It begins. In the past 36 hours, a U.S. House of Representatives vote on impeachment has moved from likely to inevitable.
Nancy Pelosi has been trying to hold the Democratic caucus together, so that it looked like it was a slow, deliberate path, if any impeachment. It's not always good for the impeaching party, as Republicans learned in the 1990s. But as Trump has stopped all cooperation with House investigations, the situation was getting more untenable. The belief is that Trump would rather have the impeachment fight, so he can have something to run against in 2020.
The inciting event was Republican congressman Justin Amash calling for President Trump's impeachment. And suddenly, it got really uncomfortable for a whole lot of progressive democrats to be to the "right" of a Republican member on impeachment, when, let's face it, the base is out for blood. By late afternoon yesterday, it looks like cracks have appeared within the leadership team in the House, with members giving impeachment-adjacent speeches.
There have also been suggestions from Judiciary Committee members that the first impeachments should be Attorney General Barr and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, for withholding evidence from Congress.
It's going to be a long trip, everyone.
Nancy Pelosi has been trying to hold the Democratic caucus together, so that it looked like it was a slow, deliberate path, if any impeachment. It's not always good for the impeaching party, as Republicans learned in the 1990s. But as Trump has stopped all cooperation with House investigations, the situation was getting more untenable. The belief is that Trump would rather have the impeachment fight, so he can have something to run against in 2020.
The inciting event was Republican congressman Justin Amash calling for President Trump's impeachment. And suddenly, it got really uncomfortable for a whole lot of progressive democrats to be to the "right" of a Republican member on impeachment, when, let's face it, the base is out for blood. By late afternoon yesterday, it looks like cracks have appeared within the leadership team in the House, with members giving impeachment-adjacent speeches.
There have also been suggestions from Judiciary Committee members that the first impeachments should be Attorney General Barr and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, for withholding evidence from Congress.
It's going to be a long trip, everyone.
"Kitto daijoubu da yo." - Sakura Kinomoto