In 1995 after a successful propaganda blitz against the American people, Newt Gingrich, (who was then and continues to be nothing more than a political hit man and faux intellectual politician) used the newly acquired GOP control of the House of Representatives, coupled with the GOP control of the Senate, and began the work to deal with a popular President. The GOP launched numerous investigations hoping to be able to draw up articles of impeachment against him. They could not find what most legal and constitution scholars would think what was required, namely High Crimes and Misdemeanors. It became a political hatchet job against the president that turned up the flimsiest of evidence supporting the flimsiest of allegations to ever grace a kangaroo court.
Clinton did raise taxes on the wealthiest of Americans without a single Republican vote, despite their warnings that such a tax would destroy the nation. Instead the nation began the largest and longest peacetime economic boom in our history. Everyone, including the wealthy was getting richer, poverty was shrinking and the middle-class remained strong. Clinton did not do anything that ended up destroying our economy or lied to the American people to justify going into an illegal war costing trillions and thousands of American lives. Clinton was never asleep at the switch regarding American security and safety. He promptly responded to the first World Trade Center attack and those responsible were brought to justice.
However, following their losses in the 1998 midterms, the GOP came up with High Crimes and Misdemeanors against Bill Clinton in their Lame Duck session. Keep in mind that Clinton won a landslide reelection in 1996 and the GOP lost seats in the 1998 Midterms due to shutting the government down. Sound familiar?
They said there were two counts of perjury, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of abuse of powers. All of these charges came from the Ken Starr Report. Ken Starr was a special prosecutor brought on to determine if criminal acts existed in the White Water land deal. After millions of tax payer dollars wasted, all he could essentially find was that Bill Clinton got a blow job in the Oval Office. Clinton was questioned under oath, lied about it and was impeached. When brought to a vote in the House, he was found in violation of one count of perjury to a grand jury in a 228 to 206 vote and one count of obstruction of justice in a 221 to 212 vote. The perjury count in the Paula Jones case lost by a 205 to 229 vote and the count of abuse of power lost by a 148 to 285 vote. Even though the GOP still maintained control of the House, they could only muster two counts of impeachment. Many of their own caucus saw this for the kangaroo court it was.
The charges were then sent to the Senate for trial. Under the Constitution, the Senate must vote to convict by a two-third majority (67 Senators). Although the GOP controlled the Senate by 55 to 45 Senators, they were only able to get 50 votes for conviction for the obstruction of justice charge and 45 votes for the perjury charge. This was a waste of time, money and the patience of the United States public. But the GOP proceeded and lost in more ways than one.
Fast forward to 2006 and the George W Bush administration. The American people were fed up with his administration and angry with the GOP controlled House and Senate that followed him. Word finally came out that Bush and his administration lied about the reasons for going to war in Iraq. Thousands of soldiers had died, hundreds of billions wasted, the needs of the people were being neglected at home.
The Democrats took control of the House. Many demanded that Nancy Pelosi initiate drawing up charges of impeachment against the President for High Crimes and Misdemeanors. In this case, there clearly was enough there to begin an investigation to draw up charges.
Bush and his administration did lie to the American People and the United Nations. It turned out he and his administration abused power by allowing torture in violation of international law, as well as other war crimes. A case could have been made that clearly were more than lying about a blow job in the oval office and trying to cover it up.
However, Nancy Pelosi took impeachment off the table much to the anger of many on the left. She knew we were still at war in Iraq. Further, she knew the math. She easily could have garnered enough votes in the House to send over charges of impeachment to the Senate, but there was no political way possible to get 67 Senators to vote to convict and remove George W Bush from office and let Dick Cheney take over as President, unless he was impeached also. This would have left Nancy Pelosi as next in line. How would that look?
She knew the math; she knew the political cost to her party, our government and our people and chose to do the mature thing. She let it go and proceeded governing on behalf of the betterment of the American people hopeful that a Democrat would replace Bush in 2008. One did.
In 2010, The GOP used Newt’s old playbook from 1994, substituted healthcare for tax increase, played on the short attention span and apathy of the American voters (especially in the midterms) and took over the House of Representatives. In 2012, much like in 1996 they lost House seats in the general election where like Clinton, Obama won in a landslide.
Now, like in 1998, we are entering the second midterm of the Obama Administration, the GOP in the House are on the ropes with the public are at the very least are expected to lose more seats, if not the House in the 2014 midterms, although there is a chance they could take the Senate. And like in 1998 what is the GOP talking about? Impeaching President Obama.
Their definition of High Crimes and Misdemeanors? Lying about keeping your health plan. Accusations of scandals that Darryl Issa has spent millions on investigating and finding nothing in Fast and Furious, Benghazi, IRS, anything. They accuse Obama of Abuse of Power for using his authority to act where the Congress won’t go, trying to improve our economy and provide jobs for the American people in a shaky economy the GOP really don’t want to get rid of because they think it gives them power.
There are currently 35 GOP Tea Party House Members openly talking about investigating and drawing up articles of impeachment. Unlike Nancy Pelosi, they don’t know the math, they forgot history and they have no foresight about what such an endeavor would cost the GOP, our government and the people of the United States. Or simply they don’t care because they are idiots out to merely stir the mud and create problems because that’s easy for idiots with no sense of honor and morality and distaste for the American people do. Either way, expect them to proceed. Like a broken record, expect to hear the same tired track over and over again.
This is another reason we all must be politically aware, active and determined to vote in the midterms. The GOP has long ago ceased being a party that place nation above their themselves. They must all be removed from all levels of office if we are to progress again as a nation. Don’t believe me, just listen to these idiots.
On to 2014
AZModerate Rants 