Trump 2nd Impeachment News/Talk Megathread

[Non Swing Voter]

https://twitter.com/pamelafessler/status/1349173657579433984

[Badger]

And I'm sure those 205 nay votes were based solely on the high-minded constitutional principle that the 25th amendment should only be done in case of bona fide mental and physical inability to serve, not because those congressmen are Craven

Absolutely disgusting.

Look, the 25th Amendment was not meant for this. The right way to deal with Trump is impeachment.

To Reiterate, you and I both know that over 90% of those no votes are not being cast over high-minded considerations regarding the proper application of the 25th Amendment.

For what it is worth, I understand the concern, even though I fully believe that Trump's mental state has deteriorated to the point that he is a present imminent danger to the country warranting invocation of the 25th Amendment, and it doesn't warrant being withheld just because he's not literally in a coma or the like. But even then, that's not why the vast majority of those no votes were cast.

Watch the impeachment vote. The Nays won't be as numerous, but they'll still at get at least into the 180s.

[Badger]

https://twitter.com/pamelafessler/status/1349173657579433984

That wins Twitter today

[Banana Republican]

So, it appears that Trump will have the dubious honor of becoming the first (and hopefully only) President to be impeached multiple times.

What a remarkable legacy to leave.

[Ferguson97]

So, it appears that Trump will have the dubious honor of becoming the first (and hopefully only) President to be impeached multiple times.

What a remarkable legacy to leave.

I'd bet anything that if the GOP takes back the House in 2022, they'll impeach Biden for nonexistent crimes out of revenge.

[Badger]

So, it appears that Trump will have the dubious honor of becoming the first (and hopefully only) President to be impeached multiple times.

What a remarkable legacy to leave.

I'd bet anything that if the GOP takes back the House in 2022, they'll impeach Biden for nonexistent crimes out of revenge.

That bit them in the ass big time in 98 when there was at least a scintilla of evidence to Bill Clinton perjuring himself over allegations of a blow job. Even in this toxically more partisan environment, I suspect history repeat itself.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Regardless of whether you want the 25th invoked, that House vote on the 25th was pointless.

[Blair]

I haven't actually seen any republican actually make a legal case as to why Trump didn't commit a crime... so far it's all just been guff about why we need to 'heal and unify'

[Non Swing Voter]

So, it appears that Trump will have the dubious honor of becoming the first (and hopefully only) President to be impeached multiple times.

What a remarkable legacy to leave.

I'd bet anything that if the GOP takes back the House in 2022, they'll impeach Biden for nonexistent crimes out of revenge.

Seems doubtful.  I think it will be uphill for them to retake the house at all but the new members who got them close to retaking it this time have shown zero appetite for their bulls***.  They won't have the votes. 

And while Republicans will be in control of redistricting in a lot of places (not as many as 2010), it's very clear that rural areas are about to lose considerable influence.  Therefore, to the extent Republicans even can hobble together a slim majority, it will be based on a lot of suburban republicans who will have to be much more moderate.  They're not going to lose their seats to get back at Biden over non-existent voter fraud.

[Banana Republican]

So, it appears that Trump will have the dubious honor of becoming the first (and hopefully only) President to be impeached multiple times.

What a remarkable legacy to leave.

I'd bet anything that if the GOP takes back the House in 2022, they'll impeach Biden for nonexistent crimes out of revenge.

Seems doubtful.  I think it will be uphill for them to retake the house at all but the new members who got them close to retaking it this time have shown zero appetite for their bulls***.  They won't have the votes.  

And while Republicans will be in control of redistricting in a lot of places (not as many as 2010), it's very clear that rural areas are about to lose considerable influence.  Therefore, to the extent Republicans even can hobble together a slim majority, it will be based on a lot of suburban republicans who will have to be much more moderate.  They're not going to lose their seats to get back at Biden over non-existent voter fraud.

Other than Nancy Mace and maybe Peter Meijer, who exactly are these new GOP members that you think are going to act in a rational way?

What makes you think that they are representative of the new wave of GOP candidates?

To me they look more like aberrations amidst a larger sea of Lauren Boeberts, Madison Cawthorns, Elise Stefanik's, Marjorie Taylor Greens, and Kelly Loefflers. That latter group is more along the lines of what I would expect GOP candidates to look like in 2022. And what about people like the comparatively sane Carlos Curbelo, whose district is now represented by Carlos Giménez, who has embraced Trump's conspiracy theories?

Other than a few scattered counterexamples, I don't see things getting better, I see more and more people along the lines of Paul Ryan and Jeff Flake - whom I certainly don't agree with but who also cannot be called Trumpists - no longer in Congress/Senate, and I see a greater proportion of new Republicans behaving like Josh Hawley.

[BlueSwan]

Clearly Mitch is the key here. If he won't impeach Trump, there's no way to find 17 republicans who will do so. If he puts his authority in on convicting Trump, I think they'll easily do it - infact, I'd bet that if Mitch really goes in on it, over half of republicans will vote to convict. Obviously the dozen-plus senators that wanted to reject PA's electoral votes won't convict, but most of the rest could probably be persuaded.

[Non Swing Voter]

So, it appears that Trump will have the dubious honor of becoming the first (and hopefully only) President to be impeached multiple times.

What a remarkable legacy to leave.

I'd bet anything that if the GOP takes back the House in 2022, they'll impeach Biden for nonexistent crimes out of revenge.

Seems doubtful.  I think it will be uphill for them to retake the house at all but the new members who got them close to retaking it this time have shown zero appetite for their bulls***.  They won't have the votes.  

And while Republicans will be in control of redistricting in a lot of places (not as many as 2010), it's very clear that rural areas are about to lose considerable influence.  Therefore, to the extent Republicans even can hobble together a slim majority, it will be based on a lot of suburban republicans who will have to be much more moderate.  They're not going to lose their seats to get back at Biden over non-existent voter fraud.

Other than Nancy Mace and maybe Peter Meijer, who exactly are these new GOP members that you think are going to act in a rational way?

What makes you think that they are representative of the new wave of GOP candidates?

To me they look more like aberrations amidst a larger sea of Lauren Boeberts, Madison Cawthorns, Elise Stefanik's, Marjorie Taylor Greens, and Kelly Loefflers. That latter group is more along the lines of what I would expect GOP candidates to look like in 2022. And what about people like the comparatively sane Carlos Curbelo, whose district is now represented by Carlos Giménez, who has embraced Trump's conspiracy theories?

Other than a few scattered counterexamples, I don't see things getting better, I see more and more people along the lines of Paul Ryan and Jeff Flake - whom I certainly don't agree with but who also cannot be called Trumpists - no longer in Congress/Senate, and I see a greater proportion of new Republicans behaving like Josh Hawley.

Those are two obvious ones.  I'd also imagine the new ones from California would fit that mold.  I think all of the new ones from Iowa did not object to Biden's win.  Republicans are in the minority, they can't afford to lose a few here and there.  There aren't a ton of Democratic targets at this point and I don't think it's going to get any better after reapportionment.

[Pericles]

Is there any chance this could get done by the 20th- and we'd actually see President Mike Pence for a little bit- or would this almost certainly linger into Biden's term?

The danger there is that Pence could legally issue a pardon, which Trump’s opponents desperately want to avoid.

Pence ain't doing that after all this

It would save his 2024 prospects. The smart move for Trump could be to resign and have Pence pardon him, that holds up better than a self-pardon. However, it would be too much of a loss of face to resign. Maybe he can get away with it if he's absolutely blatant about it "I'm resigning, but I did nothing wrong, it is only so Mike can stop the witch hunt and save America, so I can keep fighting for you!"

[Pericles]

Does McConnell really think he can take the Republican base with him though?

[Non Swing Voter]

McConnell and the GOP don't have a choice.  They are barely a national party at this point.  Trump's not going to be on the ballot anymore.  His cult isn't going to vote in huge numbers without him on the ballot and they lost by 7 million votes with him on it.  They need to moderate or at least pretend to and doubling down on Trumpism isn't going to cut it.

[Chips]

The GOP has a lot of soul searching to do for sure if they hope to really remain competitive.

[Hnv1]

Man, and I thought Tory internal fighting is vicious.

[Torrain]

There is a part of me that thinks that McConnell is genuinely scared that Trump (or a leak of information about his time in office/link with the protestors) will drag down GOP down to losses in 2022 and 2024.

Impeaching him would give the Senate GOP plausible deniability going forward, and salvage their chances in purple and light-blue states.

I can already see it:

"Of course you can trust a GOP senate! We held Trump accountable! Don't think about 2017-2020. When it came down to it, we did what matters!"

[Torrain]

Man, and I thought Tory internal fighting is vicious.

At least when the Tories fight, they actually throw out their leaders:

- Ted Heath was thrown out for being boring
- Thatcher was fired after she lost her political instincts
- Major, Hague, IDS and Howard were dead meat as soon as they were deemed electorally inviable
- Cameron was evicted for losing control of the right-wing of the party
- May was forced out for being deemed insufficiently competent or charismatic

Trump would have been gone a long time ago.

[Rand]

Today’s the day.

Trump didn’t get enough reaping last time. Sow here we are again.

[Former Crackhead Mike Lindell]

Mods, can this be merged with the other big impeachment thread?

[Blue3]

Mods, can this be merged with the other big impeachment thread?

This is US Politics. It's like asking anything relating to terrorism in 2001-2003 be in one thread. Or anything related to the recession in 2008-2012 be in one thread. Important developments can be missed if a megathread is too big.

[Torrain]

No war room in the White House this time. No response. Just gloom, and acceptance apparently.

To which I can only say: good.

https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/1349330454902673409

[Former Crackhead Mike Lindell]

Mods, can this be merged with the other big impeachment thread?

This is US Politics. It's like asking anything relating to terrorism in 2001-2003 be in one thread. Or anything related to the recession in 2008-2012 be in one thread. Important developments can be missed if a megathread is too big.

If you don't read every post in the megathread you're a weakling tbh

[Motorcity]

What is the point of McConnell supporting impeachment? I still doubt 17 GOP senators will vote to convict, especially with Trump out of office.