McAuliffe, top Democrats dismiss impeachment talk

[DonViejo]

Source: Politico




By DAVID SIDERS 11/12/2017 11:19 AM EST

BONN, Germany — Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said Sunday he does not support impeaching President Donald Trump, after Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer pressed the case for impeachment at the United Nations climate conference here.

“Let [special counsel Robert] Mueller, and let the people who are doing the process go through and do what they’re doing,” McAuliffe said after a breakfast speech by Steyer, a McAuliffe supporter. “You don’t pre-judge investigations.”

Steyer, who is spending millions of dollars running television ads in the United States calling for Trump’s impeachment, told a small crowd Sunday that “lack of action is a choice.”

But Steyer’s message did not appear to resonate with top Democratic politicians in Germany for the climate talks. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, who also attended the breakfast, said she has no position on impeachment, which she said is “something that Congress is going to deal with.” California Gov. Jerry Brown was also dismissive.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/12/mcauliffe-democrats-trump-impeachment-244818

[pnwmom]

1. They are right. We will only get one shot at him. It's important that we wait

till we have all our ammunition lined up and ready to go.

And that means waiting for Mueller's investigation to be completed.

[SHRED]

2. I've came to this conclusion also

Also, no sense giving the tRump base anything to go to the polls and vote about.

[forgotmylogin]

54. He's doing a heckuva job!

Getting Democrats elected!

[vlyons]

55. this is the best reason

Let's deeply would the GOP in the 2018 elections and take the House. Then perhaps Mueller will have issued his report, and we can revisit if the time is right to call for impeachment.

[7962]

14. I don't understand why people just don't get this. nt

[Honeycombe8]

23. +1. This is NOT a Dem. witch hunt, like Trump portrays it. It needs to remain....

an impartial investigation by the Special Counsel and intel agencies, in order to have any credibility with the public. Assuming that the investigation is headed where I think it is.

I think there is cause enough for impeachment for reasons other than what's being investigated, such as his unfitness for office, possible mental issues, pathological lying, etc.

But the impartial investigation is the better way to go at this time, IMO.

[FSogol]

15. +1 Exactly. n/t

[Irish_Dem]

26. I agree totally. "Please proceed Governor."

We need to let this play out.
When an enemy is screwing up, don't get in their way.

[Not Ruth]

27. That is certainly one opinion, others like Al Green, have a different opinion

[pnwmom]

35. Al Green has a motivation I don't have. He will be able to point, in the end,

to his having been the first to call for impeachment.

So he will get the credit for that -- even though any impeachment vote right now would fail.

[FakeNoose]

50. Mueller isn't trying to impeach the president

Mueller is investigating crimes (or possible crimes.) If it eventually leads to Congress bringing impeachment proceedings, then so be it. But impeachment is a political outcome, not having to do with law enforcement.

On the other hand, impeachment could happen anyway, even if Mueller's investigation doesn't nail him. But that would be the last resort, and it shouldn't be under discussion until the other options fail.

Just sayin'

[pnwmom]

56. He's developing evidence that could be used in an impeachment trial -- as opposed to the

Congressional committees, which are being led by the R's, and are hardly doing anything.

[FakeNoose]

58. Yes agreed

My point was that Mueller has no political motivation in this.
His career is in law enforcement/justice.

Thanks

[lagomorph777]

57. Eager as I am to see it happen, we do have to get it right the first time.

You don't want to merely wound the elephant.

[Vinca]

3. While I would love for them to talk about it, I think they're being strategic.

They don't want to be "off putting" to anyone who might abandon the dark side in the 2018 elections. If we can get the House, at the very least, then we can discuss it. In the meantime, who knows what Mueller might come out with. The GOP may find themselves in the position of having to impeach Trump or be accused of being treasonous.

[woodsprite]

53. Hope you're correct, because if they really mean "no impeachment", than

we need to mount an even bigger campaign to replace *our* Democratic representatives.

[triron]

4. That piece of shit needs to be removed asap!

[Lucky Luciano]

5. Good to get the idea out there before Mueller finishes.

Then, when Mueller finishes, it will be firmly part of the conversation and easier to pursue.

[LiberalLovinLug]

12. I'm with you! Yes talk IMPEACHMENT

Its telling that both threads on this topic (as of my writing) have zero recs. I think its because their hearts tell them something, and their brains are telling them to hold off. But that is the same mistake we make over and over again. Sometimes its ok to listen to your heart. We are too calculating for our own good, (and the nation's)

We "keep our powder dry" and then wait, like good little citizens, until the perrrrrrrfect time when all the t's are crossed and the i's dotted, and then frantically stuff the powder into our muskets and start shooting.

What that does is look even more outrageious and out of the blue. We have to think about the other side and how they take it. As well as how the media will take such a 180.

We know that Republicans, if the shoe were on the other foot, would be screaming bloody murder by now. They have the art of the set up down pat. We refuse to see how getting it out there, the I word, is important to start to create the possibility in the backs of minds that may now still think Trump is invincible. What are they going to do? They have all branches of government already!

The word needs to be already circulating.

[pnwmom]

36. Why? So Dems can be blamed for not being able to get 2/3 of the Senate to convict him?

One of the worst things that could happen would be for us to succeed in getting him impeached in the House and then fail with a conviction in the Senate -- which is what happened with Clinton.

Clinton's popularity only INCREASED after that. And he was inoculated from any further attempts at impeachment.

[Lucky Luciano]

37. And Nixon was kicked out. We can do this.

[pnwmom]

40. You're kidding, right? You really don't understand that the Dems were in charge

of both the Senate and the House in that era, ran all the Committee hearings, could spend months airing all Nixon's dirty laundry in those hearings, and could shame enough Republicans into voting for impeachment?

We don't have control of either house.

[Lucky Luciano]

41. Won't win now, but the process needs to begin.

Beginning means planting the seeds of the idea. Be relentless in getting the message across. The thugs were awfully powerful in their minority days...why are the dems comparatively impotent. We need to be 100x more ruthless.

[pnwmom]

42. It doesn't need to begin now in the House. Suppose enough blue-district Rethugs there decided

to vote for impeachment, knowing that they had an impenetrable wall in the Senate?

They could impeach DT, get the credit for that, and then sit back and watch while the Senate refuses to convict -- as it did with Clinton.

And they would have the excuse to end the Mueller investigation and DT would be stronger than ever before.

[Lucky Luciano]

44. The process starts by making it all a normal part of conversation.

Do the deed when it can actually happen - yes.

[pnwmom]

45. Fine. But if that raises false expectations and then Democrats are blamed for being "weak,"

then DT will be the only one to gain.

[LiberalLovinLug]

46. They look weak now

Trump has already exceeded the requirements for impeachment. On more than one front. There comes a point when sitting on your hands in the corner hoping no one notices you will backfire.

Like Lucky explained, it's not about actually impeaching him at this time, it's about showing Americans how seriously you are talking it. It's about shouting from the rooftops not only that he should be impeached, but also sent to prison.

NOT talking publicly about how much he deserves it, and showing Americans how seriously you take this attack on your democracy actually makes them look weak.

[pnwmom]

47. We look realistic and strategic, instead of like the boy who cried wolf.

We won't gain anything if we repeatedly call for impeachment and our calls go nowhere. Or if we get him impeached by a 51% vote -- and then failto convict him by 2/3 in the Senate.

We need to wait till Mueller has linked DT to Russia and other crimes -- which he will.

Then we should go after him full force. We will only get one shot at this. We shouldn't waste it.

[LiberalLovinLug]

48. Again

It's not about actually impeaching him. Of course we wait until we actually can complete it.

It's about making sure that the American public knows that he SHOULD be. It's about starting the messaging. Instead they do the opposite and cower away from even contemplating publicly if he deserves any thing at all.

American voters want to see passion from their leaders. It's Mueller that must keep quiet and diligently plow forward, not politicians.

[pnwmom]

49. Message all you want. Just don't try to make the Democrats in Congress look bad

for not being able to force a conviction till Mueller has produced more evidence.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

6. That's the smart play, as temporarily unsatisfying as it may feel.

[TheDebbieDee]

7. Well, gee... Everybody has said everything I

would have said so I guess I'll leave now!

[Atticus]

8. By all means, let us "keep our powder dry"! nt

[spooky3]

9. Let us hope he doesnt start a war before 2018

and then let’s mobilize to win the House and/or Senate. Meanwhile Mueller’s work continues, and the Congressional investigators may start taking things more seriously given the 2017 results.

[vi5]

10. Smart. We need to wait until we get some power back and some leverage...

...like we did with Bush once we regained control.

Oh wait.....

[Jake Stern]

11. So is this a "keep our powder dry" situation or a "11 Dimensional chess" situtation?

Trying to keep up with the excuses for refusing to even consider the idea of 86ing his ass if we take power.

[pnwmom]

16. No one is refusing to consider it WHEN we take power. But till then, and till the investigation

is complete, any impeachment attempt could fail miserably. And we wouldn't get another shot.

[SFnomad]

19. There is only one excuse necessary ... we won't have the votes in the Senate to convict,

so it would be a waste of political capital to impeach him in the House. But please, tell us how impeaching him in the House and then losing the House again in 2 years because of it would be worth it?

[Retrograde]

20. They don't have the votes

and as long as McConnell is in control of the Senate they won't have the votes to convict. Get control of the House AND Senate back first and I will not be surprised if Trump either resigns in a fit of pique or has a terminal temper tantrum.

[SFnomad]

22. Even getting control of the Senate isn't enough to be serious about impeachment in the House

it takes 67 votes to convict in the Senate. Unless we hear tapes of tRump personally colluding with Putin, I just can't see enough Republicans voting to convict.

[angrychair]

13. Sorry, all I read here political cowards and fools

“No opinion”...”dismissive”...”something Congress is going to have to deal with” all sound like they think trump hasn’t done anything wrong and people are making something of nothing (burger).

At least that is what every right wing news and blog site is going to say now:
“even Democratic leadership don’t think there is anything to impeach for and are ‘dismissive’ of impeachment”

First, we know that with republicans controlling Congress, trump could murder babies while eating puppies and Congress would support him.

There was a different path to take, by with no perceived anger or even a sense of urgency, than what is the need of Congress or others to care, these governors do not.

Supporting trump’s and his criminal administration impeachment and arrest IS NOT a fringe concept and holding that position is not wrong.

[SFnomad]

29. Believing you could get 67 votes to convict in the Senate IS a fringe concept

Even if the midterms went as well as they could possibly go (flipping both the House and Senate), thinking you could get 67 votes in the Senate is naïve.

[angrychair]

38. I made no such conjecture

I stated that if Democrats really do want impeachment, at some point, being “dismissive” is not how we get there. It’s not how we show unity nor maintain the focus on trump and his administration.

More specifically, is your position that you accept trump as your president and think us “naive” for seeking justice for his crimes?
Words have consequences and this shows acceptance, if not capitulation, to this administration. That I will never do.

[pnwmom]

43. Getting impeachment without a conviction would only empower DT -- as it did Clinton.

We need to wait for the Mueller investigation to dig up so much dirt on DT -- which it will, because it's out there -- that there is overwhelmingly public opinion in favor of impeachment and conviction. Then and only then will Congress kick him out.

[BannonsLiver]

32. Its a good thing youre not calling the shots.

[angrychair]

39. Why?

There is a difference between playing the long game and being “dismissive”.

In as much there is a difference between resistance and capitulation, I choose the former and askew the later.

[msongs]

17. steyers petitions are data collecting and mining. nt

[Dawson Leery]

18. Win the midterms first, then talk impeachment.

We need ALL evidence lined up before making a legal case.

[mamas]

21. Because Trump is the gift that keeps on giving. GOP will.

[Turbineguy]

24. It's better to wait until you have him in flagrante delicto.

To start without a certain guilty outcome, makes it harder the second time.

His time will come.

[brooklynite]

25. No! I demand meaningless, impulsive symbolism!

[BigmanPigman]

28. I support Steyer's plan and understand some of the Dem's

"wait for Mueller and after midterms strategy". I think we should do both. His impeachment ads were even running on Fux Ruse until the Fucking Moron complained to their satanic network CEOs. The ads reach many people and put the REASONS for impeachment in their GOP/Fux propaganda filled heads. Americans aren't even aware of most of the shit that he has done. Steyer is offering them info that they normally would never be exposed to. I say keep running ads and do whatever it takes to get the GOP voters to wake up and smell the coffee. Planting a seed like that is a good thing for the Dems when the midterms come around.

[C_U_L8R]

30. Trump is a gift that keeps giving

and he's dragging down the GOP with him.
I can see why D leadership wouldn't want to dowse this self-immolating fool.

[Hekate]

31. WE need to send a Democratic majority to the House in 2018. Without that, we fail badly...

More DUers seem to be getting that concept these days -- except those that don't or won't.

[SonofDonald]

33. I think they'd better have a backup plan waiting

In case something unforeseen happen, ignoring something of this magnitude just because someone else is doing the work is a recipe for failure.

If I was in his position I'd be just a tad more proactive and hedge my bets, not to get in the way but to make sure I've got my mitt if the ball gets dropped.

[tomp]

34. Pence is also dangerou, more deceptive, and...

...bought and paid for by the kochs.

[samnsara]

51. lets wait til the indictments come out.. he will have to be impeached..

..to be indicted. Cant wait!!

[DonCoquixote]

52. It is one thing to talk about strategy

However, the second you manage to let the GOP think that we would NEVER do it, they will run amok without even pretending to fear. No one fears a watchdog that is all bark and NO bite. I am not saying we have to be a chorus, but we do need to support those who do have their trigger at the ready, and are simply awaiting the orders to fire.