Stocking Stuffer
A quick check shows the Democrat impeachment stocking is stuffed with nothing. It’s the weakest case since 1868.
Honey, We Shrunk the Impeachment
Please consider the Incredible Shrinking Impeachment.
So that’s it? That’s all there is? After all the talk of obstruction of justice, collusion with Russia, bribery, extortion, profiting from the Presidency, and more, House Democrats have reduced their articles of impeachment against President Trump to two: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Honey, we shrunk the impeachment.
Democrats on the Judiciary Committee will vote as early as Thursday on the text of the two articles they unveiled Tuesday, and then they will rush it to the floor next week. It’s enough to suspect that Democrats understand they are offering the weakest case for impeachment since Andrew Johnson, that the public isn’t convinced, and so they simply want to get it over with.
Whatever happened to bribery and extortion? Democrats have retreated instead to charge “abuse of power,” a phrase general enough for anything Congress wants to stuff into it. [Mish Comment: That’s what inspired my Christmas stocking idea.]
They don’t even pretend any more to prove a quid pro quo. Instead they assert that Mr. Trump, in his phone call with Ukraine’s president, “solicited the interference of a foreign government” in the 2020 election “in pursuit of personal political benefit.” They also assert that this “compromised the national security of the United States and undermined the integrity of the United States democratic process.”
Their problem is that Mr. Trump didn’t withhold military aid to Ukraine, and even if he had he would have merely been returning to Barack Obama’s policy of denying lethal aid. How would that have jeopardized national security?
The second Democratic article is weaker in that it amounts to impeaching Mr. Trump because he is resisting their subpoenas. “Without lawful cause or excuse, President Trump directed Executive Branch agencies, offices and officials not to comply with those subpoenas,” the article charges.
His lawful cause is defending his presidential powers under the Constitution. Every modern President has to some extent or another resisted Congressional or special-counsel subpoenas. Nixon and Mr. Clinton did until they lost at the Supreme Court. House Democrats are refusing even to fight in court, claiming impeachment gives them plenary power to see all documents and any witnesses they want.
This ignores that the Constitution stipulates co-equal branches that each have the right to defend their powers. If Democrats are right in their claim, then every President essentially works for Congress. We should skip elections and let Congress choose the President.
Democrats also claim the emergency of time, and as usual Rep. Adam Schiff puts this case in the least credible way. “The argument ‘why don’t you just wait?’ amounts to this: Why don’t you just let [Mr. Trump] cheat in one more election? Why not let him cheat just one more time?,” Mr. Schiff told the press as the articles were unveiled.
Sorry, Pathetic Witch Hunt
What a sorry, pathetic joke of a witch hunt this turned out to be.
Bribery charges – MIA.
Extortion – MIA.
Dear Democrats, if you are going to present charges, at least present them in a way the general public can understand.
Instead, Democrats want to impeach Trump on the grounds he might do something deserving of impeachment if he gets reelected.
Why This?
Who knows? Certainly not me.
But I do know a pathetically weak case when I see one.
There is no way the Senate will convict on these ridiculous charges.
Democrats Up in Arms
The New York Times reports McConnell, Coordinating With White House, Lays Plans for Impeachment Trial
Mr. Trump said on Friday that he had no preference for how the trial — expected to begin in early January — unfolds, but he has privately pushed for a prolonged process that would allow him to mount a theatrical defense. Mr. McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, has resisted that idea in favor of a shorter, more dignified event.
Outraged Democrats, meanwhile, accused Mr. McConnell on Friday of abandoning his duty to render “impartial justice” in an impeachment trial — a response to a television interview in which Mr. McConnell dismissed House Democrats’ articles of impeachment as “so darn weak.” He added that he was “taking my cues” from the White House in shaping the trial.
No Trial?
There may not even be a trial.
The Senate can choose to to not even hear the case.
Unless there are 51 Senators willing to take the case, the process dies.
Monkey Trial?
If the Senate takes the case, it could easily morph into trial of Hunter Biden or other Democrats.
Trump wants theatrics. McConnell may or may not go along. Ultimately, McConnell will do whatever he thinks is best for Republicans, not just Trump.
But also look at it this way: If you make a mockery of the impeachment process by presenting amazingly weak charges, then expect a trial of the monkeys presenting the charges.
One does not have to like Trump to see what a farce this turned out to be. A majority of the US does not support this process.
And if all the Democrats can mount are these feeble charges, then expect the whole process to backfire on the Democrats.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
If any one still considers themselves a Democrat following all the revelations in the IG report and the impeachment inquiry—I am sorry for you but you qualify as STUPID
Your too early Mish. Watch how it plays out after December 26th.
“A majority of the US does not support this process.”
Except there’s that pesky Fox News poll that found that 54% supported impeachment, and 50% supported removal. What’s your basis for that statement?
Waaaaaaah!!! Mommy, make Donald give the White House back! Everybody knows we gave it to Hillary!
The Patriotic Left.
Not so complicated.(choose any or all) and dismiss without trial.
The fix is in.
Dems reps get to IMPEEEECH!!!!
Senate Repubs get to “Defend our
Everybody avoids disclosure of embarrassing facts. We’ll all just shrug and keep paying. For a while. Maybe.
The impeachment has nothing to do with the phone call. I think the democrats are horrified they’ll lose in 2020 and are desperate to try anything.
The dems should be able to easily defeat Trump and they still might. If they win, it won’t be because of their recent actions. It will be in spite of them.
Donald Trump is not and never has been a legitimate president and should not be in office, and even though that is true the impeachment is not about revoking the illegitimate 2016 vote, and it is also true that the impeachment case presented (so far) is weak because the democrats pulled their punches, they could have charged him with treason, bribery, and many other high crimes but feared a backlash and instead opted for the mealy-mouthed half measure of abuse of office and obstruction of justice, both provable but also not necessarily reason enough to remove a leader from office no matter how threatening he is to our nation.
The real damage in the charges as they stand are that they prove the treacherous nature of the GOP and their willingness to destroy all that the USA stands for in order to put party ahead of country.
Personally I think Trump will be elected (for the first time legitimately) in 2020 for the simple fact that the democrats are allowing the FAR fringe left to infiltrate and warp their party. Seventy percent of democrats have a negative view of socialism and yet the party is turning to socialism and politically correct green policy that will destroy all prosperity in the name of man made global warming panic. I am not one to deny human activity has changed the environment, but I also think that the claims by the far left are so far exaggerated that they might as well be lies, and their responses are nothing short of suicidal.
I am a lifelong democrat that first registered in 1975 and have not missed a vote since. But, the only democrats I could possibly see myself voting for are not going to be our nominee. Biden is just flat out too damned old as well as having nothing original to offer. I would vote GOP before I would vote for a “progressive,” that is just code for socialist. I could vote for Mayor Pete, I like his brains and integrity, but will not get excited about him because let’s face it, he has no chance at nomination. None of the over 70’s are going to work for me, and Bernie Sanders is a russian plant, or may as well be, he would destroy America, the man is actually evil, I would vote for Trump (Satan) himself before I would vote for Sanders. Because the sand that Trump throws into the gears of democratic machinery can with time and effort be repaired, but Sanders proudly proclaims he would simply wreck the whole machine. His damage would be immediate and irreparable. It would be the end of this nation as a single republic. And what failing fragments were left he would force into an EU like confederacy that is incapable of self defense or appropriate legislation.
That does not mean I give the right a pass or the GOP any slack to continue what they are doing to the nation and I do hand them most of the blame for the suicidal left behaving the way they are. Because the right has so bent economics and prosperity in favor of a very small elite that working people and average citizens no longer have any hope or any voice. WTF did you expect tens of millions of people to do once they became structurally impoverished? Sit back and thank you for the lack of health care? Or kiss your feet for the scorn heaped upon them for their own poverty and the need to feed their kids? So, you will get what you deserve also, gloating now is not going to help you when your turn comes to be the targets of forces you have no power against and that day IS coming trust me.
Now return to your regular complaining but remember this, what the GOP and the far left are going to deliver is the end of civilization and possibly life itself, so quite the partisan nonsense and get out there and enjoy that last rays of the setting sun, because we have no future left. Trump, or the reaction to Trump, are the end for us as certainly as the Roman Empire crashed pretty much overnight. I just hope we are lucky enough as a planet to get only 1,000 years of dark ages because the alternative is a planet left a lifeless cinder.
You lost me at “Donald Trump is not and never has been a legitimate president”
Only the majority opinion in the USA.
This sentiment is why Democrats look crazy right now. Winning an election is a matter of fact, either you did or you didn’t, it is not a matter of opinion.
Winning an election means the vast majority agree with the outcome, that is not the case with your fat assed orange spy, not only does he not enjoy the support of the majority he did not even win the popular vote, and when you link the FACT that the russians interfered with the vote it means that even if the error of 2016 was never corrected it is none the less illegitimate. That loss to the nation means the nation is on borrowed time and democracy in the USA is now suspect no matter who wins in 2020. If the GOP had any lingering shred of integrity it would have immediately used the quarter billion APPROPRIATED funds that were meant to prevent our voting systems from being hacked again, that they have blocked that protection systematically proves to most that they simply intend to cheat the ballot again. Republicans are willing to destroy the nation in order to remain in power, as far as I am concerned the nation already exists in name only.
That is fine with me, I did not write that to convince the braindead far right who are already a lost cause.
I didn’t vote for Trump in 2016 and probably won’t in 2020. That said, he won the election under the same rules that have been in place for over 2 centuries. Frankly, he looked as surprised as I was on election night when he won. I think the Democrats have gone “mealy-mouthed” because they know any competent investigation will implicate them just as much as Trump and the Republicans.
In terms of perverting prosperity for a tiny elite, the Democrats are no better than the Republicans which is a major part of the reason Trump won. Prior to Trump, Democrats held the presidency for 16 of 24 years while many Americans fell further and further behind. The Democrats are running at least 2 billionaires for president and most of the newly minted tech and finance billionaires align with the Democrats. Trump was actually a break from the politically elite consensus that prevailed under Clinton, Bush 2, Obama, and looked set to continue under Clinton 2.
I’m not as pessimistic about the future as you. Whether Trump loses in 2020, as I hope, or is termed out of office in 2024 as currently seems likely, the country will go on for many years to come. The Western Roman empire hollowed out over a couple centuries prior to its final abrupt collapse. That may happen to the US one day, but that day is not particularly close right now. The US survived a brutal Civil War, the Great Depression, WWII, and many bad presidents, it will survive Trump too.
You’re a fool Herkie. Regardless of what you think Trump won the election clearly. Evil old Hillary lost, and rightly so – she should be in jail over the email scandal. The Law should apply to her just as it does to you.
Watching things unfold I am actually astonished at what I have seen. The impeachment hearings were no better than a French farce with so many bruised egos on display. The so called testimony was at best pathetic and at worst childish. Are these the sort of people one wants running US foreign policy ?
And then last week we saw the IG Report. That made shocking reading but it laid bare troubling abuse of power in the FBI and DofJ and only a radical purge can sort that out. Reading between the lines it also laid out some very unpalatable truths about the Obama regime. All roads always seem to lead back towards the DNC and the evil Hillary. It is long overdue that the Clinton’s were called to account and justice was rendered.
You might hate Trump Herkie, but the way scum like Schiff have behaved there might dawn a day when they are hammering on your door at 3am. If you had any common sense whatsoever you would defend the Law, the Constitution and due process. The shame impeachment is against a man you hate, but tomorrow all the things that have happened to people like Carter Page might happen you.
Andrew, I do not know if you have this saying in the UK or not so I will explain it yo you, opinions are like assholes, everyone has them and they all stink. You can be just as disrespectful as you please in your posts, but that does not alter the fact that Nazis will come out of the woodwork to defend the fat assed orange spy that Putin engineered into office by tampering with the 2016 election.
What everyone seems to be overlooking is that before Trump got involved, the DOJ had ample opportunity to investigate Biden’s dealings in the Ukraine, and did NOTHING. The failure to do so, after US State Department officials reported Biden’s son as possible malfeasance falls into the same category as DOJ investigating Hillary’s emails, or the Clinton Foundation and questionable quid pro quo donations (eg. Ukraine was a major donor): NOTHING!
Takeaway–The upper levels of the DOJ and FBI are either incompetent or corrupt, or both. The hero here is not Schiff, or Igor.
Or there simply was NOTHING to investigate other than disinformation campaigns designed by the russian troll farms and promoted by corrupt GOP politicians that know they can fool the gullible into repeating the rhetoric about our institutions being corrupt so they can be remade even more corrupt but also partisan for the far right.
Exactly. Putin is pulling the strings of division. The goal is to break the United States the way the Berlin Wall crumbled from his KGB office in East Berlin in 1989.
It’s not absolutely certain that the Dems have the votes to pass impeachment. One Representative has announced that he will switch parties to the Republicans because he prefers to be re-elected more than he prefers to vote for impeachment.
This source gives the Dems 233 members, the Republicans 197 members, 1 independent, and four vacancies. With 431 voting members, 216 are required to impeach (216 “ayes” and 215 “nays”, assuming everybody votes and nobody abstains).
It counts Amash as the sole independent, and he is anti-Trump. If Van Drew switches, and Amash votes to impeach, then it’s 232 Dems, 198 Republicans, and Amash. One other Dem already voted against starting impeachment (along with Van Drew). Let’s count him as anti-impeachment. That leaves 231 Dems who might or might not vote to impeach, and 199 probable “nays”.
That’s 231 Dems plus Amash = 232 possible “ayes”, and 199 probable “nays”, for a margin of 33. If 17 more Dems vote “nay” it’s 215-216, and impeachment fails.
Are there 17 more Dems who represent pro-Trump districts, and value their seat more than they hate Trump? We will soon find out.
Obviously you don’t know the rules governing impeachment well enough. Updated below.
Dang! I was hoping for a major delving into the Ukraine coup and Biden et al’s profiteering but O’Connell may be afraid of what all will be uncovered if some investigation is done on that steaming pile of sh*t. Military industrial complex corruption is deep both sides of the aisle.
There will be no impeachment after Labour’s stunning loss last week.
There isn’t much in anyone’s metaphorical stocking this year, whether it’s impeachment, MAGA, Russiagate, ending the wars, dealing with the big, fat ugly bubble, etc.
This impeachment blather does fill some news cycles and keeps discourse pointed in a useless direction, so I guess it’s all good!
Counterpunch begins?
Has Trump done a good job so far in his presidency?
Trade: Horrid.
Supreme court appointments: good
No New Wars: Good
Ending existing wars: Poor
Mixed Bag
Trump would do a lot more if the dummycrats and The Swamp were not blocking everything he tries to do, even things the dems previously supported.
Important additions to the list: cutting regulations, with the Federal Register actually shrinking for the first time since Reagan; getting the US out of the Paris climate abomination.
Very important but often overlooked additions.
I wonder how his 2 strike for ever 1 addition is actually working? I wonder if anyone on the planet can actually figure that question out. Lol
Trade: Kudlow would disagree with you!
Look in your stocking Democrats!
Trump need a black new deal. Coal fired powerplants for electricity, and outreach to all the no employed people with darker skin.
If you’d said “I’m not a racist, but” at the beginning, that would have been perfect.
So if impeachment doesn’t work, what’s next on the Democrat ‘list of fixes?’ Anyone wanna bet it won’t be a rapid decline in the stock market as the election nears?
The biggest boost to the stock market under Trump was due to the earnings jump from the reduced corporate tax rate. All of the Democratic candidates have indicated they plan to repeal it, and perhaps go higher than it was before. If they appear likely to win, it seems likely that the market gains from the tax cut will be reversed.
Yes, corporate taxes produced more income after tax, however, that wasn’t my point. Democrats cannot tolerate another four years (eg 2 more Trump appointees to Supreme Ct plus other Fed judges). Ergo, Trump must go.
The Fed has already said interest rates steady in 2020.
Of the long list of things they could have gone after him for, seems like his letting Edrogan slaughter our allies because “I have a little conflict of interest, because I have a major, major building in Istanbul … It’s called Trump Towers. Two towers, instead of one. Not the usual one, it’s two. And I’ve gotten to know Turkey very well.” would have been a better fit. But Russia owns the republican party now, so I guess it doesn’t really matter. It’s up to the voters now.
This is what Trump derangement syndrome looks like.
“Of the long list of things they could have gone after him for”
Are you actually dumb/deranged enough to think they wouldn’t go after him? They have nothing. If they did they would present it.
What you read daily is propaganda. I don’t like Trump but what is going on right now is completely wrong.
Defeat Trump if you don’t like him. Don’t cheat and then talk about him being a bad person.
BTW he cannot be an evil genius and a complete idiot.
Is it ok for any politician to hold up aid to an ally on the condition that the ally announce an investigation of one of the politician’s rival’s family members?
You would have lost your freaking mind if Obama had done such a thing.
You are a simple Trumpling, nothing more.
Both parties are guilty of the sames things. The whole thing cracks me up. To be honest, the way Trump should have expressed it is “We can’t be giving aid to countries that have a problem with corruption. We are concerned about ongoing corruption in Ukraine. Before aid is released, we need to see some signs that you are actively addressing the issue of corruption.” Trump, idiot that he is, didn’t express it very well, however.
As for why the bribery/quid pro quo issue vanished from the impeachment, that’s not hard to understand. Biden actually boasted that by applying financial pressure to Ukraine, he got a personal benefit, the termination of the prosecutor. The case for quid pro quo against him is much stronger.
Nevertheless, it’s all politics as usual by both parties. The great thing is that it keeps them Congress from actually doing anything, and that’s always a good thing.
Obama did go after Trump? Are you ignorant enough to think he wasn’t involved in directing the FBI to investigate Trump campaign?
Or are you saying Obama wasn’t involved and didn’t have control of his administration? Can’t have it both ways.
Aid is political leverage. It was designed to be that way.
Biden doesn’t have immunity because he started a campaign. I think most democrats think investigating him now he is a political rival is illegal.
It’s not. And if it is OBama/Biden should be in jail. Fair is fair Right?
Zardoz: The facts are: Obama never gave any military help to the Ukraine AT ALL. The aid they got from Trump administration was never held up – documented facts prove it was going to be delivered all along. Sorry your TDS opinion is in direct conflict with FACTS.
Agreed. The way they have been going after him is far, far worse than anything they have accused him of, and moreover doing lasting damage to the country. I hope somebody gets strung up for treason.
“Both parties are guilty of the sames things.” Indeed they are, and it’s not ok… even if it’s your party of choice.
Just to be clear, neither are my party of choice. I voted Libertarian, though they have some issues, too.
I think they are using impeachment as a pre-emptive defense against the upcoming Durham prosecutions, for they can claim the latter as a corrupt attempt to deflect impeachment charges (they always accuse their foes of what they are doing themselves!).
But also, I don’t think Trump is interested in ‘theatrics’ for a shallow reason, indeed calling them theatrics is itself shallow. What Trump is probably pushing for is the chance to call witnesses in a solid way which amounts to a vigorous Counter Claim, turning impeachment against him into offense against them. If they can show that many aspects of the Ukraine business – which ties in directly to the Russia collusion story via the infamous DNC server etc. – were deliberately manufactured frauds perpetrated on both the American People and the Executive, then they have a case to prosecute those perpetrating that fraud. Furthermore, the public nature of the trial will diminish the considerable ability of the Press to distract and dilute its import.
Trump wants a solid counter punch. It’s a solid play, a consummation devoutly to be wished.
If he can’t do it in the Senate, he’ll do it in the Courts via Grand Juries, but they won’t be so public.
The reason he is being impeached is because he is in a very strong position, finally, after three years of taking unfair hits. Impeachment is a desperate move which already isn’t playing well in Peoria – not to mention that not only will it fail, but also will probably boomerang back on them to ruin them both politically and personally.
Nadler is clearly on his last legs, fainting and drooling.
Nancy is fading away monthly.
Schiff seems fine, but he might well end up ranting and raving in Bellevue.
They ceased being authentic politicians a while ago and instead are crooks. It’s bad for the health, if nothing else.