In an effort to prevent any repeat of the violence that took place on January 6 at the Capitol, someone in the White House released the following statement on Wednesday. You’re supposed to read it in Trump’s voice, although it’s doubtful he issued it on his own initiative:
“In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind,” the statement said. “That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank You.”
That didn’t prevent the U.S. House of Representatives of voting to impeach him in a 232-197 vote that included 10 Republicans. It was the second time Trump has been impeached, but this time it wasn’t for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, but because he “incited an insurrection against the government of the United States.” This time there is at least some prospect that he’ll be convicted.
You might be wondering how it’s possible that 197 Republicans voted against impeaching a president who started an insurrection against the U.S. government in an effort to stop Congress from formalizing Joe Biden’s electoral victory. For the most part, it wasn’t because they denied the truth of the charge. Instead they offered a variety of weak excuses.
Some simply argued that, with Trump leaving office in one week, it wasn’t necessary. Others suggested that impeaching Trump was divisive and what we really need now is unity. There were procedural objections that the House was moving too fast or hadn’t gone through the proper committees.
The most ambitious defense was that Trump couldn’t have incited the riot at the Capitol because it began before he had finished his speech at the Ellipse. A variation on this went further and insisted that the sophistication of the attack showed that it had been planned before the president spoke, as if denying the legitimacy of the election for two months never happened and he hadn’t summoned the his supporters to Washington to protest the counting of the vote.
In truth, many members of Congress are afraid to challenge Trump and his rabid band of QAnon nutcases, weekend warriors, and white supremacists for fear they or their families will face potentially lethal consequences. Strangely, though, only Republicans were intimidated, as every Democrat voted to impeach. I won’t call the Republicans cowards, as the threat of assassination is real, but fear is obviously not a sufficient excuse if it only controls lawmakers on one side of the aisle.
Trump’s apparently sullen about achieving the unprecedented impeachment deuce, and I guess he feels like Rudy Giuliani let him down.
Trump has instructed aides not to pay Giuliani’s legal fees, two officials said, and has demanded that he personally approve any reimbursements for the expenses Giuliani incurred while traveling on the president’s behalf to challenge election results in key states. They said Trump has privately expressed concern with some of Giuliani’s moves and did not appreciate a demand from Giuliani for $20,000 a day in fees for his work attempting to overturn the election.
To which I respond, a la Hunter S. Thompson, “Ho Ho Ho. Coming of age in a fascist police state will not be a barrel of fun for anybody, but there will still be a few laughs.”
Anyone sentient who lived through the first Trump impeachment trial already knew the president was a mortal danger to our democracy who would cheat to win. That he’s content to cheat to win even after he’s lost? That, too, was unsurprising. But sending a few dozen phalanxes of yahoos down Pennsylvania Avenue to lynch his own vice-president?
Admit it, you didn’t see that coming.
It’s almost admirable in its blaze of glory self-immolation. It’s also clarifying in a helpful sense. There’s no longer any debate about Trump or the health and status of the GOP. There are just right-wing hangers-on and everyone else.
We’re all Antifa now, except for the fascists.
Maybe, just maybe, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will vote to convict Trump. If so, he’ll do it as Senate Minority Leader, because those Georgia senators are getting seated soon and Kamala Harris will replace Pence as the tie-breaking president of the Senate. But no one ever got younger waiting on McConnell to do the right thing.
A conviction would be nice, and certainly in the GOP’s interest. Why would they want the threat of Trump running again in 2024 hanging over them? I wouldn’t rule a conviction out completely, partly for this reason alone. But also because new troubling details come out every hour about the assault on the Capitol and therefore time is Trump’s enemy.
Finally, if there’s any further political violence from the MAGA crowd between now and the conclusion of the Senate trial, that’s just going to solidify the case against Trump.
The end of Trump’s term- Jesus– every day feels like the Battle of Antietam. Groundhog Day, with a nonstop violent clash between good and evil. Massive expenditures of energy and, thanks to COVID-19, more than 3,000 deaths every damn time.
Fucking exhausting is what it is, and even Biden’s inauguration won’t make it stop. Instead of moving on, we’ll be having a trial and everything will still be all about Trump.
This is just how he likes it. He has a real talent for it.
He’s so malignant that he can even take the joy out of beating him at the ballot box. He can make it un-fun to impeach him.
Ironically, that means most of the world will not have peace or satisfaction until he is behind bars for life.
Let it be so.
I don’t know, Martin. Having fun here. Took your advice on popcorn futures and happy days are here again.
Seriously, I’d like to see Trump impeached because then Hawley, Jordan, Cruz, Greene and other chickenshit enablers become the low hanging fruit. I know I’m dreaming but imagine the possibility of purging the body politic of these enablers, loons and self-serving asswipes.
From a distance, what we could call the “Clyburn option” seems like the best available strategy for Senate Dems: first focus on 1) getting BIden’s government “stood up”, with cabinet and other executive officials confirmed and working; 2) deal with the twin crises of the pandemic and the economy; 3) pass big and broadly popular legislation (e.g., raising minimum wage, voting rights/election reform, infrastructure investment); then, after a thorough (and mostly behind-the-scenes) investigation, hold the impeachment trial.
Agreed on all points except that “voting rights/election reform” is as “broadly popular” as the rest. It’s the most crucial to saving our democracy, but only half (if that) of the populace believes in it, unfortunately.
I disagree that it’s un-fun to impeach him. I have had a lot of fun over the past few days,calling up various MAGA bootlickers, throwing their words back at them, and asking questions like “Is Mitch McConnell a BLM antifa now? Does Mitch not want to MAGA? Do blue lives still matter when you’re beating a cop’s brains out with a fire extinguisher, or do you only love cops when they’re beating up black people?”
They get angry and slam down the phone. Then I call back, and when they wont answer I leave voicemails. Sometimes I leave 5 or more, so they have to keep deleting my voice.
Combat ready Seal Team! 🙂
When do the new GA senators get seated? Why have the new Reps already been sworn in and not the senators?
What happens if it is proven that some Reps actively helped the insurrection – giving some recce tours on 5th, tweeting current locations, etc.? Does the House (and Senate) have a procedure for expulsion? All of this will keep the outrage machines humming…
Until we rid ourselves of Faux Noise and its wannabes, the Republic is in an unstable equilibrium!
I remember Herman Wouk, the novelist doing an artist-in-residence stint at Caltech while writing his book “The Language God Talks” (calculus is the answer!). During that he commented that earth seems like a Greek drama, where the Gods are watching morality cosplay between good and evil. Sometimes when they get bored, they put in a change agent to see how the pattern will change… think Hitler… and now Trump!
Georgia Senators seating waiting for certification of the runoff election outcome.
I would love to see him tossed out and denied future office but I doubt there is enough support to do it. these republican pukes see no wrong, so getting 17 of them is going to be hard. So lets get on with it. In a few days he will be gone. And his enablers will still be here. Shitty I know but there it is.
My guess is they’ll come to regret not getting rid of him when they could have. That’s why I think there’s a good chance they’ll do it. McConnell isn’t stupid. Short term pain for long term relief. What there is of it.
I sure hope u are right but I’ve come to believe that too many of these pukes were perfectly happy with the riot. I thought McConnell was going to go for impeachment if that is what he wanted. He didn’t.
Some of these pukes may have given tours to would be rioters including the tunnels. So we have now domestic terrorists some of whom may be members of congress. Pelosi even called one rioter a “punk”. Yeah you bet. But who was the first punk?