Impeachment-- Which Side Are You On?

Crucial Senate primaries today in West Virginia and Indiana-- states that Trump won by big margins in 2016 (68.5% to 26.4% in West Virginia and 56.8% to 37.9% in Indiana)-- are a mess for the Republicans. Both quickly descended into civil wars based around which candidate is more extreme and more oriented towards Trump-- messages that may be winners in a Republican primary by are toxic for independents, and even moderate Republicans-- and will help Democrats Joe Manchin (WV) and Joe Donnelly (IN) keep those seats in November.

And Trump isn't making matters any better for his party by running around with his hair on fire screeching that the midterms are all about himself. That's the opposite message Republicans up for reelection in swing districts need. Vulnerable members of Congress from California like Mimi Walters, Jeff Denham, David Valadao, Steve Knight, Paul Cook, Tom McClintock and even Davin Nunes need the campaigns not to be referendums on Trump if they will have any chance at all to keep their seats.Same for Barabra Comstock (VA), John Culberson (TX), Pete Sessions (TX), Will Hurd (TX), Carlos Curbelo (FL), John Faso (NY), Peter King (NY), Mike Coffman (CO), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Peter Roskam (IL), Fred Upton (MI), Sean Duffy (WI), Bruce Poliquin (ME), Keith Rothfus (PA), Rod Blum (IA), Don Bacon (NE), Steve Russell (OK), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA), Lee Zeldin (NY), Leonard Lance (NJ), Tom MacArthur (NJ) and dozens more. Trump's own needy messaging will wipe them all out.

Trump keeps whining that if the Democrats win control of the House, he's going to be impeached. Politico reports that "Trump appears to believe victory in the November midterms depends on turning the contests into a referendum on his leadership, rather than risking a district-by-district slog over conventional messaging about the Republican tax overhaul and the upbeat economy." Bannon agrees.

“You’ve got to make it an up or down vote Nov. 6. I want Trump on the ticket in every district,” Bannon said in an interview. “You have to put Donald Trump on the ticket. You’re not voting for Congress. You’re voting for Donald Trump.”

Democratic leaders have sought to tamp down talk of impeachment to manage expectations and keep Trump from using it as a GOP rallying cry.

By "Democratic leaders," Politico means the people whose strategic brilliance is responsible for not just Trump but for the loss of dozens and dozens of seats in Congress over the last decade. Fortunately many grassroots Democratic candidates are ignoring them entirely. In a message, for example, from West Orlando News editor, Mike Cantone, points out that Alan Grayson "is also itching for a return to Washington in order to be part of the national discussion regarding President Donald Trump and moving the Democratic Party forward."

"Absolutely," Grayson said when asked if he would stand up to President Trump... Few if any Democrats will stand up to Trump right now, maybe they are afraid of a mean tweet," he added. "Someone has to stand up to Trump. Absolutely, I will."

We need more Democrats that will help put an end to the Trump agenda, and replace it with our agenda of justice, equality, and peace. If you read our emails, you already know that Alan will fight Trump every chance he gets.

...Grayson added that his “greatest regret” running for U.S. Senate is the fact he is not currently in DC to stand up to Donald Trump. He lambasted Soto for twice voting against impeachment of Trump already. Anyone who remembers Alan Grayson knows he is the perfect match for President Trump’s style and is not someone who would be shy to share his take on what Trump and the Republicans are doing. Democratic voters nationwide are clearly missing Grayson as well, with thousands of campaign contributions being made before his official announcement was made on which congressional district.

“Florida hasn’t had a champion for years,” Grayson said. “Who was there for the people? Who’s been there advocating for what needs to be done? No name comes to mind. No one is pushing important matters forward. I’m going to get things done.”

Grayson isn't the only candidate who has woven impeachment into his campaign. I bet Grayson is going to be very excited to start working with Saira Rao (CO-01) in Congress. I hope he sees how she responded to the question about impeachment; inspiring. "We keep electing the same people over and over expecting a different result. The status quo is what gave us Trump-- and now here we are standing on a cliff, looking out at a fascist future. Where is the leadership? Where are the Democrats working ACTIVELY to impeach? Dear Congress, please spare us your tweets and Facebook posts and send us impeachment instead."

Hawaii's Kaniela Ing, for example, warns Democrats at the top of his issues page that "It's not enough to simply resist Donald Trump. People are struggling and feeling left behind. Leaders must offer hope and progress beyond resistance." He then goes on to offer 30 bold planks he's running on, from Medicare-For-All, expanding Social Security, Affordable Housing, Tuition-free college, and 100% Renewable Energy by 2035 to Job Guarantee and Net Neutrality. #30, though calls for Trump's impeachment: "Donald Trump is an affront to the values we hold dear in Hawaii. We're pulling America back from the past, when we should be looking to the future. Kaniela wil champion the impeachment of Donald Trump, so we can focus on progress beyond resistance (see above). In Congress, Kaniela will be an ambassador of tolerance, diversity, and aloha."

Levi Tillemann is running for a suburban Denver congressional seat held by GOP lapdog, Mike Coffman. The DCCC has another worthless lapdog they want to slip into the seat-- Jason Crow. One thing is sure, the progressive in the race, Levi Tillemann is nobody's lapdog. Early this morning he told us quite definitively that "Trumpism is fascism; and many seem to believe that our institutions will protect us from it. Unfortunately, that's not how it works: it's up to us to protect our institutions from fascism. On that count, and many others, Congress' failure to impeach Trump is an abject failure."

Another candidate with the guts to talk about the impeachment issue publicly? Well, of course... Randy Bryce, @IronStache: "If Paul Ryan did his job as Speaker of the House as opposed to Speaker of the White House he’d realize that Congress is part of our checks and balances, not an exclusive gym membership. With real leadership a question of impeachment wouldn’t be an issue-- Trump would have been made aware long ago that we fought a war in order to free ourselves from a monarch then set up a government to keep us from turning into one. Trump has made a mockery of the office of President. I’m already on record as being supportive of impeaching Trump. Recent events (his personal lawyer’s office being searched by the FBI) have done nothing to change my mind. (For a start let’s look at Republican thought while pursuing an impeachment of Bill Clinton.)"

Most of the progressive Democrats this cycle agree with the way Tom Guild (OK) put it. His district (PVI us R+10 and Trump beat Hillary there 53.2% to 39.8%). Remember though, the 2016 Oklahoma County primary saw Bernie beat Trump decisively-- 32,368 to 22,117. The other 2 counties in the district Pottawatomie and Seminole were also Bernie country. Pottawatomie voters went for Bernie 3,400 to 2,309 for Bernie and Seminole County primary voters gave Bernie 1,194 votes and Trump just 560 votes. Tom:

Donald Trump is America’s nightmare. He regularly prevaricates. He often runs rough shod over important American institutions, like an independent judiciary, that is directed by a moral and ethical compass to do what is right, not what is expedient or dictated by partisan political pressures. Mr. Trump openly hawks his wares, like Trump properties, to line his pockets. Don, Jr., Jared, Ivanka, and other members of the Trump family follow this example on a regular basis.

Trump is a bully. He bullies federal judges, special prosecutors, members of and sometimes entire minority communities, Congresspersons, and others who disagree with his narrow and warped view of the world. He behaves erratically and we can only imagine what a nightmare it must have been for others to share a sandbox with a young Donald during recess.

Donald is crude, vulgar, profane, and a committed and practiced egomaniac. He demands loyalty from others and then as a reward fires them with a cruel tweet, without remorse, and then moves on to the next victim. His paranoid glands are working overtime, and even though paranoid people have enemies, his twisted conspiratorial worldview always entitles him to claim victimhood status.

He runs through cabinet secretaries, aides, assistants, and other federal underlings like used underwear. He is mean, vicious, rude, overbearing, and refuses to do the hard work of informing himself on important issues. As a result, he is incapable of weighing competing facts (he’s into alternative facts) and interests. His megalomania makes it nearly impossible for him to consider the needs of others or to show them compassion or empathy or to put their needs or our country’s needs above his own.

He’s skating on thin ice and approaching the point of no return. Impeachment? If he fires Deputy FBI Director Rod Rosenstein or Special Counselor Bob Mueller, all political hell will break loose. Either act would further inflame the American people and force the issue of impeachment on the Profiles in Cowardice Crew who currently control many seats in Congress.

How would I cast my vote in considering articles of impeachment? I feel deep in my soul that I would do the right thing for the right reasons. Despite my profound disappointment and distaste with and for Mr. Trump and his coarse and harsh persona, I would be fair to him and try to dispassionately dispense justice. My ultimate consideration would be the public interest, justice, and safeguarding our American republic while preserving our great constitutional values and traditions. I’m certain my decision would be well considered, thoughtful, and based on facts and the rule of law. The ice is cracking under Donald’s feet. Is it too late? The clock is very close to striking midnight...

Closing In by Nancy Ohanian