Censure ⤵️is a group vote strongly reprimanding a president for wrongful behavior.
When a House of Congress votes to censure a president, it’s a big deal. It's only been done once in our history.
Here's why I think a censure of Trump is on the horizon.
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When a House of Congress votes to censure a president, it’s a big deal. It's only been done once in our history.
Here's why I think a censure of Trump is on the horizon.
1/
Andrew Jackson was the only US president to be censured, and the blot on his record bothered him deeply. His allies worked years to get the censure expunged from the record.
(My source is the bibliography for my own book⤵️. The story is also here:
senate.gov/artandhistory/…)
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(My source is the bibliography for my own book⤵️. The story is also here:
senate.gov/artandhistory/…)
2/
In a nutshell, Jackson hated banks and thought they were engines of corruption.
So he dismantled the federal bank by moving all the funds to state banks, which were entirely unregulated. When state banks predictably failed, we had our first economic depression.
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So he dismantled the federal bank by moving all the funds to state banks, which were entirely unregulated. When state banks predictably failed, we had our first economic depression.
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It was a stupid move. It was also an illegal usurpation of Congressional power.
(Jackson also ignored a Supreme Court decision, giving us the Trail of Tears. He was an unrepentant slaveowner. If you didn't know, Trump compares himself to Jackson. He even hung his picture⤵️)
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(Jackson also ignored a Supreme Court decision, giving us the Trail of Tears. He was an unrepentant slaveowner. If you didn't know, Trump compares himself to Jackson. He even hung his picture⤵️)
3/
The Senate censured Jackson for “assuming the exercise of power over the Treasury of the US not granted him by the Constitution and Laws.”
The debate over whether to censure Jackson lasted 10-weeks. (Ten weeks. Yeah, things move slowly in democratic institutions.)
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The debate over whether to censure Jackson lasted 10-weeks. (Ten weeks. Yeah, things move slowly in democratic institutions.)
4/
There were other censures, but never for a president. The House has censured 23 of its members.
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/…
It looks to me like the rules for censure are the same as any resolution.
It requires only a majority vote.
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washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/…
It looks to me like the rules for censure are the same as any resolution.
It requires only a majority vote.
5/
The House will keep investigating, but I don’t think Pelosi will impeach again.
It’s clear that this Senate will never remove the president. A Senate trial shuts everything down. This Chief Justice thinks his job is to operate the clock.
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It’s clear that this Senate will never remove the president. A Senate trial shuts everything down. This Chief Justice thinks his job is to operate the clock.
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She gave the Senate the chance to conduct a fair trial. They conducted a sham.
A strongly worded censure allows Pelosi to:
🔹Publicize Trump’s crimes
🔹publish the evidence
🔹remind everyone that the Senate is in on the coverup, and can’t be trusted to conduct a fair trial.
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A strongly worded censure allows Pelosi to:
🔹Publicize Trump’s crimes
🔹publish the evidence
🔹remind everyone that the Senate is in on the coverup, and can’t be trusted to conduct a fair trial.
7/
McConnell gambled on people forgetting about this by the election.
They won't forget if each time Pelosi gets new evidence, she publishes it with the statement that she can't give it to the Senate because they will just conduct another sham trial and coverup.
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They won't forget if each time Pelosi gets new evidence, she publishes it with the statement that she can't give it to the Senate because they will just conduct another sham trial and coverup.
8/
Before the Senate trial, Stephanopoulos asked Pelosi her next move.
She said “Let’s see what the Senate does. The ball is in their court now.”
abcnews.go.com/Politics/week-…
(She doesn't tip her hand)
I heard it as a dare.
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She said “Let’s see what the Senate does. The ball is in their court now.”
abcnews.go.com/Politics/week-…
(She doesn't tip her hand)
I heard it as a dare.
9/
Think of what’s happening as chess game being played between Pelosi and McConnell.
He controls the Senate. But she has stronger pieces on the board. (To continue my metaphor, King Trump has only pawns.) She has evidence, and she's getting more.
10/
He controls the Senate. But she has stronger pieces on the board. (To continue my metaphor, King Trump has only pawns.) She has evidence, and she's getting more.
10/
It’s clear this Senate is never going to remove this president.
It’s all about November 2020.
Pelosi can always say that if McConnell wants to assure America that this time he'll conduct a fair trial they'll consider impeaching instead. . .
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It’s all about November 2020.
Pelosi can always say that if McConnell wants to assure America that this time he'll conduct a fair trial they'll consider impeaching instead. . .
11/
. . . but they won't put the nation through the trauma of another sham trial.
The well-oiled Trump-FOX-GOP propaganda loop will dismiss it as partisan—but they don't get to follow up a censure with an acquittal.
No exoneration.
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The well-oiled Trump-FOX-GOP propaganda loop will dismiss it as partisan—but they don't get to follow up a censure with an acquittal.
No exoneration.
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Trump can add one more item to the list of things he has in common with Andrew Jackson: He can be one of two presidents formally censured by the House of Representatives.
And Pelosi gets the last word before the election.
/end (I may add comments)
And Pelosi gets the last word before the election.
/end (I may add comments)
I had just finished writing the manuscript of Andrew Jackson when Trump was elected (weird timing, right?)
At first, I thought the comparison was accurate.
Now I think it is an insult to Jackson. He was everything Trump is, with one exception. . .
Jackson would never have accepted foreign help against a domestic adversary. Never.
Jackson saw nothing wrong with profiting from slave labor or land speculating or stealing from the Native people.
But there was a place he drew a line.
Jackson saw nothing wrong with profiting from slave labor or land speculating or stealing from the Native people.
But there was a place he drew a line.
I agree.
There is a direct line from Andrew Jackson to the Confederacy to KKK and the Trump-Fox-GOP.
Jackson had a lot of support. There was also a strong opposition. We had one of our first real Civil Rights debates over Jackson's Indian "policies."
There is a direct line from Andrew Jackson to the Confederacy to KKK and the Trump-Fox-GOP.
Jackson had a lot of support. There was also a strong opposition. We had one of our first real Civil Rights debates over Jackson's Indian "policies."
The goal right now isn't to punish Trump. The goal is to win the election with a large margin.
Censure allows Pelosi to keep the nation focused on Trump's crimes.
Expect a lot of chaos, so that will be hard.
She needs to cut through the noise.
Censure allows Pelosi to keep the nation focused on Trump's crimes.
Expect a lot of chaos, so that will be hard.
She needs to cut through the noise.
It also lets her remind everyone that the Senate conducted a sham trial and a coverup.
Each new piece of evidence allows her to point a finger at both Trump and the Senate for covering it up.
An election year two-fer.
Each new piece of evidence allows her to point a finger at both Trump and the Senate for covering it up.
An election year two-fer.
I combined this thread and my earlier thread into a single blog post: terikanefield-blog.com/all-politician…
The past few days, when I try to look at my own threads, they're completely disconnected. Other people seem to be able to read them though.
Sometimes I don't think Twitter likes me.
The past few days, when I try to look at my own threads, they're completely disconnected. Other people seem to be able to read them though.
Sometimes I don't think Twitter likes me.
