Nancy Pelosi officially comes out against impeaching Trump -- here's why she's wrong

[JoeOtterbein]

[link:https://www.alternet.org/2019/03/nancy-pelosi-officially-comes-out-against-impeaching-trump-heres-why-shes-wrong/|

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi came out with a decisive statement in a new interview published Monday in the Washington Post: “I’m not for impeachment,” she said. “This is news. I’m going to give you some news right now because I haven’t said this to any press person before.”

She did include a caveat, allowing that something might emerge that could justify impeachment — but she thinks we’re not there yet.

snip


The claim that “he’s just not worth it” is particularly bizarre — impeachment is the ultimate sign that someone isn’t worthy of the powers of the presidency. It’s not an honor to bestow.

It’s also bizarre because she later says: “All the challenges we have faced, we can withstand anything. But maybe not two [Trump] terms. So we have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

If a second Trump term is so dangerous — something Pelosi literally believes the country might not be able to withstand — isn’t allowing him to stay in office another two years similarly perilous?

snip

more at link

[ananda]

1. If MF45 isn't worthy of impeachment, nobody is!

In fact, I can't think of anyone more worthy!

[TwilightZone]

5. "worth it" and "worthy" aren't the same thing

Her comment was clearly a dig at Trump's ego. She also clearly believes he's worthy of impeachment but without the GOP, there is zero chance of conviction.

[mac56]

14. THIS

He has probably never had a woman tell him "you're not worth it."

Pelosi: "He's not worth impeaching."
Dufus: "Oh yeah? I am so!"

[CatWoman]

2. the reason she's RIGHT

the votes are not there in the Senate.

This isn't Watergate days.

[Andy823]

7. Exactly!

Republicans are not going to vote to impeach trump, unless something extreme happens and they know they can no longer stand by and let trump take the whole party down in the gutter with him. If the Muller investigation shows something so bad for trump that nothing will protect him, then maybe, just maybe they will do the right thing. Only time will tell.

[TwilightZone]

3. She's not wrong.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211910461

[still_one]

4. BIG CAVET: unless there's something so compelling and overwhelming

[pwb]

6. The Pukes did it just because they could.

We could.

[TreasonousBastard]

8. But, she's not wrong-- after only two impeachments in our history we only know that...

it is an extremely difficult and divisive thing.

Johnson was too long ago and just after the Civil War to count.

Nixon was forced to resign when the tapes turned Republicans in the Senate against him and almost guaranteed conviction.

Clinton became more popular after escaping conviction.

Trump is the worst president we have ever experienced-- arrogant, ignorant and incompetent. But, terrible job performance is not a high crime or misdemeanor.

We have less than two years to suffer under the fool before we fire him. So far, there is a little bit of light in the fact that he has not been as destructive as Gingrich or Reagan during their times in power, and he is already being restrained. He is most likely too stupid and disorganized to actually do much more destruction in the time he has left.

Rather than take a chance on impeaching him and letting him crow about his great victory should he win, the better choice would be to humiliate in the general election. Imagine if his lasting legacy were to take Dukakis' crown as biggest loser by taking not one single state.

The first candidate to lose 100% of the electoral college?

[lancelyons]

9. She feels that a long process performing impeachment hearings will raise the R base

She feels that a long process performing impeachment hearings will raise the R base.

She is worried that it will rile up the Republicans to come out for trump.

but she is missing on this.

if impeachment proceedings will do this then the 1.5 years of constant investigation the dems are embarking on will do the same.

Its essentially the same

She is showing her fear of the R voters. Trump's strategy to muddy the water has worked.

The only problem is Dems that are disgusted in our leaders inability to nail Republicans to the wall, will cause us to NOT come out and vote.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. I think she's right, and here's why:

1.Timing is a big issue. Impeachment isn't a reasonable option at all until the Mueller report is in and the various House investigations are complete, or at least have provided enough reasonably probative evidence. This will take many months, and by the time the process is completed - or maybe even started - it will be election time again. Voting Trump out of office is clearly less divisive and more politically convincing to the country at large than impeachment. Impeachment, including the trial in the Senate, is likely to take just as long as the time up to the election. It wouldn't get rid of him immediately, or even quickly.

2. Trump wants this fight. Impeachment would be ammunition that the GOP would use to incite their rabid base and persuade them that it's the socialists and the Deep State trying to take Trump down. Don't give him that fight. Pelosi is smart for taking a big election issue away from them.

3. The Senate will not convict without a smoking gun like the Nixon tape. If that tape hadn't been discovered Nixon probably would have survived an impeachment trial; most of the GOPers were behind him throughout the Watergate hearings until the tape was produced. It's a myth that brave Republicans stood up for justice and the rule of law and all that stuff; they didn't abandon Nixon until the very end, after the tapes came out. And some of them didn't even then.

4. She didn't take impeachment off the table altogether, but she wants something like the Nixon tape that would be so compelling that there would be enough bipartisan support for impeachment that a Senate trial wouldn't be a fruitless charade like the Clinton impeachment trial, which just ended up hurting the GOP. An acquittal by the Senate would be a disaster because it would make Trump stronger.

5. If against all odds an impeachment trial is successful, we get Pence, who might be more difficult to defeat in an election because he's not Trump. If an election is successful, however, we get a Democrat.

[beachbum bob]

11. as of today, NO IMPEACHABLE offense, not liking trump is not impeachable, Pelosi is 100% correct at

this moment in time

[FrankBooth]

13. 100% right

In 2006 she explicitly came out and said 'impeachment is off the table."

She most definitely did not do that here. Plenty of wiggle room in her statement, and as I said before on another thread, what she says in March 2019 will mean absolutely nothing by summer 2020.

There is zero reason to overreact one way or another about this statement. And also -- Nancy is very smart and knows exactly what she's doing.

[FakeNoose]

12. Nancy is playing a long game here

... the things she's saying are meant for the GOP to hear. She's not talking to us Dems - she's talking to THEM.

Here's what she's leaving unsaid, and we have to be smart enough to figure this out on our own. We need to do this at the ballot box and it has to happen next year. The Democratic Party must either win the Senate majority, or else win the Presidency next year. Either way, Chump is done. If we can't do either of those things, then there's no sense talking about impeachment - now or later.

[beachbum bob]

15. why we don't have kids or leftwing ideologues running the house

[Xolodno]

16. She's not wrong.

She knows the game plan. Resign and pardon, just like Nixon. But unlike Nixon, his crimes are far worse. Boot the guy out, and force him to face charges.

[Triloon]

17. If Trump's presidency concludes without impeachment it will be a permanent national shame, just like

Pelosi's failure to impeach W is a permanent national shame. The impeachment by the House alone has value, even if conviction in the repub senate is impossible. We need to let the world and history know that this president is rejected.
Besides, impeachment hearings during a presidential campaign is not 'too late' and could be quite beneficial.

[mcar]

18. She's taking the issue out of the Dotard's spin for 2020

While Still keeping the option open. It's a brilliant move, IMO. Get the message out now so the MSM can harrumph and move on with the investigations.

[JI7]

19. it would be a Scott Walker situation