Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Impeachment...the Aftermath

Just finished listening to and watching the final couple of days of the impeachment trial of President Trump.  This started 84 days ago.  Hearing after hearing.  I think about 17 witnesses.  Untold number of documents.  A complete trial in the Senate.  And a vote to acquit.  Vindication...of sort.  My view is that he wasn't "impeached for life" nor is he "acquitted for life".  There were plenty of smarmy, underhanded, disgusting acts and statements on both sides.  If you've been following at all you've seen them.

If there was any winner here it was probably the media.  This is the story that kept on giving.  I think people were firmly in one camp or another and as they listened to the channel or network that affirmed their views, the ratings went up.  They sold more advertising.  Their news personalities and "analysts" gained favor.  So they won.

But at the end of the day, I've got two overriding thoughts.  I can still hear each Senator standing up and voicing their vote for guilty or not guilty.  It was a time of gravity.  And yet their votes somehow lessened and cheapened the gravity.  The Dems all voted guilty.  The Republicans (except Romney who voted guilty on abuse of power) all voted to acquit.  In other words, they put their party loyalty ahead of the country.  Here's why.  I'm absolutely positive that there were some Dems who didn't think Trump was guilty and if they did they didn't think it warranted impeachment.  And I'm just as positive that there were some Republicans who thought Trump had some amount of guilt and maybe some of them even thought he should be removed.  But we'll never know.  Because many put party over country.  Simple as that.

The other thing is the absolutely disgusting performance of the Democratic leaders in the House.  There were so many issues, so much wrongdoing, so much denial of due process, so much exaggeration of charges, so much denial of the reality of the collusion to create impeachment that it is very disheartening.  They have proven to be lying and unethical assholes.  Simple as that.

So now what.  After last night's SOTU, I think it's not gonna get better any time soon.  So stand by for more accusations, more hearings, more lying, and more acrimony.  And as for the upcoming campaign, buckle your seat belts.  

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