  I’ve been there.  Several years ago I experienced a gradual loss of energy and endurance, followed by throat and chest pain.  I went from running dozens of miles a week, to struggling with one.  

After testing, it was determined that I had a blockage.  A forty-five minute procedure put a stent in my coronary artery, and blood flow to my heart was restored.  Days later (five to be exact) I was coaching a cross country meet, scaring my assistants to death running back and forth, and feeling better than I had for months.

I didn’t have a heart attack: dodged that bullet.  Running saved me from that.  I don’t know what damage Bernie’s heart suffered, but clearly it wasn’t terribly traumatic.  I’m sure he feels better than he has for months.  Now let’s get back to finding the best candidate.