Why are the leaders of the Democratic Party so squeamish about using the word impeachment in the same sentence as Donald Trump? Are they afraid of Trump? Are they afraid of his tweets? Is it because there isn't enough evidence of malfeasance and abuse of power to justify such an action? Is Congress waiting for more proof from whatever report Mueller finally issues? Is it because the House knows that the Senate (controlled by Republicans) wouldn't convict and vote to remove him from office?
I think it has more to do with their fear of the 39-45% (depending on the poll) of the American people who still support Trump. From my vantage point, it doesn't appear that they are afraid of him (consider their statements and commentary about the man). They make fun of his tweets. There appears to be an abundance of evidence that he has violated the emoluments clause and actively obstructed justice in plain sight. And, as far as the Republican controlled Senate is concerned, why would those Republican Senators not vote to convict or remove? Do they like Trump that much, or are they afraid of offending and alienating his supporters?
Trump, like most tyrants, is a petty and small-minded individual who doesn't have the character, intellect or ability to inspire real fear or terror in others. Like most demagogues, the secret to his success/continuation resides in the loyalty which he has inspired among his followers. In short, Democrats are afraid of the large and vocal minority of Americans who support Trump. The fear is this: If they move against Trump, his followers will revolt - that they simply will not tolerate their man being dethroned.
And there is strong evidence to support the conclusion that Trump himself is just as afraid of offending/alienating these folks as the Democrats. Don't believe me. Look at the circumstances surrounding the current government shut down.
Trump was ready to sign off on the legislation which the Senate had passed on a BIPARTISAN basis, until some of the folks over at Fox News howled about him abandoning his commitment to a wall on our Southern border. Witness how fast Trump changed his mind - how quickly he said that he wouldn't sign the legislation to continue funding the government. He immediately started demanding full funding for his pet project as a precondition for his willingness to sign any funding legislation to keep the rest of the government open/operating.
So, what do we have? I think it's clear that we presently have minority rule in the United States! Will Mueller's report change this calculation? Only time will tell.
I think it has more to do with their fear of the 39-45% (depending on the poll) of the American people who still support Trump. From my vantage point, it doesn't appear that they are afraid of him (consider their statements and commentary about the man). They make fun of his tweets. There appears to be an abundance of evidence that he has violated the emoluments clause and actively obstructed justice in plain sight. And, as far as the Republican controlled Senate is concerned, why would those Republican Senators not vote to convict or remove? Do they like Trump that much, or are they afraid of offending and alienating his supporters?
Trump, like most tyrants, is a petty and small-minded individual who doesn't have the character, intellect or ability to inspire real fear or terror in others. Like most demagogues, the secret to his success/continuation resides in the loyalty which he has inspired among his followers. In short, Democrats are afraid of the large and vocal minority of Americans who support Trump. The fear is this: If they move against Trump, his followers will revolt - that they simply will not tolerate their man being dethroned.
And there is strong evidence to support the conclusion that Trump himself is just as afraid of offending/alienating these folks as the Democrats. Don't believe me. Look at the circumstances surrounding the current government shut down.
Trump was ready to sign off on the legislation which the Senate had passed on a BIPARTISAN basis, until some of the folks over at Fox News howled about him abandoning his commitment to a wall on our Southern border. Witness how fast Trump changed his mind - how quickly he said that he wouldn't sign the legislation to continue funding the government. He immediately started demanding full funding for his pet project as a precondition for his willingness to sign any funding legislation to keep the rest of the government open/operating.
So, what do we have? I think it's clear that we presently have minority rule in the United States! Will Mueller's report change this calculation? Only time will tell.
I don't agree with your argument that they are afraid of Trump. Just the opposite -- I believe they are so confident that the Mueller investigation will yield proof of collusion, conspiracy, and financial crimes that it won't fall on only the Dems to act -- even the Republicans will have to move forward on impeachment.
ReplyDeleteTrump has difficulty keeping his loyal appointees long term, because to him, loyalty means agreeing with him 100%. He interprets valid criticism of his policies, ideas, and tweets as being disloyalty.
ReplyDeleteI’m sure that Trump supporters are not monolithic, but we know that a great number of them are loyal to the white nationalist philosophy. They’re going to overlook the warts, moles, and blemishes so long as he continues to advance their agenda. This is why he is so sensitive to stories presented on Fox.
The Democrats with their newly effective voice in the House of Representatives are righteously getting into his face, and publically intimidating him. As Cathy pointed out, his malfeasance would need to be indefensible by Republicans in order for impeachment to be successful. The mention of the “I” word is merely intimidation at this point.
Everyone must surely realize, including himself, that if Donald Trump backs down on “the wall”, his power will have been broken, the image smashed. The problem is that if he continues the government shut down, and if the Dems fail to cave, we could see angry people taking it to the streets. If he is victorious, it’s another step towards an America that none of us will recognize.
BB
I don't believe Democrats are afraid of Trump either - My point was that they are afraid of the 39-45% of voters who support him. They are afraid of the fact that those folks would see his ouster as a coup. This fear is paralyzing (as all fear is). It forces them to continue to snap at his heals rather than risk the direct confrontation that would unseat him. In other words, they're afraid that they still might not win such a confrontation because of the loud, irrational, hate-filled "base" which he caters to).
ReplyDeleteI share the Democrats belief that the evidence of wrongdoing and abuse of power will be overwhelming in whatever report Mueller finally issues. Nevertheless, you'll excuse me for being skeptical that that will persuade his "base" to abandon him. And there's another factor to consider: How long must we continue to wait for this report? (Remember, we're two years into the Trump Administration) How long will Congressional investigations take?
I think BB's assessment of the stalemate over the funding of his boarder wall is very important. Trump believes that his base will abandon him if he fails to secure his wall (that's why I say that he's also afraid of these folks).
No, I'm beginning to share Comey's view that the only good solution to this crisis is a good old-fashioned licking at the ballot box in 2020. The problem with that, however, is obvious - how much damage will have been done both domestically and internationally by that time?
I don't like this any better than the Democrats do, but I think it is quite clear that a large and vociferous minority is currently running the show.
Well I thought it a hoax to revive American Steel and a false promise to large part of the stricken white man voter.
ReplyDeleteWhat a super (political) compromise it would be to actually build that "wall" with American steel. (and for sure Israeli technology or it wont't work anyway).
I believe Trump was voted in by a group of people that has been greatly affected by false reporting on the economy and other changes that formed the backbone of their lives.
With all the emphasis on this and that identity we see more and more acceptance in academic circles for the right of white people to also cherish their identity.
Do I think it is the best solution or are the above personal goals of mine. No non whatsoever, they are merely a recognition of the human condition, human nature and a call to go slow on change regarding human groupings with shared values.
In my utopia the world is borderless and all humans work according to ability and receive more than their needs. Until that goal is achieved we have to deal with mans current ways of organizing themselves, human loss aversion and slow ability to change unless crisis emerges.
nck
We live in times in the USA when partisan politicians apparently do not make small tuning adjustments. They repudiate and reverse as much of the previous president of the opposite party’s agenda as possible. As it relates to “the wall”, this means that if the wall does get funded and built, a Democratic administration in the future could easily thwart its application, opening areas of it, or decreasing or ignoring enforcement efforts.
ReplyDeleteIf we define unauthorized border crossing as crime (and technically, that is precisely what it is), then the old adage about criminals keeping ahead of new enforcement technology most certainly applies. I believe that even if we had a mine field in the first 100 yards of American soil this side of the border, enterprising illegal immigrants would still find ways of entering the USA.
Spokespersons for the Border Patrol insist that what they really need is funds for new technology, and increased staff. Even in the present “crisis” large numbers of undocumented immigrants are being turned over to American churches by ICE.
The wall is nothing more than intimidating symbolism for our president’s Nazi base. As of January 1, a new breed of conservative talk show hosts has emerged. Seth Gorka, a Steve Bannon ally, is bringing the perspectives of Breitbart to the airwaves in his newly syndicated daily radio program. This could mean that far from fading, our president’s extremism may actually be kicking into high gear.
BB