The spontaneous booing and chanting of “lock him up” directed at Donald J. Trump at the World Series Sunday was so beautiful to behold. Evidence that those national polls recently showing a decline in Trump’s already low showings aren’t mistaken. The notion—expressed widely by pundits and some Democrats— that this showed disrespect to the presidency arise from the view that the person and office are synonymous. That’s exactly what Trump himself thinks: l’etat ‘cest moi. The booing and chanting were a healthy reaction to the stink Trump has brought to the presidency, a public expression of dissent that all autocrats and their sycophants deserve.
As we know all too well, Trump has throughout his life repeatedly squirmed his way out of responsibility and liability for whatever shenanigan he’s been involved in, and seemed just weeks ago on the verge of possibly doing so again by running out the clock on impeachment. But now that locomotive is speeding his way, and it has no brakes. The House Democrats are committed. The question is: how many House Republicans will put principle above partisanship and join in voting for Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s resolution making the impeachment inquiry formal and setting some procedural rules?
Every one of them would if they actually believed in the Constitution that so many of them carry pocket editions around with them all the time.
Republicans have complained that the committee hearings so far scrutinizing Trump’s behavior are closed—which, as we all know, is a transparently ludicrous accusation given that a fourth of the House GOP caucus serve as members of those committees. They also have whined (and tried to persuade the courts) that the whole investigation is bogus because no such resolution has yet been passed. The backflip and double-twist the Republicans will now perform in arguments against the impeachment resolution will no doubt be interesting—but let me be the first to predict—unsurprising. Whatever the ultimate specifics, those arguments will involve a great deal of the usual kowtowing to Trump and barking at Democratic so-called unfairness.
What would be surprising is if, say, 50 or so Republicans showed they mean it when they say they believe in principle over partisanship and joined almost all Democrats to vote for the formal impeachment resolution. That, of course, would require them to actually concede that what we already know out of Donald Trump’s own mouth, plus that of other witnesses whose words have trickled out of the committees. These Republicans would have to acknowledge that in any other situation with any other person, a confession backed up by numerous witnesses would by now have produced a trip to a grand jury and an indictment.
C’mon, Republicans, 50 votes? 40? 25?
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BLAST FROM THE PAST
At Daily Kos on this date in 2002—Mexico won’t back US Iraq resolution:
Why is it that all of Bush's international "friends" are abandoning the US? Russia's Putin, whose soul had passed the Bush test, has already sided with the evil French in opposition to the US's "bomb Iraq" UN Security Council Resolution. In most ways, that was to be expected.
But now Bush's supposed best friend, Vicente Fox, has announced his opposition to the measure. Mexico has one of the rotating seats on the Council, and along with Ireland is one of the swing votes. [...]
And Bush is pulling one of those famous temper tantrums he throws when he doesn't get his way.
Why is it that all of Bush's international "friends" are abandoning the US? Russia's Putin, whose soul had passed the Bush test, has already sided with the evil French in opposition to the US's "bomb Iraq" UN Security Council Resolution. In most ways, that was to be expected.
But now Bush's supposed best friend, Vicente Fox, has announced his opposition to the measure. Mexico has one of the rotating seats on the Council, and along with Ireland is one of the swing votes.
On today’s Kagro in the Morning show: Another crazy weekend to round up, with Greg Dworkin. A military thing happened, but all anyone wants to talk about is Trump getting booed at the baseball game. OK by us! Ukraine backgrounder: Dmytro Firtash has had it in for Biden since forever.
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