{"id":2602,"date":"2019-12-15T10:57:33","date_gmt":"2019-12-15T15:57:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/?p=2602"},"modified":"2019-12-15T10:57:38","modified_gmt":"2019-12-15T15:57:38","slug":"faithless-senators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2019\/12\/15\/faithless-senators\/","title":{"rendered":"Faithless Senators"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“I solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of —- — ——, now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: So help me God.” (Senate Rules<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am trying to give a pretty clear signal I have made up my mind. I’m not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here,” Graham said, adding, “What I see coming, happening today is just a partisan nonsense.” Senator Lindsey Graham on (CNN<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExactly how we go forward I\u2019m going to coordinate with the president\u2019s lawyers, so there won\u2019t be any difference between us on how to do this.\u201d Senator Mitch McConnell to Fox host Sean Hannity (WAPO<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Electoral College<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The United States choses it\u2019s President by a convoluted voting process of electing a \u201cone time use\u201d legislature to vote for President and Vice President.  It\u2019s called the Electoral College, and each state gets a number of electors equal to the total number of members of Congress in that state.  Candidates to be electors are chosen by the Presidential candidates (or their political party).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In all but two states, the winner of the popular vote for President receives all of that state\u2019s electoral votes.  All of the electoral candidates for that winner become the state\u2019s Electors. (In Maine and Nebraska the electors are divided by Congressional District, with the winner of the popular vote in that District taking one electoral vote, and the overall state winner taking the remaining two electoral votes).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the \u201c\u2026first Monday after the second Wednesday in December\u201d the Electors for each state meet in their state capital.  There, they cast one vote for President, and one vote for Vice President.  It is normally a \u201cpro forma\u201d action, with almost all Electors doing exactly what they are expected to do:  vote for the candidate they represent.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there have been historically, those Electors who despite their pledge, vote for a different candidate for President.  They are called \u201cfaithless\u201d Electors, standing for one candidate and voting for another.  A few states have penalties for doing so, but in most cases, they are just \u201cfaithless\u201d and their vote is recorded.  No one has ever been penalized or prosecuted for being a \u201cfaithless\u201d Elector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impeachment Process<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The process of impeachment and trial is written carefully into the United States Constitution.  It was a subject of intense debate during the Constitutional Convention, because it was of critical importance to the Revolutionary Founders.  They fought a war against a King, but then found an executive-less government failed to govern.  So they were between the two, not wanting another King, but recognizing that the Articles of Confederation government by Committee didn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So they created a stronger Executive, a President, with significant powers.  They made \u201ctheir deal with the devil,\u201d trying to create an Executive who could get things done, while balancing the powers his powers with Congress and the Judiciary.  It was a core issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So it should be with great seriousness that we approach the impeachment and trial for removal of the President of the United States.  It\u2019s only the third time in our history we\u2019ve reached this point.  Each time it happened, we were filled with partisan rhetoric, claims of innocence and a monopoly on \u201crightness\u201d.  And in this media and \u201cpost-truth\u201d era, the voices we hear are even more inflammatory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The House will continue debate on the Articles of Impeachment this week.  There will be more screams of outrage from the minority side, and more outlining of facts in evidence by the majority.  In the end, the House of Representatives will vote out the two Articles for trial in the Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Senator\u2019s Oath<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of how Senator\u2019s feel about the process used by the House, the Trial of Removal, specified in the Constitution, will be in their court.  The authors of the Constitution calls upon Senators to take a specific oath as jurors in a Senate trial, an oath demanding that they do \u201c\u2026impartial justice according to the Constitution and the laws\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill Toomey, Senator from Pennsylvania, calls for a \u201cfair trial\u201d (NBC Meet the Press).  And there will be plenty of time to argue the Constitutional issues and the facts, and whether what Donald Trump did rises to the level of \u201chigh crime and misdemeanors.\u201d  Toomey, recognizing his role as juror, refuses to reach those conclusions before the trial, evidence, and arguments are presented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lindsey Graham has taken an opposite position.  He, in all his Constitutional wisdom, has declared this Constitutional process illegitimate, \u201cpartisan nonsense\u201d and has predetermined his vote and the outcome.  Even worse, Mitch McConnell, the Majority Leader of the Senate, has pledged absolute cooperation with the President, a \u201cjuror\u201d committing to the defendant before the trial has ever begun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Republicans and Democratic Senators alike will make their decision about removal.  The Constitution calls upon them to look at the facts and the history, and determine their vote.  But like those Electors who get chosen for a candidate, then change their vote, some Senators have judged this case before it even has started.  They will take an oath with their fingers crossed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are faithless Jurors, and faithless Senators.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“I solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of —- — ——, now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: So help me God.” (Senate Rules) \u201cI am trying to give a pretty clear signal I have … Continue reading “Faithless Senators”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nFaithless Senators : Our America - 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