When is Impeachment Not Impeachment?

By any measure we're in new territory.  Now that two articles of impeachment have been drafted and voted out of the House Judiciary Committee on strictly partisan lines, it will go to the full House for a vote.  If you've been following at all you'll know that I, along with a growing number of people aren't buying it.  The two articles, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress are so obscure, ill-defined and generic as to be laughable.  I'm absolutely positive that every President in our history could have been impeached for doing these things.  And the original charges have disappeared because they can't make the case.  Additionally, there have been no fact witnesses but instead a lot of people giving their opinions.  So there's not much to go on except the denial by the White House and the outrage by deep state bureaucrats who are used to getting their way.  It really is quite something.

So what makes Trump different.  Simple.  Trump Derangement Syndrome.  Simply put, the Dems hate him so virulently that they have let that overcome their good sense and logic (if they ever had any).  So they will vote to impeach no matter what because of their hatred.  It's really quite a sight to see.

But the reason we're in new territory is that this impeachment will be strictly along party lines.  Oh, there might be a few Dems who make a political calculation that a vote against will get them reelected and that is more important to them than staying true to their caucus.  But it's all political.  The idea that we'd remove a duly elected President from office over obscure and unproven charges and strictly along party lines ought to give us all pause.  I really hope that this impeachment of Trump is a one-off just because they hate him so dramatically.  Because if this becomes the norm, God help us.  If we decide that every time a President from another party is unacceptable and we determine that the answer is impeachment, then it's a slippery slope to the dawn of a new age.  I don't know what the result would be, but I don't think we'd like it.

So for me, this process is so corrupt and out of control that the impeachment will come with a big bright asterisk because of the vote along party lines.  It isn't impeachment, it's theater.  And a sick theater at that.