The latest commentary by John Hinderaker, at powerlineblog.com, concerns what I am calling the non-impeachment impeachment vote (since it changes nothing) orchestrated this week by House Democrats…
…who, evidently have had nothing better to do for the last year – make that three years – than try to find ways of getting rid of the elected President of the United States.
Here is how it starts:
The House voted today to go forward with impeachment proceedings against President Trump. This is, I guess, a news story, although it couldn’t possibly have been news to anyone. The Democrats have been talking about impeaching Trump since before he was inaugurated, and it was a foregone conclusion, when they took over the House last November, that he would be impeached. The brief pause in providing arms to Ukraine (which the Obama administration never did) and Trump’s entirely proper telephone conversation with President Zelensky are absurdly weak pretexts for the Democrats’ impeachment effort, and I doubt whether anyone takes them seriously.
Today’s vote sets out procedures for the ongoing inquiry, which will proceed in multiple House committees. Republicans rightly objected to the procedures as unfair, in fact “Soviet-style.” That is a fair characterization: among other things, Republicans can only call witnesses if they are approved by the ridiculous Adam Schiff. Schiff will also retain the power to release redacted transcripts of testimony at his discretion, as he has been doing. The only difference is that until now, they have been leaks.
Absolutely, 100% correct.
I wonder how long it will be before significant numbers of voters – including significant numbers of usually-Democrat voters – catch on to the fact that Democrats, in their Captain-Ahabesque obsession to remove Donald Trump from office, have not done anything but try to remove him from office.
Can anyone name a single piece of meaningful legislation that the Democrat-controlled House has passed along to the Senate? Legislation that would benefit citizens in their everyday lives?
How about, for example, the USMCA legislation, which – to our enormous benefit – would replace NAFTA…and has been sitting, collecting dust for the past year because Nancy Pelosi has not brought it to a vote (that’s not an exaggeration either: it’s been sitting since November of last year).
Nope, the legislative process has stopped dead in its tracks.
First, Democrats tried to remove Trump over Russian collusion and obstruction of justice, by concocting a two-year witch hunt, which resulted in findings that there was no collusion and no basis for pursuing even one charge of obstruction.
Undaunted, however, they are now on to an impeachment effort based on one telephone call to the new Ukraine President in which Mr. Trump asked for an investigation to take place; a call during which the Ukraine President himself said nothing improper occurred.
That second witch hunt has now become the primary business of the House – again, at the cost of anything else being legislated on behalf of the country.
Is there any doubt that President Trump will run for re-election on what he has accomplished in spite of, rather than along with, Democrats?
And what will their answer be? What can they possibly say in response? That the collusion/telephone call witch hunts did not exist? Or maybe that they were Trump’s idea – not Democrats, in cahoots with deep-staters and complicit media. Lots of luck with that.
Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s report is on the cusp of being released; it could happen any day. Indications are it will show that the collusion investigation was a phony concoction based on the fraudulent claim that an unverified opposition research document was verified fact.
And then there is John Durham, whose inquiry has been elevated to a criminal investigation. Let’s see how some of the players who thought their deep-state status and deep state pals insulated them from accountability, make out when they’re subpoenaed.
Retribution for this ugly episode – arguably, the single greatest scandal in U.S. History – may soon be out there for the public to see.
What will Pelosi and Co. do then? Complain that it is impeding their effort to provide beneficial legislation for the country?
I hope so. I can always use a good belly laugh, even if it is through gritted teeth.
