My very Republican father is now hoping for impeachment.

[TXPaganBanker]

My 71 year old father lives with me so I can take help take care of him; there are chores and things he just can't do on his own any more. He's worked in the defense industry for the past 49 years, and is slated to retire this June when that number rolls to 50. And by "works in the defense industry", I mean his livelihood depends on making things explode from far, far away for the U.S. Military.

We have an agreement, he doesn't watch Fox or OneAmericaNews when I'm home, I wait till he's asleep to watch MSNBC and CNN. We will discuss different stories, and usually keep it fairly high level because of our differences of opinion. Yesterday we were discussing more of the checks and balances Trump is ignoring thru stonewalling Congress. My father said something I never expected to hear.

"I hope they impeach him, we don't need him in office any more. If he stays in office, I'm going to have to vote Democrat, which I really don't wanna. But if Trump's out, I can at least vote for the next 'not-Hillary'."

So, he's still a Republican, but he's acknowledging that Trump is toxic to the party and is harming the country. I swear support for impeachment of a Republican president is something I never expected to cross his lips.

[dawn5651]

1. i have found

in many instances that there are 2 types of republicans ..there are those that blindly believe whatever the russian asset spews and then there are the ones who are looking at what he is doing to the united states and they are appalled...folks don't like it when the constitution is used like toilet paper and the russian asset has been doing that since before he was sworn in.

[lunatica]

7. Good points!

Welcome to DU!

[dawn5651]

27. thank you i have been here for awhile but am usually quiet.

[luvtheGWN]

36. Hi Dawn!

I'm suspecting you are a fellow Canuck? Living next to the elephant is sometimes a blessing, sometimes a curse! I can actually (truly and really) see the U.S. from my house, and have some very fine American relatives.

Go Blue Jays!

Go Raptors!

[CDerekGo]

2. Writing on the Wall?

That he sees that Trump is SO toxic, he may be the cause and failure of GOP?

[pdsimdars]

3. In other words, you father is a real Republican who believes in his values.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

4. the bifurcation of news is pure poison to democracy.

For some odd reason Republicans fear the word "democratic". They had to try to turn it into an expletive. They are complete cowards and unpatriotic xenophobes.

[FakeNoose]

5. Why don't Republicans tell their Congressmen to get it done?

Why are they all sitting on their hands, waiting for the Democrats to do what the GOP should have done long ago?

[Gibbyman01]

16. Impeachment now

I once was against impeaching dumb Donald but seeing how this clown is now becoming a dictator, the Democrats need to impeach Dumb Donald now they need to explain to the American people that impeaching dumb Donald will not removed him from office that he must receive all the Democrats and 20 Republicans votes in the Senate to be remove they must explain that the only way to receive the full reports from the special counselor is to impeach..the Attorney General can not stop them from receiving the unducted special counselor report.. I'm sure everyone including his space out base would love to know what he trying to hide if nothing there let it show..

[FakeNoose]

17. It will happen but we have to be patient

Nancy Pelosi knows what she's doing, and she wants Chump out even more than we do.

[Scarsdale]

30. Taxpayers funded the Mueller report.

Everyone has a RIGHT to read it in its' entirety. By keeping it off limits, the gop is basically admitting that there is damaging evidence in there. The Clinton investigation by Starr was almost immediately exposed, even printed as a book. Why the secrecy on this one? (As if we did not KNOW) Different rules apply to the lawless, corrupt gop.

[cstanleytech]

25. I suspect its because the right wing media like Fox is telling them they are winning

which is really all they care about so they do not bother to look any deeper.

[lunatica]

6. Advice you probably already do

I would let him talk about how he feels and not say anything that would make him feel he was foolish to vote for Trump, even if it was just to not vote for Hillary. Let him feel comfortable expressing his regrets.

Though I’m probably preaching to the choir!

And welcome to DU!

[erronis]

23. Good advice. Never tell an Edsel buyer that they bought a lemon.

However somebody will say:
Hold onto your MAGA cap. It will be worth a fortune in 500 years.
(after the fall of this empire.)

[lunatica]

26. LOL!

It probably will be worth something at least! Perhaps a history lesson on failed agendas.

[Scarsdale]

31. Since most of tRump gear

is "Made in China" I wonder if he pays tariffs on it?

[FreepFryer]

8. NICE! That's great to hear... it's working, if we can just keep from attacking Democrats...

...for perceived inaction. Groundswells take time.

[grantcart]

9. Ironically your father has 10 times the power you do.

When you call your Congressperson they say "check, that guy, no surprise".

If you can get your dad to call they will check their data base and say "holy shit". They will assume that there are about 50 people like him in their district who did not call in but share his opinion.

If in one week they get 20 calls from guys like your dad they will start to panic.

Please do everything possible to try and get your dad to make a nice polite call to his congress person (regardless of party). Nothing is going to happen when people from DU call but they will go into meltdown when they get a steady stream of calls from guys like your dad. Its hard to underestimate how impactful a call from guys like that are.

thanks for the message. I too have relatives who have jumped the creek on this subject.

[lindysalsagal]

18. I think it's thousands who think something but don't call

And I think they know it.

[Honeycombe8]

10. Did you explain to your dad that impeachment won't remove Trump from office?

The impeachment would be by the House Democrats. It's a pretty sure thing that the Republican McConnell Senate won't impeach. So the impeachment would be on paper, for historical purposes, but would not remove him from office.

Like Bill Clinton's impeachment.

I wonder if he'd want impeachment, if he knew that. Or does he know that?

[TXPaganBanker]

13. Sole power to try vs. duty to

He thinks McConnell and the Senate Republicans will do the right thing. Of course, I'm hopeful too.

However, I don't think McConnell will let it come to that. The Senate has the "sole power to try" all impeachments, however nothing says they have the DUTY to. McConnell has shown time and time again he is willing to let legislation and administrative actions sit idle because he doesn't want to bring them up. There is literally nothing that says the Senate has to perform or even vote on performing the Impeachment trial once it is handed to them by the House.

[Honeycombe8]

14. Of course they'll do the "right thing."

The right thing, according to them. And removing Trump is not a "right thing," as they themselves have made clear. They won't even criticize him. They have been taken over by extremists. A room full of alpha males who are at war with the Democrats, from their view, and are on a roll to steamroll over every Democratic program they can.

There will be a few Republicans who will vote to impeach. But most won't. Republicans stick together, esp now.

I suppose there is a chance if Trump's numbers are so low that it looks like he will lose...they MIGHT use impeachment as a way to get rid of him so they'll win the election with Pence or someone else. But they'd have to be very sure he's not likely to win.

[Scarsdale]

32. Impeachment or not,

the entire dirty business in the Mueller report will be open to public view. Will people have the stomach for all the treasonous actions performed by tRump and his co-conspirators? Expose the S-O-B, make the gop try to support him once all the truth is laid out. Notice how his dismissal of "Top Security Clearances" has faded into the background? Unqualified Kushner is still making deals with the M.E. Ivanka is still flying worldwide gaining patents for "her" fashions.

[progressoid]

11. "we don't need him in office any more"

Yeah, he did what he was voted in to do - stack the courts. Don't need him anymore.

[LuvNewcastle]

21. Just the kind of President Grover Norquist loves.

He signs their papers and nominates their judges. He's making a spectacle of himself now, though, and they don't like that. They want someone who will quietly do their bidding, like Mike Pence.

[erronis]

24. Yup - pence will be a better robot. Well trained and predictable.

Has anybody questioned Mommy's background? Perhaps a bit of soviet influence?

[Raven123]

12. Ironically he makes a case against impeachment

Impeaching Trump gives the die-hard MAGATs a reason to vote against the Dem candidate (anger, as if some needed any more) and those who regret their vote a GOP alternative candidate. Perhaps Pelosi believes there are many more voters like this.

[patphil]

15. I have to admit that thought has crossed my mind also

Very few Republicans are willing to admit this.
But, it's the logical next step for holding onto the Senate and White House.
Trump is toxic, but they don't see it yet.
I hope they don't ever realize it.
Simply put, from the Democrat standpoint, it would be best to bring up Articles of Impeachment at the end of this year and make the Republican Senate vote on it in 2020.
That's why I don't want it to go too quickly.
It's going to happen, but better a little later.
We all know it won't get through the Senate, but the body of evidence will be overwhelming, and it will be fresh in the minds of the voters in 2020.

I'm not at all concerned with Trump's base. They would vote for him even it he threw babies through a tree shredder on national TV.
I know, that's horrible, but they don't seem to care as long as the babies have been birthed.
It's the moderate Republicans who are walking away now that we want to have either not vote, or vote Democrat.

My best solution is to have a politically neutered president get the Republican 2020 presidential nomination by virtue of his rabid base. That would be less than 40% of the electorate, and that ain't gonna get it done.

Patrick Phillips

[Scarsdale]

33. Putin might have something to say

about that. He is no real fan of tRump, but he does find him useful. Blackmail always works for Vlad. Rumor has it that the Russians are already fiddling with the vote for the next election.

[FakeNoose]

19. Anger is what got Chump elected the first time

He feeds on the MAGAts anger, and he churns it up at every rally.

So yeah, we're playing right into Chump's hands if we go ahead with the impeachment right now.
He's hoping for it.

[malaise]

20. Please tell daddy that it's Democratic

[UniteFightBack]

22. This man has done nothing but turn people off since the night of his fake election. 2020 will be

BRUTAL.

[cstanleytech]

28. If Trump was impeached and Pence became President before the election would he vote for Pence?

If the answer is yes then he really has not learned his lesson at all.

[Scarsdale]

35. Pence would be

President Milquetoast. He is so bland, he is the beige of personality.
Someone said he is so homophobic that he eats bananas sideways. That thought pops into my mind every time I see his squinty little eyes.

[luvtheGWN]

37. My late husband was a very handsome man

and he was approached several times by would-be same sex partners in his earlier days.

He always said that those men who spoke out the loudest against same sex alliances were those who were deathly afraid they'd like and prefer it. He often wondered if it was because they'd had some of those experiences as teenagers and were deeply ashamed.

Never trust a verbose homophobe -- dollars to donuts they're suppressing their true feelings.

[SunSeeker]

29. K & R

[TCJ70]

34. "We don't need him in office anymore." Why did they need him in the first place?

Trump is what he's always been.

[Beartracks]

38. I'd like Repubs to acknowledge their whole party's bankruptcy, but...

... if they acknowledge that Trump is too much even for the Republican party, I guess that's a start.

==============