Impeachment Talks Distract from the Real Conversation that is Needed

Countable posted a new video today titled, “Impeach the President!” Rhetoric or Reality? Embedded below.

Following in the footsteps of the media’s ‘Hysteria over Everything’ campaign, calls to impeach Trump are bubbling up in the media. The push for impeachment is a political tool to tarnish the reputation of the sitting president because it serves multiple functions.

First, it reinforces the confirmation bias in half the nation who voted for the other guy/gal. Everything the other team does is evil and the presence of the Impeach Trump headline reinforces them that they are the correct team, the moral team.

Secondly, it allows for political opposition to create their Lists of Evil. Every President has had this. Compare:

If you opposed George W Bush you could easily rattle off:

  • Waterboarding
  • Iraqi WMD lies
  • Bagram torture and prisoner abuse
  • The Plame affair
  • ‘Mission Accomplished’
  • The Great Recession
  • The Hurricane Katrina flyover
  • Abu Ghraib
  • Dismissal of United States Attorneys
  • GITMO detention program
  • Suspension of Habeas Corpus
  • ATF gunwalking scandal
  • Administration payment of columnists
  • Domestiv Spying and Wiretapping
  • war crimes

For Obama:

  • Operation Fast and Furious
  • Benghazi
  • Eric Holder held in contempt of Congress
  • Spying on journalists
  • The IRS targeting conservative groups
  • The great “stimulus” heist
  • The Pigford scandal
  • NSA spying scandal and Clapper lying to Congress
  • Iran nuclear deal and ransom payment
  • The GSA scandal
  • Polluting the Colorado River
  • The VA death-list scandal
  • Solyndra
  • Secret Service Colombian Hookers
  • Government Shutdown Theater closing memorials and parks
  • war crimes

Both presidents lined the pockets of the military industrial complex. Both destroyed individual civil liberties. Both increased the size and scope of government. Both doubled the national debt.

​If you naturally agree with one list and resist the other maybe it’s time to ‘diversify your portfolio’ and find more outlets of information. Neither party is interested in the behavior of the President unless he belongs to the opposing party. In the political spectrum, there is not much difference between Democrats and Republicans, despite the common belief that they are the only two choices and polar opposites.

This cognitive dissonance is reinforced by our news sources and partisan commentary. Most people don’t get their news from actually reading Bill texts, policy papers or hear multiple sources from differing viewpoints. This becomes evident when they attempt to make their voices heard. As you read, you can hear the talking points relentlessly drummed out since November, mostly conjecture, assertions and falsehoods.

Here are a couple gems from real citizens whose vote has the same equal voting power as yours:

  • Yes, he is incredibly unstable. His tweets are evidence of how unhinged he is, not to mention everything he has done since coming into office. He is delusional and dangerous. It saddens and scares me that republicans are willing to ignore all this. They are all acting like petulant children and it is disgusting. I don’t understand why they will not support investigating this dangerous unstable individual they will still hold the majority and we will still have a republican president. Please do something.
  • The President’s mental state, moral failings and intellectual shortcomings are creating a clear and present danger to our country.
  • ​Clearly this president is not mentally stable to preform duties of a president. Sneaking a Russian govt person in through the back door of Trump Tower and then not telling anyone that he is meeting with Russian officials before he is president is TREASON.
  • Reality. Please persistently pursue impeachment hearings since Mr Trump is attacking the US Constitution and has already been suspected of treason. His actions and decisions are totally anti-American. There are plenty of true conservative Republicans who would be willing to act on behalf of America and our constitution. John McCain will cooperate if a non- partisan dialogue is opened. There are plenty of Dems and Independents who will cooperate. We need non-partisan impeachment proceedings immediately. Thank you for all you do for Massachusetts.

One citizen is delusional enough to think there is a pathway to impeachment and restoration of Democratic Party rule:

  • There IS a way & it involves the Presidential line of succession. Here (sic) me out….Step 1: We the people must first show up in November and make sure we get representatives in office that vote according to how we actually request. Step 2: Then, working with our new elected reps, vote out Paul Ryan from House Speaker. Step 3: Present the overwhelming evidence for impeachment of Trump AND Pence, from conflict of interest, tax fraud & evasion, lying under oath, conspiring with and accepting bribes from foreign government officials, the list goes on and on. Step 4: After the two are removed from their positions, appoint the speaker of the house as president. The presidential line of succession goes Vice President, then Speaker of the House. In this way we preserve and utilize the checks and balances system set up by our founding fathers and show the true power of a representative democracy and do so peacefully as well. It’s poetic almost, that it all comes back down to the power of the people. It’s all about staying informed and showing up. We the people must show up on all election dates!

The writer’s proposed solution is that everyone simply agree with the writer.

Unfortunately, our biases have reinforced the influence of the two-party system. Until we shake out cognitive dissonance and re-examine events and policies, we will continue to get the leaders we deserve. The true solution to escaping the influence of the opposing political party is limit the government so that the politicians that do slither into office can’t impact our lives as easily. Instead of a system where you are trying to force someone to live by your desires, and half your life suffering from their policies, the system needs to limit the power of every part of government.

Instead of Left and Right, a better critique focuses on Liberty. Both parties have expanded the government and increased taxes, regulations, and passed laws that limit your liberties. These policies limit your freedom, your choices, your behavior and your power as a citizen. Ask if the bill your representative is writing is going to make life easier, ask what the cost will be, examine the impact that similar laws have had. Focus on the content, and not the originator. A government should not be about one group winning while another loses. In focusing on liberty, we aim for the win-win in politics.

​In contrast, the hyperbolic calls for impeachment are about a person, not an office, not an idea, and not a policy. Such calls stop dialogue, stop negotiations, and widen the divide as people take sides instead of meeting in the middle.


This article originally appeared at Liberty LOL

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