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Trump’s bipartisan critics are not merely arguing that he has dishonored the presidency. The most serious charge is that he is attacking the bedrock of American democracy.....
theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…
theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…
The question that determines whether an act is impeachable, though, is whether it endangers American democracy.....
“The purpose of impeachment is not personal punishment; its function is primarily to maintain constitutional government.”
The most serious allegations against him ultimately rest on the charge that he is attacking the bedrock of American democracy. That is the situation impeachment was devised to address....
The process of impeachment itself is likely to shift public opinion, both by highlighting what’s already known and by bringing new evidence to light....
If Trump’s support among Republican voters erodes, his support in the Senate may do the same. One lesson of Richard Nixon’s impeachment is that when legislators conclude a presidency is doomed, they can switch allegiances in the blink of an eye....
But this sort of vote-counting, in any case, misunderstands the point of impeachment. The question of whether impeachment is justified should not be confused with the question of whether it is likely to succeed in removing a president from office. Why?
1. once an impeachment inquiry begins, the president loses control of the public conversation. if impeachment proceedings begin, his staff will surely redouble its efforts to curtail his tweeting, his lawyers will counsel silence, and his allies...
on Capitol Hill will beg for whatever civility he can muster. ...
2. It paralyzes a wayward president’s ability to advance the undemocratic elements of his agenda.There may be no more effective way to run out the clock on an administration than to tie it up with impeachment hearings....
3. The third benefit is its utility as a tool of discovery and discernment. The process of impeachment can also surface evidence. The only way for the House to find out what Trump has actually done, and whether his conduct warrants removal, is to start asking....
4. The public understood that once the impeachment process began, the real action would take place in Congress, and not in the streets...
5. The fifth benefit of impeachment is that, even when it fails to remove a president, it severely damages his political prospects. <end>
I quoted article. Well worth the read.
I quoted article. Well worth the read.
