Will Trump Be Impeached?

I certainly hope that Trump will be impeached. Impeachment doesn't necessarily mean removal from office as former President Bill Clinton would be the first to tell you.

But both substantively and politically I think it would be a good thing for the Democrats to impeach Trump. 

It is outrageously unethical and likely illegal for a sitting President to attempt to coerce a foreign head of state to start an investigation into the family of an American political rival. That's just wrong. I am not interested in hearing about what everyone else may have done any more than the cop who stops you for doing 89 MPH in a 60 MPH zone is interested in hearing your defense that you were just keeping up with traffic. 

It's wrong. You did it. Face the consequences.

Most of the people warning the Democrats about the horrible dangers of proceeding down the impeachment road do not exactly have the best interests of Democrats, liberals, or anyone other than Donald Trump on their mind. When a bully tells his victim that if the victim fights back the bully will just beat him up worse, the bully is just trying to ensure that the victim remains in a submissive defensive crouch. 

Bullies HATE the idea of victims fighting back. Similarly Republicans have gotten used to telling Democrats all of the horrible things that will happen if Democrats actually start fighting back against Republicans. Well yes, some horrible things might happen. Democrats do have some loony ideas that are not as popular as some people on twitter think.

But Democrats also have some good ideas that are popular or could be popular if Democrats arose from their fearful state and started fighting back.  As one of my favorite authors wrote (paraphrasing) "In this life only winter is certain." The Democrats could lose. But they might win. They might go on offense, seize the narrative and retake the Presidency and Senate. But to do that they must fight.

Read the transcript here and tell me that that is anything other than an overt extortion attempt. When the Ukrainian President asks about the military aid that Trump had put on hold, Trump responds with "I need a favor though" and pivots to talking about how it would be great if the Ukrainians investigated the Bidens. In fact they can coordinate the whole thing with his personal attorney , Rudy Giuliani. Trump mentions this multiple times.

This is EXACTLY like a starlet walking into Harvey Weinstein's office and reading for a part. When she asks if Weinstein thinks she's right for the role, Weinstein leans back in his chair, loosens his belt and starts talking apropos of nothing that he needs a "friend".

That's our President. He's no different than a lecherous slimeball film producer or a mob boss who talks about how he needs "favors" from people who owe him. 

There are some cynics who will say that most or even all politicians are corrupt. I don't necessarily disagree. But it is cowardice, not cynicism, if any fair minded person can read that transcript and not conclude that Trump improperly attempted to extort a foreign leader for his own political ends. If people are OK with that then I don't know what to say other than I guess we get the leaders we deserve.