2016 Postmortem

DonViejo

(60,536 posts) Mon Oct 14, 2013, 09:14 AM Oct 2013

The GOP’s Backdoor Impeachment Scheme

by Lloyd Green Oct 14, 2013 5:45 AM EDT

Republicans have lost at the ballot box and the Supreme Court, so they’ve decided to nullify President Obama another way: keep his government from working, period

The dance over the debt ceiling and the fight over the government shutdown are nothing less than impeachment on the cheap: a chance to negate the will of the majority by ostensibly placating the letter of the law. Unable to win the last two presidential elections or to persuade a Supreme Court majority that the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional, House Republicans have arrived at a point where default and closure are the next best things. This combustible brew of race, class, and economic anxieties bubbles all too closely to the surface.

These days, the GOP comes across as hating Obamacare more than loving their countrymen, and the nation is returning that ire (PDF). Less than a quarter of Americans view the Republicans favorably, and a majority dislikes them, three-in-10 intensely. The GOP’s goal of recapturing the Senate in 2014 is now looking more like a dream than a reality, as Republicans are “forced to explain why they are not to blame and why Americans should trust them to govern both houses of Congress when the one they do run is in such disarray.” Indeed.

Unfortunately, the calamity of a potential default has tempered neither judgment nor passion. On Saturday, Ted Cruz—the man who lit the match, won the Values Voters Straw Poll with 42 percent of the vote. Channeling her inner Glenn Beck, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) concluded that the President “committed impeachable offenses.” Bachmann also proclaimed that civil disobedience was a potential response to Obama’s “thuggery,” and compared the Obama presidency to Egypt’s deposed Muslim Brotherhood.

Political pundit and former Nixon and Reagan White House speechwriter Pat Buchanan may well have captured the mood of the Republican base, as he the writes of the spirit of secession sweeping the red states. Unfortunately, Buchanan is not engaging in idle hyperbole or in simple wishful thinking.

Even before the 2012 election, fuses were running short. Texas Governor Rick Perry mused about the possibility of secession, and after Mitt Romney’s loss last November more than 125,000 Texans petitioned the White House to secede. Secession also touchéd nerves in a slew of other states, including Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The spirit of the Civil War endures.

full article
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/10/14/the-gop-s-backdoor-impeachment-scheme.html

12 replies

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Highlight:

The GOP’s Backdoor Impeachment Scheme (Original Post) DonViejo Oct 2013 OP

Yeah, but BellaKos Oct 2013 #1

**raises hand** irisblue Oct 2013 #2

Kewl idea, but BellaKos Oct 2013 #3

and delivered on the end of a baseball bat leftyohiolib Oct 2013 #4

Too nice TlalocW Oct 2013 #5

People have been predicting impeachment for almost five years now. former9thward Oct 2013 #6

I can tell you why ThoughtCriminal Oct 2013 #8

The Rethugs haven't taken back the Senate, that's why. Once they take the Senate... Liberal_Stalwart71 Oct 2013 #10

Even with a 51-seat Senate majority they can't pursue impeachment jmowreader Oct 2013 #11

Let's change term limits and 8 more years of President Obama :P Sunlei Oct 2013 #7

Impeachment is a political tool to the GOP Gothmog Oct 2013 #9

This is becoming a habit Hutzpa Oct 2013 #12

BellaKos

(318 posts)

1. Yeah, but

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Mon Oct 14, 2013, 09:34 AM

Oct 2013

they'd have to win the Senate. It looks like they shot themselves in the foot regarding that aspiration.

I wish Obama could come up with a "trial secession" by directing the federal agencies to stop sending money to those states that wish to secede. See how that goes.

I think we're all getting frustrated by Obama's cool manner. I mean, on the one hand, thank God, he bases his decisions on a reasoned approach, but on the other, we all want to see him to punch Eric Cantor in the face. Well, to start with, that is.

irisblue

(33,036 posts)

2. **raises hand**

Reply to BellaKos (Reply #1)

Mon Oct 14, 2013, 10:24 AM

Oct 2013

I have thought on occasion , that Cantor should get a Soupy Sales type cream pie.

BellaKos

(318 posts)

3. Kewl idea, but

Reply to irisblue (Reply #2)

Mon Oct 14, 2013, 10:46 AM

Oct 2013

the cream should just be on top. The bottom should be made of cast iron.

You know, come to think of it ... I wonder if Obama has that kind of tactic in mind after all. We can hope.

leftyohiolib

(5,917 posts)

4. and delivered on the end of a baseball bat

Reply to BellaKos (Reply #3)

Mon Oct 14, 2013, 10:58 AM

Oct 2013

TlalocW

(15,392 posts)

5. Too nice

Reply to irisblue (Reply #2)

Mon Oct 14, 2013, 11:14 AM

Oct 2013

Maybe a pecan pie so it would hurt.

TlalocW

former9thward

(32,093 posts)

6. People have been predicting impeachment for almost five years now.

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Mon Oct 14, 2013, 11:37 AM

Oct 2013

And no one with any authority has ever suggested it. Why would Rs try to impeach Obama? If successful, and they know it would not be, it would just put Biden into the office. That would make Biden an incumbent in 2016 with all the advantages any incumbent has.

ThoughtCriminal

(14,049 posts)

8. I can tell you why

Reply to former9thward (Reply #6)

Mon Oct 14, 2013, 11:44 AM

Oct 2013

They know that as long as they have a majority in the House, they have the votes to impeach the President for choosing the wrong hamburger condiment. But they also know there is no way to get a conviction in the Senate, so they are not worried about VP Biden.

It's all about keeping their imbecile base happy in their gerrymandered Teapartistan districts.

Liberal_Stalwart71

(20,450 posts)

10. The Rethugs haven't taken back the Senate, that's why. Once they take the Senate...

Reply to former9thward (Reply #6)

Mon Oct 14, 2013, 12:27 PM

Oct 2013

they can pursue impeachment. That's why we need to unite. We must retain the Senate or we're fucked!

jmowreader

(50,566 posts)

11. Even with a 51-seat Senate majority they can't pursue impeachment

Reply to Liberal_Stalwart71 (Reply #10)

Mon Oct 14, 2013, 01:04 PM

Oct 2013

They need two-thirds, and won't get it.

Impeaching with less than a two-thirds majority would simply flush all the teabaggers and many of the slightly more sane R's out of Congress at the next election.

Sunlei

(22,651 posts)

7. Let's change term limits and 8 more years of President Obama :P

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Mon Oct 14, 2013, 11:40 AM

Oct 2013

Let's hope 2014 votes out all the republicans. Republican political charities PACs spend billions on elections they will lose anyway.

The USA could use the free economic stimulus money from their secret 'donors'. It's our federal and state taxpayer money anyway they took.

Gothmog

(145,631 posts)

9. Impeachment is a political tool to the GOP

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Mon Oct 14, 2013, 11:47 AM

Oct 2013

The GOP will use impeachment as a political tool here. The Senate will not convict but the impeachment of President Obama will make the base happy

Hutzpa

(11,461 posts)

12. This is becoming a habit

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Mon Oct 14, 2013, 01:32 PM

Oct 2013

they've successfully shutdown the government on two of the democratic elected president, first was Clinton
and now Obama. Something should be done, why are the republicans allowed to have their way whenever there
is a democratic president?

To prevent future mess such as this a law must be created that will put any member of Congress on a treasonous
path if they attempt another government shutdown.

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