Keep It Political; Ignore the Facts

The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

  ARTICLE II, SECTION 4 (U.S. Constitution)

 

Foreign influence is truly the Grecian horse to a republic. We cannot be too careful to exclude its influence.                

 Alexander Hamilton

United States Code § 30121.

 Contributions and donations by foreign nationals

(a)

 Prohibition

It shall be unlawful for—

(1)

 a foreign national, directly or indirectly, to make—

(A)

 a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value, or to make an express or implied promise to make a contribution or donation, in connection with a Federal, State, or local election;

(B)

 a contribution or donation to a committee of a political party; or

(C)

 an expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement for an electioneering communication (within the meaning of section 30104(f)(3) of this title); or

(2)

 a person to solicit, accept, or receive a contribution or donation described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) from a foreign national.

(b)

 “Foreign national” defined

As used in this section, the term “foreign national” means—

(1)

 a foreign principal, as such term is defined by section 611(b) of title 22, except that the term “foreign national” shall not include any individual who is a citizen of the United States; or

(2)

 an individual who is not a citizen of the United States or a national of the United States (as defined in section 1101(a)(22) of title 8) and who is not lawfully admitted for permanent residence, as defined by section 1101(a)(20) of title 8.

This time, it’s different. It’s not a paper trail surrounding those close to the President of the United States, a litany of testimony from third parties and meaningless interrogatories to and from the President, suggesting impeachable impropriety. Like the Mueller Report. It’s not the hearsay of a whistleblower’s properly filed report suggesting an impeachable offense supported by the “all the President’s men” bearing witness to the direct actions of the President. It is the actual confirmation by the President, in press conferences and in direct and recorded statements, confirming his repeated and continuing requests of foreign nations to dig up dirt on his then-primary political opponent to be used by the President to defeat that candidate in the 2020 election. Ukraine. Russia. China. Australia.

We do not have to examine the possible presidential violations of statutes (drafted by a Republican Senator) designed to protect whistleblowers who follow the required procedures. There is no need to delve into the rather obvious efforts, directed by the President accompanied by less-than-subtle personal threats against a whistleblower demanding an end to his statutorily pledged anonymity, to cover up misdeeds and obstruct legitimate inquiry into the underlying behavior. I do not have to question the conspiracy to obstruct justice among a cabal including two cabinet members, several U.S. ambassadors and the private counsel for the President… and the President himself.

Just this: We only need look at Donald Trump’s very public admissions, the actions of those under his direct control after his conversations asking for foreign intervention to support his personal political candidacy, and his doubling down by suggesting that additional nations join in the search for dirt against his political opponents with less-than-subtle hints that failure to do so might have negative consequences for specified countries. Like China with whom the United States is currently battling in a vicious trade war. Hapless Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, could only stammer that there was “no pressure” from Mr. Trump in the infamous phone call. Risking loss of US military aid, Zelensky was sweatingly uncomfortable in those denials.

Having lived through a period of intrigue to secure its independence from Britain (think: Benedict
Arnold), our Founding Fathers were particularly attuned to the perils of foreign influence into the Republic, often discussed in the background of the above impeachment clause. None of our prior efforts to impeach a president had to focus on foreign intervention. We’ve never had to face this particular horrible before. We do now.

“[The] authors of the Constitution wanted to give Congress the authority to take action against a president who, as Alexander Hamilton put it, was guilty of a ‘violation of some public trust.’” Los Angeles Times, September 25^th.  The potential for a president to succumb to the influence foreign powers was at the top of the list of their worst fears. Creating a debt or obligation for the sole personal benefit of the president… to be paid for in various ways by all of the American people, to their detriment.

So, what’s the counter to this rather obvious commission of impeachable offences? What should Mr. Trump do to save himself? Keep it political. Make it “them” against “us.” A “coup.” Usurpation after a huge political loss to the Democrats in 2016. “Reversing the will of the people.” Use words that question the very patriotism of the accusers. Call them “spies,” “treasonous,” all on a “witch hunt.” Anything they present as evidence has to be “fake” or emanating from a “deep state” trying overthrow the Republic. Attack the accusers and double down on the scapegoat, Joe Biden, under the guise of “fighting corruption.” By all means, avoid the merits of the claims.

The tools of mass communication have changed the playing field dramatically from any prior impeachment effort. Donald Trump, a media star before his election and master of the tools of mass social influence, knows the playbook… he wrote it. “The United States of Nixon’s 1974 (population 214 million) was a far different place than Clinton’s 1998 America (270 million) and a far, far different country than Trump’s 2019 nation (327 million)… The percentage of Americans who owned a cellphone in 1974 was zero, climbing to 36% in 1998 and beyond 80% today.

“Total daily newspaper circulation during Nixon’s impeachment process was 63 million, falling to 56 million during Clinton’s trial and dropping to half that amount amid Trump’s current scandal. Three news magazines helped set the American conversation in the Nixon years; Time and Newsweek, in particular, tortured the 37th president. Today, only Time can be regarded as a mass-media publication, and its impact is greatly diminished… Social media platform Twitter, nonexistent during the earlier presidential dramas, is a prominent part of the Trump presidency.

“The Congress that may impeach Trump also is operating in a far different world than that of his besieged predecessors… Congress’ approval rating stood at 35% during the Nixon resignation year and was at 42% during the Clinton impeachment, according to Gallup polling. Those figures are Himalayan compared with congressional approval today. The Congress that may impeach Trump has an approval rating of 18%.” David Shribman writing for the October 3^rd Los Angeles Times. Keep it political. Polarized. Pull attention from the deeds and facts to the bigger political divide that is tearing our country apart.

Strangely, I think that if the Senate were able to vote via secret ballot (they won’t) following a House impeachment, Trump would easily be convicted. He scares Republicans almost as much as he scares Democrats. But absent a groundswell of GOP defections under overwhelming and undeniable evidence that shocks the conscious of most Americans, including Republicans, the threat of losing support from Trump’s populist base – and being challenged in the next primary by a Trump supporting right wing challenger – is enough to hold the party line against removing Trump from office.

It should not give Democrats any consolation if the are able to remove Donald Trump from office (by resignation following impeachment or by conviction by the US Senate) that after the forced removal from office or simple impeachment, Republicans have thereafter taken and held the presidency for substantial periods. Democrat Andrew Johnson, impeached, was followed by four Republican presidents. Impeached Republican Richard Nixon was followed by almost 15 out of 19 years of Republican presidents. Impeached Democrat Bill Clinton (who was not forced from office) was succeeded by 8 years of a Republican president.

Oddly, if Trump left office sooner rather than later, I believe that the advantage would rather clearly pass to the Republicans in the 2020 election. They have seriously outraised Democrats in political funding. They have potential candidates that could capture independent and even many Democratic votes, while maintaining GOP control. Nikki Haley. Marco Rubio. Mitt Romney. While the too-long list of Democrats have been engaged in the mutual destruction that Barack Obama labeled a “circular firing squad,” dragged out in the too-long pre-election campaign period that is wearing us all out, the Republicans would have a much shorter path, with less opportunity for self-destruction, to select a viable candidate… if they were smart enough. 

There can be no winners, no matter the result. We live in an era of national polarization that is directly reminiscent of the pre-Civil War era, a fact not lost on Mr. Trump, who has suggested that his removal from office might just prompt another civil war. With over 300 million guns, including around 15 million semi-automatic assault rifles out there in the hands of civilians, he just might be right.

              I’m Peter Dekom, and until we find a way for all Americans to support all Americans, including all of our traditional American values, we are just witnessing what history may well label “the great unraveling of the United States.”