Yesterday, the House Republican crack impeachment team marched their Articles of Impeachment over to the Senate for the trial of Department of Homeland Security head Alejandro Mayorkas.
This is one of the stupidest things the MAGOP can do, and it’s my understanding that many Senate Republicans wish this would go away so that they don’t have to vote on it. If they vote “Yes,” they look like idiots, but if they vote “No,” they risk offending the MAGOP base. It’s stupid for many reasons. Impeachment is required to charge someone for high crimes and misdemeanors. None were presented in the investigation of Secretary Mayorkas. Yes, MAGOPs on the committee insist there are, but it’s all just over disagreement on policy decisions. As one analyst said, if the standard of impeachment was policy disagreement, not only would you get few people wanting to work in government, but nothing would get done. Another reason, as a codicil of sorts to this, is that this is the first impeachment of a cabinet secretary in 150 years. And that impeachment was over bribery and kick-backs. Not "We don't agree with the way you're doing your job." A further reason is that this is clearly a desperate effort by House MAGOPs upset that they haven’t been able to find anything to impeach President Biden over, so this is the next best thing they can come up with to placate the disappointed extreme right members to “make good.” Also, the public has shown it hates impeachments of a president over no reason – Bill Clinton’s approval skyrocketed after his impeachment. And while this now is not a presidential impeachment, it’s one of his cabinet members, and an impeachment of the president by proxy. Additionally, it’s stupid because there is zero chance of conviction in the Senate. It needs a two-thirds vote for that – and Democrats control the Senate, so it won’t even get a majority. And may even get a lot of Republican votes. Of course, “having no chance” is not a reason not to impeach someone – though when you have no actual high crimes and misdemeanors to charge Secretary Mayorkas with, and the public hates meaningless impeachment, it makes “zero chance” a huge red flag warning. And even more, an impeachment of the Department of Homeland Security head for not doing his job the way the MAGOP want only serves to shine a bright light on the reality that as loud as the House Republicans cry out about border security, they are who blocked a bipartisan border bill from passing. But most of all, the most stupid thing about this upcoming Senate trial is that the House has made Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), one of the more deeply ignorant members of the House who seems bewildered by facts, reality and Jewish Space Lasers, one of the impeachment managers. In fact, this is all so stupid – and problematic for the Republican Party – that word is both Democratic and Republican leaders in the Senate are working to see if they can find a way to make this go away as quickly as possible. Perhaps table it, perhaps set up rules so that it can be handled speedily. While that’s understandable, and probably for the best, there’s a side of me that would like to see it go to trial. Though with specific reasons on how that would work. For instance, one hope is that Democrats let House Republicans have all the time they need, especially so that Marjorie Taylor Greene can speak and make a whiney, annoying fool of herself as much as possible – and then when it’s the Democrats’ turn, they don’t even put up a defense and just call the vote, defeat it, and move on. I think it would be a pointed embarrassment to MAGOPs. Somewhat similarly, another tactic I’d like to see is that whenever it’s the Democratic time to speak, their defense team gets up and says, “This is really stupid” and then sits down. And then let Republicans and Ms. Greene yammer on. A codicil to this gambit is to let someone like Jamie Raskin speak each time Democrats have the floor(though it could be split up among other eloquent speakers like Dan Goldman, Jasmine Crockett, and Eric Swalwell), and rather than defend Secretary Mayorkas, they instead use their time to lambast all the transgressions of Republicans that the MAGOP are letting slide without investigation. Above all, the last thing I want to see Democrats do is use their time to actually defend Secretary Mayorkas, because that would give credibility to the trial. And there is no credibility to the trial. But mainly, the top reason that a side of me sort of wants to see the Senate trial go forth is because I want to see Marjorie Taylor Greene -- the Georgia Impeach -- speak as much as possible and humiliate herself and the party. And I feel confident that would happen, because I’ve seen her speak a lot on really simple things, and she has not yet failed to make a fool of herself. And an impeachment is not a “really simple thing,” but substantive. And she would taint the full party by association. Yes, I’m sure there are many on the extreme right to whom she is “heroic.” But that doesn’t make her heroic, and it doesn’t mean the other 80% of Americans see her that way. She has not only proven her incompetence time after time, but this impeachment is not only a substantive matter, as I said – but there is no material or evidence for even a scholar to make a case with. So, yes, that side of my does sort of hope she gets a chance to demean herself on such a prominent stage. Though above all, I’d be fine if this impeachment trial withers and disappears by a joint effort of Senate Democrats and Republicans alike. Because it’s stupid.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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