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In a Polarized Era, Will Impeachment Become a ‘New Normal’?
New York Times ^ | December 12, 2019 | Carl Hulse

Posted on 12/13/2019 2:46:03 AM PST by karpov

WASHINGTON — It was a powerful congressional weapon deployed in only the most extreme cases, so explosive that lawmakers feared the wider damage it could do if used for the wrong reasons. Today, the filibuster is an everyday part of Senate business, standard operating procedure in a polarized world where the once rare has become commonplace.

With the House poised to impeach President Trump on a mainly party-line vote and Republicans already threatening retribution, fears are mounting that presidential impeachment might, like the filibuster, become a regular feature of America’s weaponized politics, with members of the party out of the White House but in control of the House routinely trying to oust a president they find objectionable.

The escalating use of the filibuster and the rising toxicity of Supreme Court confirmation hearings are examples of how scorched-earth politics can be hard to extinguish once one party feels aggrieved and gets the opportunity to exact revenge.

Those grievances were on full display Thursday during the 14 hours of debate in the House Judiciary Committee over articles of impeachment. It was a discussion full of vitriol and invective that ended with the panel’s chairman, Representative Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York, gaveling the session to a close without a vote.

Earlier in the week, Representative Louie Gohmert, Republican of Texas, suggested that Republicans could easily go after a Democratic president if control of the White House and the House were flipped. “We’ve already got the forms, all we have to do is eliminate Donald Trump’s name and put Joe Biden’s name in there,” he declared on Monday.

Presidential impeachment was once almost unthinkable because of the gravity of overturning the results of an election. For more than two centuries, only one president — Andrew Johnson in 1868 — was [impeached].

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism
KEYWORDS: impeach
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To: All

Every generation has to relearn the same political lessons.

Bill Clinton lies under oath about having sex with Monica L and instructed someone else to lie. Both felonies. He was impeached but Republicans has overplayed their hand and were severely punished at the polls.

That’s what will happen here. Democrats are overplaying their hand. American voting public will punish them for it. We will go another 20-30 years without an impeachment.


21 posted on 12/13/2019 4:43:55 AM PST by TigerClaws
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To: karpov

Republicans who live in blue states and have given up hope need to turn out at this next election. Even if you think it’s hopeless, turn out, grab friends who think the same way, turn out, you could possibly flip a few seats and will certainly be counted for the popular vote. TURN O UT!

I would love to have it announced that there are only 50 democrat representatives in Congress.


22 posted on 12/13/2019 4:57:05 AM PST by McGavin999 (“Look into it” does not mean dig up dirt, it means find the truth)
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To: karpov

Who wants to be the next Democrat president with a Republican congress?


23 posted on 12/13/2019 5:00:31 AM PST by Renkluaf
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To: karpov
It just means that every Republican President can expect to be impeached if the Democrats control the House of Representatives. The mainstream media will be cheering them on. When the reverse is true, the media will be cheering for the President (remember 1998-1999).

Clinton was guilty of felonies...perjury and trying to get other people to commit perjury on his behalf.

Watergate started with something trivial (an unauthorized wiretapping for political purposes...probably most recent Presidents had done similar things), but they cornered Nixon on "process crimes."

24 posted on 12/13/2019 6:13:43 AM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: karpov

The Democrats have cheapened impeachment.


25 posted on 12/13/2019 6:42:15 AM PST by ActresponsiblyinVA
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