I think the Republicans might try to impeach Obama

[CoffeeCat]

Bohner, Cantor and the rest of the Republicans know damn well that the
debt ceiling *must* be raised. They're feigning stupidity and refusing
to work with the President--when he is giving them damn near everything
they've ever wanted.

The Republicans aren't acting like people who want a deal. They're acting
like people who are doing everything they can to *avoid* a deal.

There's no way in hell that Obama would allow the United States to default
on its debts and send our economy and global markets into a tailspin. He
would have no choice, but to use the 14th Amendment to try and do this without
the approval of Congress.

There's a great deal of debate about whether or not the 14th Amendment truly
allows a President to do this. Therein lies an opportunity for the Republicans
who could argue that the President abused his power and usurped the Constitution--and
then they'll use this as grounds for impeachment.

They'll have attorneys, scholars and researchers who will agree with them--and a huge
crisis could unfold--tainting Obama with possible impeachment and drowning him
in a scandal that could weigh him down and damage re-election efforts.

I seriously wouldn't put it past the Republicans--to try leading Obama right into an
impeachment trap.

[gateley]

I agree Boehner understands the severity of the problem, but

not so sure about Cantor, Walsh, et al. They're fucking stupid and don't listen to anyone else but themselves, egging each other on.

[Lex]

1. That would be political suicide for them.

Hope they try it.

[CoffeeCat]

8. but if they did try it...

...the "deal" and the details of the deal would fade into the background. No one
would even recall what the fight was about.

Republicans would use propaganda and the media to make this a whole, new fight--Did
Obama abuse his power? One could make a strong argument that the 14th Amendment
does not allow a President to raise the debt ceiling without Congressional approval.

The entire debate would shift. They'd use their right-wing-radio noise machine
and the rest of the MSM to make life a living hell for Obama-and make him look
bad.

The sad truth is, when you are mired in scandal (even if you are innocent) you
are operating from a point of weakness.

I do not know if this is what the Republicans are doing--but they are just evil
and desperate enough to do anything.

I put nothing past these psychopaths.

[aquart]

21. Please try to remember what's happening at Fox.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

20. I'm glad you're so optimistic. I need a little optimism. nt

[banned from Kos]

2. Fine, let the Teabagger House impeach - the Senate won't convict

and then the nation will rally around the President.

[lonestarnot]

15. Yeah let 'em try that shit! Waste a few billion more the fuckwads!

[givemebackmycountry]

3. Go ahead assholes, do it. PLEASE try and do it.

And let's see what happens.

[kenny blankenship]

4. I wouldn't put it past them either. But that would be just one more pigheaded fuckup from them

They can impeach away. The Senate will dismiss it in 15 minutes. I don't think even Republican Senators would go along, for the most part. All they would accomplish is to create huge sympathy for the President among the voters, who will all remember this tired crap from the last time the Republicans were furious that a Democrat won.

[WCGreen]

27. I saw a piece yesterday that claims Marc Rubio is backing away from the

Tea Party express that got him to DC...

It was on one of the nightly news programs, can't remember which.

So you are correct in your assumption about GOP senators.

[FreakinDJ]

5. Equal arguments bound by oath of office to enact the 14th remedy

So to even say Obama acted inappropriately IF on Aug 3 he used his authority to divert a Constitutional Crisis is a question for the SCOTUS

[Initech]

6. They *REALLY* lowered the bar for impeachment with Clinton. They'd try it with Obama.

[RKP5637]

7. They are sleaze combined with ignorance, greed and selfishness plus they are

stupid. I wouldn't put anything past them, and it's clear they don't give a damn about the future of the country or the citizens.

[CoffeeCat]

11. That's why I wouldn't put it past the Republicans...

They are shameless, vicious, third-class haters--and Obama is a thorn
in their side.

Plus, the Republican presidential candidates are a barrel of assorted nuts. There's no
way they can win, and they know it.

Nothing worse than desperate, scared psychos who think they're entitled to anything and
everything.

[JVS]

9. They don't need a trap, they could use Libya if they want to.

[kenny blankenship]

10. It's against a Republican's nature to seek punishment for a President for killing foreigners

whatever rules of procedure may have been violated along the way.

But they could tack that onto to a laundry list Bill of Impeachment, and feel Ok with themselves.

[JVS]

12. That's not the frame they'd use. They'd use usurpation of the right of congress to make...

the decisions about war. It's essentially the same issue that would be raised if Obama unilaterally raised the debt ceiling.

[Warren DeMontague]

23. I agree with Kenny. They HATE the War Powers Act.

Not gonna happen.

[Skip_In_Boulder]

13. So what?

We are without question headed for a knock down drag out in this country anyway so I would just as soon get on with it and then maybe we can get back to actually building the country.

[FourScore]

14. I just came to the same conclusion on this thread (that I started, actually)

I went full circle and came to the same conclusion as you.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1561085&mesg_id=1561085

[medeak]

16. 2 friends said same today but....constitutional grad student

said no way.

[applegrove]

17. The reason why they won't make a deal is because they don't want the Democrats to compromise. The

GOP wants to run as the only 'fiscal conservatives' in the election. But Democrats keep offering up cuts to the debt. So the GOP walk out and try again to get a deal where Dems do not compromise.

[Recursion]

18. As Obama has said, there is no "14th Amendment option"

And if he did unilaterally violate the Constitution and order Geithner to borrow money without authorization, and if Geithner did it rather than resign, I'd put dollars to donuts that Obama would simply say he was violating the Constitution because he had no other option, and dare the Republicans to impeach.

The 14th Amendment says public debt cannot be questioned; that doesn't give the President power to create more of it. To the extent it does anything here, it lays a Constitutional obligation on Geithner to service the debt, which presumably would trump statutory obligations to do things like, say, pay Social Security checks and Medicare claims.

[Politicalboi]

30. As Obama said

"I will close Gitmo" "I will not bust Medical Marijuana shops", "I would walk with the strikers" He doesn't always do what he says.

[murielm99]

19. So they're going to impeach every time we elect a

Democratic President?

You saw how well that worked out with Clinton. He was more popular than ever. They turned him into a rock star.

Do you really think they would try to impeach the first black President in our history? Maybe they really are that stupid.

There is enormous pride over this President in the black communities around the country. Washington, D.C. is a majority black city. Turn him into a martyr by trying to kill him or remove him from office, and the pukes would be in for a world of hurt. They would be safe nowhere.

It would be time for all of us to take to the streets. It would be time for a poor peoples' march that would be a rainbow of diversity.

Let them go ahead and do something this stupid. They keep their racial hatred just under the surface. It would be time for the rest of us to shout it out, to declaim it everywhere. Don't argue with them if they pretend they are not racist. Just tell them that they are.

[Dept of Beer]

24. Many would be headed to Washington and the republicans would be headed

[murielm99]

25. I am angry with him, plenty angry.

He should not even be negotiating with our SS and Medicare. They should not be part of this debate at all.

I am upset that the talks are being done behind closed doors.

I am angry that we got so little in health insurance "reform."

But I am still a Democrat. Impeachment? No.

[Warren DeMontague]

22. That's what I think, too. Then he gets re-elected & they can spend the next 4 years fucking around

with that.

It'll be the 90s all over again, but without the economic growth and blowjob jokes.

[Safetykitten]

31. That "he gets re-elected" thing? That part? Not happening.

[BzaDem]

33. What are you going to do on election night after Obama gets re-elected? n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

50. O NOES!

Yeah, actually, I think he is going to get re-elected. This current incident has drawn into stark relief exactly HOW nuts the other people are. As a progressive, I'm not thrilled with everything that's been done (or not done) but I think he's going into next year with pretty good odds.

Who, precisely, do you think is going to beat him?

[craigmatic]

26. It won't work as long as we control the senate.

[AlinPA]

40. We will not control the senate after 2012. The republicans are predicted to win it

since they have fewer seats at risk and will take seats from retiring Democrats.

[elocs]

41. It's quite likely the Republicans will take the Senate & hold the House,

so it's more important than ever for Democrats to hold the White House. I live in Wisconsin and believe me, you don't want to live where Republicans control everything.

[AlinPA]

46. Republicans control PA now.

[craigmatic]

48. they still need 60 votes to remove him from office and I doubt they can get it.

[AlinPA]

49. We aren't talking about impeachment here, only the 2012 election.

[craigmatic]

51. Acyually I was when I made my original comment

[obxhead]

28. The Republicans don't want impeachment in any way, shape, or form.

Why would they?

Think about it. They have a President who has and will continue to give them everything they ask for. They have a President who does everything their mutual friends on wall street want.

Then they get to BLAME the Democrats for it.

They don't want impeachment. They want everything they ask for and someone else to blame for the disaster it brings. They're happy the way everything is working out right now.

[SoCalDemGrrl]

29. No, I think the Democrats might.....

[Kennah]

32. If the GOP tries to impeach Obama ...

... then I'm guessing they don't want a close election in 2012, they want an Obama landslide victory.

[LooseWilly]

34. David Frum made that argument 2 weeks ago (IIRC) on Meet The Press...

Mention of 14th amendment option would just lay grounds for impeachment trial... and Frum even mentioned that this allowed Republicans to believe that Obama might make the move if they held steady... thus giving them more incentive to not agree to any deal and force the President into an impeachable action in order to cope with inaction... which seems to be exactly what the Republicans are doing...

[FlaGranny]

35. And all this so they

can continue to grind their heels down on the rest of us.

[no_hypocrisy]

36. And it's a shame the Speaker and the Majority Leader of the House can't be impeached

for dereliction of duty. All they had to do was get a straight vote up-or-down to raise the debt ceiling. And they deferred. Instead, they chose a route to legislate without the expected protocol of debate, fact-finding, and deliberation. If Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are to be phased out, it should be after committees are formed, hearings held, evidence and data presented, arguments traded, and votes taken, all in front of the American public so individual legislators can be held accountable for their vote. At least that way, the decision are made by The People.for The People. This version of rushed legislation that truly changes the internal dynamic of this country is antithesis of a free democratic process. And republican members of the House have to follow the procedure and not change the rules once they take their oath.

This "crisis" is one manufactured by Eric Cantor and enabled by John Boehner, who lacks the leadership qualities to make law.

[southernyankeebelle]

37. They try that it will be a repeat of the Clinton impeachment. Obama will win reelection and both

houses will lose republicans for sure.

[Cass]

38. I've thought for some time now that if Obama is elected to a 2nd term that they will try to impeach

him. Even though they have nothing, they will find some manufactured outrage to latch onto and consume his 2nd term with their bullshit. It will be Clinton part deux.

FWIW, I don't know if Boner and his buddies are looking to back Obama into a corner over the debt ceiling for impeachment purposes but I do believe they will do whatever they can to cause Obama to fail so they can blame him for the resulting damage. Limbaugh said as much when Obama was first elected.

[XanaDUer]

39. So? They impeached Clinton and his approval ratings stayed in the

60-ish range. Let 'em.

[Lex]

42. and Newt and every one of those finger-waggers left in disgrace

in the years following their pathetic "impeachment"

[ladjf]

43. I don't think the Republicans would try to impeach Obama because

Biden would be less agreeable with the Republican wishes than Obama. nt

[mrmpa]

44. Let the Supreme Court rule on the validity of the 14th...

amendment to allow the President to raise the debt limit, before he does it. There's already precedent on the Supreme Court ruling on issues before they happen, i.e. the recent Wal Mart Class action suit.

[Arkana]

45. They know what happened the last time they tried to impeach--they looked

like bullying scumfucks and the nation rallied around Clinton. His approval by the end was like 60%+.

[H2O Man]

47. not

[jeff47]

52. You really should look at the history of Republicans impeaching presidents

It's gone very, very well for the president in those situations. And very, very poorly for the Republicans.

So go ahead an impeach Obama. They won't get a conviction, and they'll look quite bad in the process.

[eridani]

53. That would be wonderful. Impeachment, if you recall, was great for Clinton's poll ratings n/t

[ozone_man]

54. Maybe the Democrats should impeach him.

For not being a Democrat.