The Media Politics of Impeachment

[IChing]

By Norman Solomon
MediaChannel.org

NEW YORK, MAY 31, 2005 — Some activists are now urging Congress to open an inquiry about the option of impeaching the president. But any such effort will face huge obstacles -- and they have nothing to do with legal standards for impeachment. This is all about media and politics.

Five months into 2005, the movement to impeach President Bush is very small. And three enormous factors weigh against it: 1) Republicans control Congress. 2) Most congressional Democrats are routinely gutless. 3) Big media outlets shun the idea that the president might really be a war criminal.

For now, the GOP's majority cannot be ended. But activists may be able to light a fire under congressional Democrats. And during the next several weeks, news media could be affected if a large educational and "agitational" campaign materializes -- spotlighting the newly leaked Downing Street Memo and explaining why its significance must be pursued as a grave constitutional issue.

The leak of the memo weeks ago, providing minutes from a high-level meeting that Prime Minister Tony Blair held with aides in July 2002, may be the strongest evidence yet that Bush is guilty of an impeachable offense. As Rep. John Conyers, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, wrote in late May: "The memo appears to directly contradict the administration's assertions to Congress and the American people that it would exhaust all options before going to war. According to the minutes, in July 2002, the administration had already decided to go to war against Iraq.">>>>snip

http://www.mediachannel.org/views/dissector/affalert385.shtml

[Pacifist Patriot]

1. Thank you! That's what I've been saying.

As for this, "...activists may be able to light a fire under congressional Democrats..." I'll be so bold as to take it a step further. Politicians are notorious for preserving their own political rear ends. I think we can get some Republicans to eat their own if they see the writing on the wall. I'm not giving up my grass roots lobbying efforts just because I have 2/3 Republican representation.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3763109&mesg_id=3763109

[IChing]

2. Trying to get more people to understand

what the minutes of the meeting really means to the constitution is an education that needs to be done at a grass roots level


Only a massive movement will be strong enough to push over the media obstacles and drag politicians into a real debate about presidential war crimes and the appropriate constitutional punishment.

[Pacifist Patriot]

4. Exactly.

I'm not sure which is worse. The media obstacles or cowardly politicians.

[Independent_Liberal]

3. It WILL happen!

www.recallthecongress.com

We're going to subject every Congress member to recall if they don't do their job.

That's right. We're going to legally force them to impeach!

[Independent_Liberal]

5. More about our right as citizens to recall public officials...

http://www.recallthecongress.com/further_explanation_of_the_right.htm

>>>>snip

FURTHER EXPLANATION OF THE RIGHT OF RECALL

( For the less legally Minded )

The only assurance to prevent the hijacking of the country in the future is for Americans to assert the power of recall of congress members who refuse to abide by the Constitution and the will of the masses of the people in their inept support of a government gone awry.

Contrary to myth, Congress people can be recalled by their constituents. Any power not enumerated in the Constitution is reserved to the people. Recall is one of those powers.

In those states where there is a law establishing procedure to invoke the recall, it is available to the people to initiate it. In those
states where it is not procedurally established by law, the local state legislatures need to establish a procedural law whereby the people_can initiate it. It has nothing to do with local legislators demanding something of D.C.

As an alternative to a recall procedure against a Congressman, any member of congress can make a private unilateral employment contract with his constituents to pledge a certain conduct with penalties ( a court ordered enforcement of the terms of the breach of contract or fired from job )

We the people can do it. You can help!

[Pacifist Patriot]

6. Interesting

I've bookmarked it to read through the site later when I don't have a whiney two year old pulling on me.

[katty]

8. It Might happen is over half of America shows up at the Capitol

mad as hell and initiates an impromptu 'sit-in' (D.C. PD and Homeland Sec would swarm participants and throw a net over everyone)god, protestors in NYC were rounded up individually and collectively like cattle in certain parts of the city during the GOP Convention. It would take a force of nature to recall Congress and/or begin an investigation for Impeachment of georgie boy. This is not the early 1970's.

[Independent_Liberal]

9. Nothing wrong with that!

People should go and camp out on the steps of Capitol Hill.

But we do have the power to recall Congress people. That is something that can be done.

[atommom]

7. kick