What a Week (Potentially a Bit Controversial)

Waking to a temperature of 30 degrees this morning and with frost on the newly mown grass, I was reminded that I started the week waking to temperatures in the 70's with palm trees dancing in the breeze.

It is a cold the morning, much like the political climate in our country right now. 

I cannot understand why our political leaders are abrogating their responsibilities to govern in a bipartisan manner and allowing our global adversaries the opportunity to make huge gains while we are myopically focused upon domestic bickering. 

Here's Bob's view of the impeachment proceedings. I got asked this question this week about how I felt about the proceedings and after I formulated my answer and teased it out a bit, I felt that I wanted to share it with others to provide my perspective on the issues.

The proceedings are legal under the Constitution.

There is too much fluff being entered into the discussion by the defense. It does not matter what the Democratic Party did, or this or that candidate did, or what the Republican Party did. The ONLY thing germane to the conversation is what the president did!

That the President did something illegal has not been disputed by the Republican defense. 

The big question: Is what the President did worthy of impeachment and subsequent removal from office? And that is the true substance of the whole issue. 

Here is my analysis.

Given the current make up of the Senate, I believe this question will be answered only through the extremely partisan process that we have witnessed thus far. If the impeachment goes to the Senate for a trial, I predict the final vote will be 53-47 against conviction and removal. That allows for two Democrats and two Republicans each to switch sides. When it is boiled down, despite what the Constitution says, the standard for removal of a president from office is such that the crimes have to be egregious enough for the President's own party to vote for conviction and removal. In this case that means that at least 20 (more likely 22 or 23) Republican senators must vote for removal in order to obtain the 67 votes necessary to sustain a conviction. At this point it is clear that the party of the president continues to staunchly support the president. Hence, there will be no conviction. Going back to the Constitution, that, by extension, also means that the crimes are not egregious enough to warrant removal.

Bob's opinion--the Congress needs to get back to work and govern the nation and start passing a budget and fixing our looming economic disaster.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD