December 20, 2019

Impeaching Trump and then not following through with what you did? What idiotic bumbling!

Don't start what you don't know how to finish. What a spectacle of incompetence!

And then they slink off for their Christmas vacation. Thanks for the tidings of comfort and joy.

I started watching the Democratic candidates' debate last night. The first question was about the impeachment: What should be done now, now that the House Democrats have voted to impeach without amassing and building support from a strong majority of Americans?

With the exception of Andrew Yang, they all blathered about how Trump should be impeached, as if the argument that hasn't worked yet could work if it were just repeated endlessly. It's not working, and you have no new ideas, no creativity, no thinking on your feet, and no restraint about seizing power, beginning to use it, and then not knowing how to complete the action that you began.

Yang spoke last. It looked as though he was going to speak second to last, before Tom Steyer, as moderator Judy Woodruff called "Mr. Yang," while looking straight at Tom Steyer. Yang had to call out "I'm over here." Woodruff kept speaking to Steyer, calling him "Mr. Yang," and Yang called out "Judy!" and then Judy realized her screwup and finally addressed the person she was looking at as "Mr. Steyer." I guess all businessmen look alike.

Anyway, what Yang said was (transcript): "What we have to do is we have to stop being obsessed over impeachment, which, unfortunately, strikes many Americans like a ball game where you know what the score is going to be, and actually start digging in and solving the problems that got Donald Trump elected in the first place."

That gave me a little hope that the debate could go somewhere, but the next question was about the new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada and it immediately devolved into spewing factoids about how our economy is actually terrible or something. The subject of suicide got dragged in. Bernie was yelling. Something about Bernie's yelling makes me grab reflexively for the remote control. I can't take the perpetual anger and negativity, and I used to find Bernie Sanders to be charmingly lovable.

I turned the debate off in the middle of that second question. I heard myself say, "I'm not watching debates anymore." I wasn't just turning off that debate. I felt I was turning off all debates, that debates had become something a sensible, sensitive person ought to avoid.

I switched over to volleyball and enjoyed seeing the Badgers defeat Baylor in the Final Four. Now, I'm up at 3 this morning, scanning headlines over my coffee and crackers, and I balk at reading things like "Trump Impeachment Trial in Doubt as Democrats Weigh Withholding Articles/Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would wait to see what the trial in the Senate would look like before sending the two charges there" (the top story in the NYT). I'm afraid the NYT is going to try to con me into buying the notion that Nancy Pelosi has got this, that she's a wise strategist and an inspiration to all.

But I'll read it:

The day after the House cast historic votes to impeach President Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi put an abrupt halt on the proceedings, holding back from sending the charges to the Republican-led Senate in a politically risky bid to exert influence over the contours of an election-year trial....
A politically risky bid to exert influence... The holding back of the impeachment is another power tool to pick up and just go ahead and see if you can use to your political advantage, but the NYT is portraying this move as courageous, doing the right thing, in spite of the risk of political damage. But I know damned well that if there were more political advantage in just sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate immediately, she'd have done that.
[T]he speaker’s strategy is... a gamble. Having toiled to present the House impeachment inquiry and the votes on Wednesday as a somber duty rooted in the Constitution, Ms. Pelosi risks appearing to politicize the matter if she withholds the charges for negotiating leverage.
Risks appearing to politicize.... oh, come on! Impeachment was politicized all along. That's why it had to be denied over and over again with all that "somber duty" talk. This isn't a "risk." It's a certainty. Pelosi originally knew that impeachment was a political mistake, but she yielded to pressure from her left, where less politically insightful members of her party clamored for that mistake, and she was, apparently, afraid that not giving them what they demanded would cause more political damage. There were mistakes all around, and she chose her mistake. She got the impeachment vote, and now she doesn't know what to do with it, so she's freezing in place.
“I admit, I am not sure what leverage there is in refraining from sending us something we do not want,” [Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell said with a wry smile from the Senate floor. “But alas, if they can figure that out, they can explain it. Meanwhile, other House Democrats say they would prefer never to transmit the articles. Fine with me!”

The Senate trial is the next step, as dictated by the Constitution. But to prompt that proceeding...
Wait. If it's "dictated by the Constitution," then the Senate must act. If some other step is required first, then it's not "dictated." It's contingent. Pick one!
... Ms. Pelosi must transmit the articles and name impeachment managers who will make the case in the Senate. And for now, the two parties are at loggerheads.
It seems to me that if there is a case in the Senate — dictated by the Constitution — and one party fails to show up at the time the trier of law and fact announces, they have defaulted. Failing to show up for a trial is not a way to prevent a trial from occurring. But let's assume the Senate will do nothing until the House managers come forward to present their case. If they never do so, what happens? Do the people care? Is "impeachment" degraded into weird futile swatting at the President? We've been seeing that nonstop since before he won the election.

152 comments:

rhhardin said...

The best theory is that it's about SC appointments. If the man's impeached, he can't appoint judges. New rule.

The impeachment itself has to be kept alive for a year.

rhhardin said...

I saw yesterday's historic NYT on sale in the supermarket. Nobody bought them, as far as I can tell.

Anne in Rockwall, TX said...

"Weird futile swatting at the President."

Apt summation. As Maxine Waters has said since November of 2016, "Peach Fody Fi."

Will Sherman said...

>>If they never do so, what happens?

rhhardin says maybe SC appointments. Keep it in the House for a year.

I'm wondering if there's a wild hope for the senate to turn blue in Nov 2020, and convict after he's reelected.

David Begley said...

Lots of options.

1. Default judgment against the House for not showing up for trial on January 6, 2020.
2. McConnell just goes with the Articles and has a trial with no House Managers.
3. Writ of Mandamus against the Speaker forcing her to transmit the Articles to the Senate.

The Articles say they “will be” exhibited to the Senate.

This is the latest joke in a joke of impeachment.

Ann Althouse said...

Yesterday, in Madison, I overheard some locals who must have been anti-Trump just saying that they didn't watch the impeachment proceedings on Wednesday night. They were sort of acknowledging that they felt a little bit like they were supposed to watch it, but they just did other stuff instead.

rehajm said...

Nobody seems to have an answer. If only there were legal scholars...

I still see the possibility of it bring fake. Obama wrote fake executive orders, signing statements that he blustered about with fancy pressers then forgot to file. Has the house ever voted on a resolution and via procedure or lack of procedure rendered the vote moot? There’s some murmurs of certifying the vote or something.

I’ve read the rules of both the house and senate that are supposed to guide this thing. Nothing in the language for next steps in house compel action. The senate has oaths and announcements but can pretty much make it all up once the house reaches the bar in the senate.

Ann Althouse said...

"Nobody seems to have an answer. If only there were legal scholars..."

Well, there aren't. There's no Santa Claus either.

America’s Politico said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
America’s Politico said...

Hi Everyone,

The debate last night suggested a Biden/Klobuchar ticket. In any event, the moderators were really into making sure Trump loses the 2020 election. Loved it. I am sorry that Warren did not destroy anyone and everyone. She will be the POTUS. Then all will know that she is, in fact, part Native American.

Trump and GOP don’t know yet. But, my Democrat’s are planning huge campaigns on his impeachment for next fall. He will cry.

Cheers,
Raj

Amadeus 48 said...

I realized earlier this year that Pelosi really isn't very good at her job, and that all the praise of her was just media hype about someone they want to be praiseworthy.

She can't control her caucus. She has defaulted to the lamest of political stunts to keep up the appearance of motion. She doesn't know why the Dems are doing anything, her stunts are stupid, and she can't figure out what to do next.

The lickspittles and bootlickers of the media keep trying to say she is wonderously good while she's self-evidently bad at her job.

I could keep going, but here's the short version: she's a lousy politician.

Diogenes of Sinope said...

Democrats may be thinking that holding the impeachment articles will be like the Sword of Damocles hanging over Trumps head. That this will strike fear and panic in Trump and drive Trump to go out of control.

Amadeus 48 said...

Also, between Obama and Pelosi, the Dems wiped out a generation of potential leaders in 2010 and 2014. That's why they have the lousy candidates they have this year. I think Althouse was right originally: They'll come around to Klobuchar, and she'll be the sacrificial lamb, like McCain, Romney and Dole (although they were more like sacrificial old goats).

Will Sherman said...

>>>Yesterday, in Madison, I overheard some locals who must have been anti-Trump just saying that they didn't watch the impeachment proceedings on Wednesday night. They were sort of acknowledging that they felt a little bit like they were supposed to watch it, but they just did other stuff instead.

Aww. So cute to see liberals construct a world of shoulds they don't actually follow through on.

David Begley said...

“There's no Santa Claus either.”

What?!

Shouting Thomas said...

I was impressed with your comment yesterday, prof, that Trump exudes optimism and confidence about the U.S. and the future.

Trump is fun and entertaining.

The Democrats seem stuck with apocalyptic doom.

Also impressed with your comment that the Dems would like us to spend the holidays bickering and lecturing one another.

I'm invited to a lunch on Christmas Eve. Mom is ardent Trump supporter. Daughter is stricken with severe TDS. Wish me luck!

Will Sherman said...

>>>I realized earlier this year that Pelosi really isn't very good at her job, and that all the praise of her was just media hype about someone they want to be praiseworthy.

I was sure she was good because I've been told it so many times. But to be fair has she ever been this bad?

Howard (not that Howard) said...

Pelosi hoping the Senate Republicans are as dumb as the citizens of Rock Ridge.

tim in vermont said...

Dear America’s Politico,

The trick to good parody is “never go over the top."

- Aunty Trump

AllenS said...

Yes, there isn't a Santa Claus, but there should be legal scholars. By the way, didn't you teach legal shit, Althouse?

tim in vermont said...

The House has the sole power of impeachment, and the Senate has sole power of trial. It’s almost like she didn’t really believe all of the stuff she said two weeks ago.

Jimmy said...

This headline caught my eye- Republicans raised more money, in a single day, in their history, on day of impeachment. Trump, once again, isn't acting like he is supposed to act. Not ashamed, not worried, not bothered at all.This whole thing is taking a bigger toll on the Dems than the Republicans. Pelosi, leaving for her 'well earned' vacation, looked pretty weathered. Good.
Hard to believe that the Dems actually thought this was a good idea. All they have accomplished is to make certain that people see that this is all political theatre, and nothing more.
If they have a 'trial', Trump will destroy them. If they don't, people will do what they are doing now, which is nothing. No one cares, except on twitter.

rehajm said...

What?!

Well son of a bitch!

Ryan said...

Zzzzzzzzzzz
Impeachment is so fucking boring.

Francisco D said...

Thanks for the tidings of comfort and joy.

I was outraged at the Kavanaugh spectacle, but learned to control my emotions with the Faux Impeachment. Also my (life long Democrat) wife and I have completely avoided any discussion of politics. We are having a very pleasant holiday season.

However, I suspect there will be tense times in some households thanks to the Pelosi-Schumer shenanigans.

Narayanan said...

Impeachmentus interruptus.

Don't Nancy know Catholic Church even frown on coitus interruptus.

Amadeus 48 said...

America's Politico has delivered solid parody here for years.


tim in vermont said...

Remember the due consideration that Pelosi gave to that resolution from the Senate as to how the House should conduct the ‘peachment,

tim in vermont said...

"America's Politico has delivered solid parody here for years. “

That’s why I was kind of shocked by today’s performance.

Leland said...

"I'm not watching debates anymore."

I got there in 2004. I got tired of defending Bush, whom I often disagreed. W was better to Kerry, but that was worthy only of a vote. I wasn't worth my time and effort to listen and defend.

Then there are the debates themselves. Moderators with predictable questions. Non-answers given to milquetoast questions. The effort to give a soundbite. The post debate spin rooms. And the following day talking about "the one gaff" rather than any substance. What's the point?

Narayanan said...

America’s Politico said...
Hi Everyone
_____&&&&&------
Hi back at you Raj.

Say hi to Sheldon.
I used his favorite word above comment.

Rory said...

"...she's a lousy politician."

Her daughter, in her 50s, is on the DNC. Your next congresswoman.

tim in vermont said...

No laughing, Althouse, or you will get “the look.” Remember that this is all serious and solemn.

gilbar said...

then Judy realized her screwup and finally addressed the person she was looking at

Except,
Journalists WON'T realize their screwups... because Journalist are the stupidest people on Earth

tim in vermont said...

And then they voted to raise taxes on the middle class so they could cut them for rich Manhattanites and Californians.

tim in vermont said...

Almost every Democrat from Florida, which has no income tax, voted to raise taxes on Floridians so that they could be cut for New Yorkers.

stevew said...

If Pelosi's gambit is designed to keep impeachment in the public eye and so, as someone upthread says, hold it as a sort of sword of damocles over Trump then I expect she will be miserably disappointed. We all know what Trump will say and do if the Articles are never presented to the Senate - he will mock the charges and the Democrats as being so frail, so fake, so weak that they don't have the confidence to submit them to trial. And he'll be correct.

MD Greene said...

Althouse said:

It's not working, and you have no new ideas, no creativity, no thinking on your feet, and no restraint about seizing power, beginning to use it, and then not knowing how to complete the action that you began.

Perfect.

Bill Harshaw said...

She yielded to the left? No. She yielded when the moderates who'd served in the military or intelligence rose up in arms after the Ukraine speech. Most of them are in Trump districts, so likely endangered their jobs in 2020 but thought Trump's moves warranted impeachment.

Hagar said...

The House and Senate agreeing on rules for proceedings in each others' houses will be like the judge and jury getting together with the prosecution about how to convict you, if you were to be charged with a crime.

Ralph L said...

Most of them are in Trump districts,

Yet we've only heard about the one who switched parties. The other Profilers in Courage have been in the background or were non-committal until the vote.

Kevin said...

Impeachment aborted.

Post birth.

MikeR said...

@Amadeus "I realized earlier this year that Pelosi really isn't very good at her job"
Can't agree. At the part of her job that involves controlling the individual Representatives, she is really good at. How did she get all those red-state Democrats to vote Yes? What could she have offered them, or threatened them with?
Just by the laws of probability: Two Democrats opposed the impeachment inquiry. Then the inquiry was pretty lame, according to everyone. Wouldn't you have expected that a certain number of Democrats would say, Okay, it was a nice inquiry and we were right to ask for it, but I guess we'll hold it there?
It almost sounds as if they are a bunch of political opportunists who aren't really looking for the truth.

Tank said...

As I heard/read somewhere, Pelosi is the classic dog who caught the car.

Now what?

Drago said...

Amadeus 48: "I realized earlier this year that Pelosi really isn't very good at her job, and that all the praise of her was just media hype about someone they want to be praiseworthy."

The media and their LLR lickspittles are constantly engaged in hagiographic mythos-building suck-uppery for their leftist/democrat heroes.

It wasnt that long ago that we had to endure those insufferable articles by pajama-boy leftists on how physically robust "Notorious RBG" was and how it was sooooo very difficult to complete the RBG Workout!!

Pelosi as Modern Day Machiavelli and Hillary as The Most Competent Person To Ever Run For The White House are a couple others.

Drago said...

"As I heard/read somewhere, Pelosi is the classic dog who caught the car."

Actually, the dems have caught the rear wheel of the tractor-trailer.....

Wince said...

Summary of Althouse’s debate review:

You start an impeachment you can't even finish it
You're talking a lot, but you're not saying anything
When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed
Say something once, why say it again?

Wince said...

Blogger Drago said...
"As I heard/read somewhere, Pelosi is the classic dog who caught the car."

Or the dog that licks his balls.

h said...

I'm giving some thought to going into the holiday season with the intention of denying that Trump has been impeached. "What do you think about the impeachment?" Well I'm waiting to see if it will actually happen." Harvard law prof Feldman says Trump is not impeached until the articles are sent to the Senate. And it does seem to me that anti-Trump people have to address the following conundrum: either Trump is impeached, in which case the Senate has full authoritiy over the trial (when and how), or the Senate does not have authority to start the trial in which case Trump is not impeached.

Mazo Jeff said...

Andrew McCarthy raises an interesting point. If Articles of Impeachment are not sent to the Senate, is the President actually "impeached"? I know this is a political act, but is a "suspect" considered "charged with a crime" if the "charges" are not filed??

Lloyd W. Robertson said...

"Weird futile swatting at the President"; very good. Things that used to be fairly serious, like charges of treason, bribery, officers of the law conspiring to break the law, partisan elected officials acting like baying jackals, impeachment; all just futile swatting. In a way it's true that Trump has contributed to politics becoming more like reality TV; there is something to the charge that he is "unstatesmanlike." But my God how consistently and rabidly his enemies take the bait.

MartyH said...

Dr. Pelosi, to a patient: "I have some bad news for you, sir. You have cancer; unless treated, it is fatal within one to five years. But the treatment works, let me promise you."

Patient: "So you'll refer me to the local oncologist?"

Pelosi: "No, he's a quack. Have a nice day!"

Mazo Jeff said...

Lastly, a comment about the "debate" last night. Ever notice at any of the d's last 4 "debates" there was no American Flag present on stage????

MartyH said...

Dr. Pelosi to bewildered patient: "What are you still doing here? I've got Christmas shopping to do!"

Bob Smith said...

You realize don’t you that the bunch on the stage last night and the moderators are all to dumb to modern technological society?

tim maguire said...

Francisco D said...I was outraged at the Kavanaugh spectacle, but learned to control my emotions with the Faux Impeachment. Also my (life long Democrat) wife and I have completely avoided any discussion of politics. We are having a very pleasant holiday season.

Roughly the same as my house. I'm done getting angry about politics. In a democratic country with a tradition of limited government, it is simply inappropriate to get too caught up in politics. In the end, it always matters so much less than we think it will while we're going through it.

My wife, however, while not quite a loony liberal, does see politics as a morality play with good guy Democrats facing off against bad guy Republicans. It pisses her off when I don't care as deeply as she does about...whatever...the shenanigans of the day. After our last blow up over my refusal to agree that the case for impeachment is rock solid, I told her straight up that I am done discussing politics with her.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

actually start digging in and solving the problems that got Donald Trump elected in the first place

They can't actually do that for a variety of reasons. Most of which boil down to, the problems that got Trump elected are seen as opportunities for the Democrats.

Roy Lofquist said...

Diogenes of Sinope said...
Democrats may be thinking that holding the impeachment articles will be like the Sword of Damocles hanging over Trumps head. That this will strike fear and panic in Trump and drive Trump to go out of control.

12/20/19, 5:46 AM

----
Beat me to it. My thought is that it is being held to counter AG Barr's statement that USA Durham might check in sometime in late spring or early summer.

BTW, I spent a year in Sinope once. The place kinda grows on you -- NOT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX3arxZvHLM&feature=youtu.be

Qwinn said...

The dems know they are doomed if a fair vote takes place. They're going to spend the next 11 months working on voter fraud (in black districts only, of course). It's the only thing left that they're good at.

Beasts of England said...

’...either Trump is impeached, in which case the Senate has full authoritiy over the trial (when and how), or the Senate does not have authority to start the trial in which case Trump is not impeached.’

Exactly right.

narciso said...

they mean to deprive him of due process, but this is a very coyote acme way to do it, meanwhile the utter fraud of kingpin brennan isn't addressed,

rehajm said...

Pelosi to America: We lost our lease!

Godot said...

Althouse said:

"I'm not watching debates anymore." I wasn't just turning off that debate. I felt I was turning off all debates, that debates had become something a sensible, sensitive person ought to avoid.

I used to sound exactly like the author, and it turned out to be the result of depression and anxiety.

SteveB said...

Impeachment is now Shroedinger's cat. Quantum politics. Party of science, yay!

chickelit said...

I've heard that the latest Dem strategy of withholding the articles is due to the meddling of a certain Harvard Law professor. Pelosi is just the titular head of a legislative body. Once again, the unelected are driving this thing.

Anonymous said...

AA: "...as if the argument that hasn't worked yet could work if it were just repeated endlessly.

Pretty much describes the way 99% of people "argue" about anything, but the Dems have taken this tendency into the realm of sociopathy lately.

Buttigieg's riposte to Warren was a better quality burn than one usually finds in these clown shows.

rehajm said...

...as if the argument that hasn't worked yet could work if it were just repeated endlessly...

Though probably true in this case statement does risk undervaluing the effectiveness of repeating a lie often enough.

Howard said...

It's completely uncharted territory. Who knows if this helps or hurts the Democrats by delaying the transmission of the impeachment document to the Senate. It will be interesting to see how it plays out once it is done and not a moment before.

I find Francisco and Tim's complaints about their wives to be very similar to my own bride who can be very passionate about this issue and is on occasion frustrated by my apathy.

Oso Negro said...

I wonder how anyone can look on the behavior of the Democrats since Trump's election and feel hopeful about the future of the country. I can't. If the Republicans win big in 2020, how much more shrill and enraged can the Democrats become? If the Democrats win big, then we have a gender-free, open borders, totalitarians socialist future ahead of us, once the deplorables run out of ammo. If the vote is split, can we tolerate four more years of this shit without eventually going full Hutu-Tutsi on our neighbors?

narciso said...

indeed,

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/12/19/tulsi-gabbard-hits-nancy-pelosi-for-delaying-impeachment-articles/

narciso said...

any special activities, they do in Ukraine,

Anonymous said...

Great post. I agree completely.

The minute they start talking about the economy like it is horrible I can't watch any longer. Complete rubbish. Do they really think people are that stupid? Their little fantasies certainly aren't preparing them to face Trump, who will happily smack them in the face with reality.

Bob Boyd said...

Doesn't Trump get the right to a speedy trial?

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Pelosi derangement syndrome, it’s catching. Bill Clinton was impeached by the House on December 19 and his trial in the Senate began on January 7.

Howard said...

Oso: you know that you sound hysterically silly repeating the same gloom and doom like a soap opera drama queen.

The ammo talk is pathetic. You had your chance to enlist at 18 and pussed out. You really think you and your army of AARP Remington Rangers will go out in a blaze of glory? A couple Randy Weavers maybe, then you people will fold up the tent.

Tommy Duncan said...

The Democrats repeated their impeachment lie endlessly, hoping people would believe it. And people in the progressive echo chamber did believe it. But now they have to step out of the echo chamber and their impeachment lie is falling apart. The lie won't stand the light of day.

At the same time, the progressive echo chamber has also produced a set of presidential candidates that are only attractive to the left wing of their party. The more America sees of the Democrat candidates the less they like them. Worst of all for the Democrats, there is no thought leader among their candidates. They all repeat the same tired, party approved positions. No leader has emerged to offer new ideas and different solutions. Honestly, new ideas are frowned on by the Democrats. Political correctness is not compatible with fresh thought and creative solutions.

Howard said...

We need to have Francisco d weigh in on the speedy trial constitutionality opinion. He's really good at reading between the lines and telling you all you want to hear.

Oso Negro said...

Howard, I have no intention of participating. None. But if you feel optimistic about what the Democrats have been doing, please explain why. And I didn't puss out of anything you ad hominem spewing jerk.

Ray - SoCal said...

Thanks Althouse - Funny in so many ways...

>Blogger Ann Althouse said...
>"Nobody seems to have an answer. If only there were legal scholars..."
>
>Well, there aren't. There's no Santa Claus either

tcrosse said...

What the House has done here is to ring the doorbell then run.

Bob Boyd said...

What the House has done here is to ring the doorbell then run.

They also left a flaming bag of dog shit.

Amadeus 48 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Amadeus 48 said...

Bob Boyd--you are on fire, just like that paper bag on your doorstep.

Amadeus 48 said...

"How did she get all those red-state Democrats to vote Yes?"

Nancy: You might get re-elected if you vote for this. If you don't, your disloyalty will be reflected in the antagonism of activist Democrats in your district, and you'll lose for sure.

Red District Dem: You are right. (mutters under breath: You damn bitch. You told me we wouldn't do this. You got us into this mess.)

Nancy: Now go out there and vote.

Red District Dem: Nancy Pelosi is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I have ever known in my life.

MSM: Nancy Pelosi is brilliant, as we have told you often.

Bob Boyd said...

Thank you Amadeus.

Don't tread on me!

Dave Begley said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ray - SoCal said...

Political Calculations:

Pelosi - Impeachment is loved by our more Jacobin base, and we need to keep them happy, or the Democratic Party will have a nasty civil war / reign of terror. And right now the polls are anti impeachment, so She is sure the Democratic house organs (the msm and internet giants), can change this if given time.

Trump - Impeachment is a goldmine that can be used to pummel the Democrats! And it has united the GOP base, which forces GOP congressmen to support him, if they want to keep their position/ status.

McConnell - The threat of impeachment gives leverage over Trump, with the threat a small group of GOP will vote to impeach Trump.

Michael K said...

We all know what Trump will say and do if the Articles are never presented to the Senate

He doesn't have to say anything. The Democrats own "law professor" and witness has said the articles have to be forwarded to the Senate or Trump is NOT impeached.

Mitch is waiting with his cat/canary smile.

Kevin McCarthy has said that when he is Speaker after the election, he will have the vote expunged and there are opinions he is correct.

Nancy probably threatened those red district Dims with Antifa.

Qwinn said...

Imagine if a date for the trial were set... and Trump launched the largest bombing campaign in world history on a foreign country on that day.

Clinton did that. And when we pointed out how obvious it was that he was killing people to distract from his impeachment, we got called conspiracy theorists.

So, it's ok for Trunp to start wars and bomb foreign countries during the impeachment. Right lefties?

Ray - SoCal said...

McConnell is up for re-election this year, which forces him to play nice with Trump.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

Pelosi derangement syndrome, it’s catching. Bill Clinton was impeached by the House on December 19 and his trial in the Senate began on January 7.

So what? I don't remember any talk about not sending notice to the Senate back then.

Amadeus 48 said...

Ray-SoCal--McConnell wants to play nice with Trump. They are winning. McCarthy would like to play nice with Trump, if he could just get some power.

Pelosi is going to to win the House twice and then lose the House twice between 2006 and 2020. You and I could have done that. She ain't no genius.

narciso said...

that little meme was floated by milt bearden, who was lobbying for sudan, quelle surprise, but he did nothing much of confidence then, then in December, he was given a pdb, where he was told 'Obama was poised to strike' he did nothing with that either, except involve himself in Kosovo, where al queda was active,

Todd said...

rehajm said...

I’ve read the rules of both the house and senate that are supposed to guide this thing. Nothing in the language for next steps in house compel action. The senate has oaths and announcements but can pretty much make it all up once the house reaches the bar in the senate.

12/20/19, 5:38 AM


Well one could argue that the "intent" is clear enough. If you go through the trouble of completing the process up through voting, surely you would hand them over to the Senate to judge. The understanding was that if the result of the process was impeachment, it earned the right to go to the Senate. In this case [to be crude], the Dem congress take the virgin to bed, penetrated her (so she technically is no longer a virgin) but instead of completing the act is just laying there not moving. So far, rather "anti-climatic" wouldn't you say?

As others have noted, the Dems are [so far] perfectly happy with a half-finished job. They believe they got the asterisk next to Trump's name and maybe screwed with his ability to appoint to SCOTUS. The long shot gamble for them is if they can drag this out until after the new Senate, maybe JUST maybe it will be D controlled and THEN they will push it over.

Assclowns one and all!

narayanan said...

Is it honest services fraud by Democrats with tax payer funds if Impeachment Articles are not delivered to Senate

Discuss

Dave Begley said...

Mitch McConnell, "Mr. Chief Justice and fellow jurors. On December 18, 2019, the House of Representatives passed two Articles of Impeachment against the President of the United States, Donald John Trump.

On December 20, 2019, I delivered to the Speaker of House a written notice that the Senate would convene for a trial today. I have submitted this notice into the record.

Let the record show that Senate - as an impeachment jury - has been sworn and is present. Let the record further show that attorneys for the President are present and ready to try this case. Finally, let the record show that no Mangers from the House are present.

I hereby move that this case be dismissed for failure of the House to appear at a duly noticed impeachment trial. I now ask for a roll call vote on my motion."

tim in vermont said...

"What the House has done here is to ring the doorbell then run.”

Yep. And the Senate isn’t going stomp on that paper bag of shit until the Dems actually leave it on their porch and set it afire.

Drago said...

Left Bank: "Pelosi derangement syndrome, it’s catching. Bill Clinton was impeached by the House on December 19 and his trial in the Senate began on January 7."

On Dec 19, 1998, the House passed Impeachment and immediately transferred the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate. Immediately. Walked the paperwork to the other side of the Capital immediately.

So, once again, Left Bank gets it wrong. Like clockwork.

Drago said...

Howard: "Who knows if this helps or hurts the Democrats by delaying the transmission of the impeachment document to the Senate."

LOL

Yeah, who knows? Why, it could go either way!

Keep believing that.

Tim said...

Maybe the Left/antifa will take to the streets and destroy Portland or Baltimore. That will show those stupid republicans.

hombre said...

What difference does it make if the Democrats don't "forward" the Articles of Impeachment? This is just the Dems and the mediaswine making stuff up again. It's all about the Senate now.

If Cocaine Mitch says to the House, "We know the Articles now. Thank you. The trial will begin next Wednesday with or without you," what can Queen Nancy do about it?

The trial belongs to the Senate and even cynical McConnell seems to be offended by the puerile, corrupt behavior of House Democrats.

Calypso Facto said...

Qwinn said "[Clinton launched] the largest bombing campaign in world history on a foreign country on that day"

Can you get more specific, please? I search-engined it and don't see what you're talking about.

tim in vermont said...

"So, once again, Left Bank gets it wrong. Like clockwork.”

Hey, you know what Bill Clinton said in that recording of the phone call to a witness in his #MeToo trial, “Deny, deny, deny.” It’s the Democrat way!

N.B. In those days, they weren’t called “#MeToo”, they were called “bimbo eruptions."

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

I suppose the framers assumed that if the House voted to impeach it would amount to the same as voting to transmit it to the Senate for trial. That is the point of impeachment.

If I were a senator I’d just pretend I never heard of this impeachment. “Huh? I haven’t heard the news. Where’d you read that, WaPo!? If they transmit it, I’ll get on it ASAP.”

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

This is Nancy scrambling to put the genie back in the bottle. Hey listen, I get it, the Tribe strategy must have looked good at the time. Leftist basement dwellers deep in the bowels of Twitter thought it was brilliant. It provided an opportunity to declare victory and bypass the coming humiliation in the Senate. That it could be perceived as a slam to Trump by not allowing him to declare exoneration would be an added plus.

But in the light of day, it's not going to work. Making a joke of impeachment after all her supposed sadness and prayers, only makes Democrats look like a joke. Her incoherent news conference yesterday didn't help her cause. If Pelosi retains any pollical acumen, I suspect it won't be long before she reverses course. If she doesn't, all the better for Mitch and the Republicans.

Bob Boyd said...

McConnell should tell Nancy, Thanks, but don't trouble yourself. This is 2019. The Articles are online. We'll take it from here.

tim in vermont said...

If they don’t send it to the Senate, it’s just censure, or as Maxine Waters said at the time of the Clinton impeachment, “censureship.” I am not making that up. Is it really the anniversary of the Clinton impeachment? That explains why they didn’t want to call any witnesses.

chuck said...

>> That this will strike fear and panic in Trump and drive Trump to go out of control.<<

They're just fooling themselves. I'm sure they also meant to squash their fingers in the car door. 'Cause it's smart to do that.

tim in vermont said...

Note what AB [Stoddard] said to @BretBaier
last night about reason House Dems decided to withhold articles of impeachment: 'A lot of pressure on Democrats to wait this out until there is more to throw at the president.'
- Byron York

So they need more evidence, but they needed to pass it on the anniversary of the impeachment where we had recordings of Clinton suborning perjury.

Doug said...

Impeachmentus interruptus.

Don't Nancy know Catholic Church even frown on coitus interruptus.


Nancy wants to take it right in the face.

Todd said...

Doug said...

Nancy wants to take it right in the face.

12/20/19, 10:06 AM


OK young man, that is QUITE enough of that sort of thing! NO one needs that sort of visual rattling around in their head! One more outburst like that and there WILL be consequences!

As an aside, could someone please get the Speaker a wet-wipe...

M Jordan said...

It’s time to put to rest the inexplicable meme that Pelosi is a political genius. She is a bumbling hack. Giving her credit for any good that comes her way is like crediting a drunk crossing a busy street for not getting crushed.

mockturtle said...

Excellent post, Althouse! It must be very disappointing for you to have stand by and watch your Party lay itself waste and then to write about it. Good work! [No sarc, totally sincere]

Paul said...

I can't see a DA telling a judge how to run a trial..

And all I see is Pelosi trying to tell the Senate how to run the trial...

And that dog ain't gonna hunt.

2020 elections can't come soon enough.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

AB seemed very tense on Bret's show. She seems to realize things aren't going well for her team. She should consider taking some time off. Maybe get away from politics for awhile. Adopt a dog. Smell the roses. Find a way to enjoy life.

Mazo Jeff said...

Now, even Noah Feldman Dem Impeachment lawyer/advisor, says "not actual impeachment until articles presented to Senate" See my 7:34 comment!!

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Impeaching Trump was an end in itself. There’s no need for the Senator do anything. This is now on Trump’s Permanent Record!

Chuck said...


If Cocaine Mitch says to the House, "We know the Articles now. Thank you. The trial will begin next Wednesday with or without you," what can Queen Nancy do about it?


I wish that “Cocaine Mitch” showed a better understanding of the contempt and hatred with which he is regarded in Trump World.

Automatic_Wing said...

Impeaching Trump was an end in itself. There’s no need for the Senator do anything. This is now on Trump’s Permanent Record!

Good luck saving 15% on your car insurance now, Drumpf! Bwahahaha!

tim in vermont said...

"I wish that “Cocaine Mitch” showed a better understanding of the contempt and hatred with which he is regarded in Trump World.”

Why do you think that? Because of the nickname? Even Cocaine Mitch is said to like it. The people who despise him and feel contempt toward him call him “Moscow Mitch."

tim in vermont said...

Sometimes people on the spectrum have a hard time discerning people’s intent when they stray from sequences of simple declarative sentences and towards figurative and ironic speech. But for the rest of us, figurative speech is the kind of speech that is interesting.

alanc709 said...

Same for you, Chuck

mikee said...

Today on NPR there was a long story about North Korea's threats to create further chaos in the world this Christmas if sanctions aren't lifted. NPR presented their story in a lighthearted fashion, with Christmas songs playing at the beginning and end of the piece, and an almost insane level of jokiness to the whole thing. Totally inappropriate tone, totally wrong way to discuss North Korean threats, IMO.

But impeaching the President for daring to ask how deep the corruption of the former administration went, now THAT is serious and deserving of somber presentation. Makes me hope Trump asks Barr to look into Fast & Furious.

It is to laugh. The clowns of the media are caught up in their own fantasies while reality keeps rolling by them, either ignored or disdained.

Ken B said...

Another excellent impeachment post. Unfortunately you still have not said if the Democrats have lost your vote, or if cruel neutrality expands to cover all Democrat failings.

Bay Area Guy said...

These clowns are so lost they need a compass. They want to keep the "cloud of impeachment" hovering over the President's head; maybe a new devastating witness will appear, maybe the Senate will change hands, maybe Trump supporters will abandon their support for him, blah, blah, blah.

Simply put. the Democrats are idiots. They are a weird mix of cultural marxists and globalist socialists. They still haven't recovered from Trump's smashing 2016 victory, Hillary still lurks on the edges, plotting to regain her rightful throne, and Obama still wants Biden to fold up shop and just go home.

Quite embarrassing.

Ken B said...

The idea behind Hardin’s first comment is both crazy enough and stupid enough to be credible. There probably are a lot of Democrats who think it will work. It won’t.

LA_Bob said...

I suppose if the House can take its sweet time "delivering" the impeachment to the Senate, the Senate can take its sweet time starting the trial once the articles are delivered. And I doubt the courts can do a damn thing about it.

Yancey Ward said...

“There's no Santa Claus either.”

What???????????????? No!!!!!!!!!!

Skeptical Voter said...

The old joke (or snark) about somebody being incompetent is that "They couldn't organize a two car funeral in a small town". Pelosi, Schiff and Nadler resemble that remark.

But you've now got this big Democrat cowflop to deal with---McConnell will dispatch the meadow muffin when it arrives at the Senate.

Richard Dolan said...

The Dems must think it helps them in 2020 to make every new article, every political conversation entirely about Trump. The impeachment-that-never-ends plays into that since its effect is to keep the focus on what the Dems evidently view as Trump's greatest weaknesses. The Dem media happily goes along as well. In the process, that strategy crowds out entirely whatever the Dems might want to claim as their achievements or reasons other than being not-Trump for voters to prefer them.

How is that likely to pan out? In one sense, it accords with the common view that, when a president is seeking a second term, the election is mostly an up-or-down vote on him. And Trump has never done well in polling focused on him and his personal characteristics. That was true last time too, and he still won because the voters ended up having to choose between him and someone they deemed worse. Why does it make sense to think it will work this time? The Dem argument must be that their impeachment-that-never-ends helps convince persuadable voters that Trump's first term was such a disaster that a second term will be even worse if the voters pick him, with all his manifest faults, again. But what Team Trump did in his first term shows that, whatever you think about Trump's personal qualities, Trump as president has been the opposite of the dangerous disaster claimed by the Dems (that's the story about the economy, immigration, trade deals, etc. that Trump will tout). To make it worse, the Dems look like they are going to offer the voters the same choice between him and someone the voters deem worse.

So how does the Dem strategy appeal to anyone who is not already a Never Trumper?

To paraphrase the Great Casey, isn't there anyone on the Dem team that can play this game?

Yancey Ward said...

Pelosi is listening to the advice of morons.

Rusty said...

Howard said...
"Oso: you know that you sound hysterically silly repeating the same gloom and doom like a soap opera drama queen.

The ammo talk is pathetic. You had your chance to enlist at 18 and pussed out. You really think you and your army of AARP Remington Rangers will go out in a blaze of glory? A couple Randy Weavers maybe, then you people will fold up the tent."

You honest to god don't know how this works, do you?

Francisco D said...

Impeaching Trump was an end in itself. There’s no need for the Senator do anything. This is now on Trump’s Permanent Record!


LOL!

I was terrified that my third grade hijinx would be on my permanent record, as threatened by teachers.

404 Page Not Found said...

Nancy didn't even want to talk about impeachment any more at her last press conference. It was like "don't you have any other questions to ask me?"

Uh, no, lady, actually impeachment is supposed to be pretty important to the country, not just another item in your daily drama, designed to make you look important and the center of attention.

Yancey Ward said...

Pecan Pie Detective wrote:

"I wish that “Cocaine Mitch” showed a better understanding of the contempt and hatred with which he is regarded in Trump World."

That's ok, PPD, McConnell understands the contempt Democrats have for him, and that is all that really matters.

Yancey Ward said...

Not the only problem with this new strategy, but a major one is this- if the articles continue to be undelivered and McConnell just sits and does nothing, Trump will start asking in every tweet, at every press conference, and at every rally, "Where are the articles of impeachment, Nancy?" He will make it a running joke.

tim in vermont said...

If they don’t send the articles to Senate for a trial because they are unhappy with the way Americans have voted, there will always be an “asterisk” on the impeachment. It will be a trivia question. “What year was the impeachment that wasn’t?"

Mike Sylwester said...

Chuck at 10:29 AM
I wish that “Cocaine Mitch” showed a better understanding of the contempt and hatred with which he is regarded in Trump World.

"Trump World" is 63 million voters. Some small portion of them mock Mitchell.

Some commenters in this blog mock you. However, most commenters do not mock you.

Don't judge an entire large group by a few loud-mouths.

tim in vermont said...

The Double Secret Probation jokes write themselves.

rehajm said...

I was terrified that my third grade hijinx would be on my permanent record, as threatened by teachers.

My parents made me stop taking music lessons in junior high because they we pulling me out of math class. The bitter music teacher wrote DROPPED in big letters in one column of my high school transcript. It later came up in an alumni interview for college admissions, but not in the way the music teacher wanted. The interviewer and I both laughed about it...

Kevin said...

Pelosi is obstructing Congress.

lane ranger said...

I worry that the withholding of impeachment articles is part of a broader "lawfare" strategy that will help the Dem's to convince a federal court to let them have access to the grand jury records that were withheld by Mueller. The Dem's would then look through the grand jury testimony for additional grounds to pursue additional impeachment articles, etc., etc. Rinse and repeat.

Anonymous said...

Chuck: "I wish that “Cocaine Mitch” showed a better understanding of the contempt and hatred with which he is regarded in Trump World."

What are you talking about, Chuck? Who is using the admiring, affectionate sobriquet "Cocaine Mitch" as a term of contempt here? Or anywhere else for that matter? Do you really not know the story of the genesis and adoption of the nickname?

I've never seen it used anyway but positively, by a lot of people who may have differences with McConnell on some issues, but who are loving the hell out of the way he's getting judicial appointments through and not taking any of the Dem's bullshit re impeachment.

Seriously, wtf? I thought lawyers were supposed to have high verbal IQs, but, as Aunty Trump suggests, you seem utterly lost when anything strays from straight literal usage.

Guess you think "Turtle Power" is meant insultingly, too. (Or maybe you're just projecting your own subconcious rage at Cocaine Mitch for not bending over and letting the House Dems run the impeachment trial in the Senate, lol.)

Looking forward to long spergy thread-spanning defenses of this idiotic position that "Cocaine Mitch" is, too, used as a term of contempt.

rcocean said...

People are so caught up in legalese and Judge worship they can't read the plain meaning of the constitution and the prior SCOTUS decision. The Senate has SOLE POWER to try the impeachment.

Translation: 51 Senators can do what they want. Period.

The impeachment wasn't "Nancy's little secret", it was a public spectacle voted on the House. There's no reason why Mitch McConnell couldn't start the trial, give the House managers a date to show up, and if they don't, rule for Trump. Its as simple as that. The only reason the impeachment could be delayed is if McConnell WANTS to delay it.

rcocean said...

But right now, we're going through the usual R vs. D Kabuki dance. and it will end up the way it always does. Schumer will ask the salami be split 90-10 in his favor. McConnell will offer 50-50 and babble about how he's being fair and reaching across the aisle. And they'll end up with Schumer getting 65% of the salami. Then McConnell will croak that's the best that could be done and the Senate must be bi-partisan blah blah. And that's when the R's have the majority!

wildswan said...

Schrodinger's Impeachment

narciso said...

I think that's a reasonable suspicion, david Ignatius just about sent the bat signal for romney to intervene, he already has skin in the game, whereas when dems are under fire, it's a total misunderstanding consider ron kinds charity toward Charlie rangel,

Amadeus 48 said...

Lane ranger--Don't worry about grand jury material. If there was anything there, Mueller (Weissman) would have made something out of it. They couldn't make anything happen.

DavidD said...

“...start digging in and solving the problems that got Donald Trump elected in the first place.”

Maybe they could just let President Trump do the job he was elected to do.

Yeah, crazy-talk; I know.

Rhonda said...

To be honest, before they went and pulled all this bs, on top of all the other bs, I thought it’d be kinda bad to go for an SC nomination should one come up in 2020......NOW? I say f em, they have it coming now. And if not now, this torpedo will come back in 6-10 years from now (maybe).

Maillard Reactionary said...

"What idiotic bumbling!"

I knew Trump would win when in 2016 the guy running the cash register in the Trader Joe's checkout line complimented me on my "Hillary For Prison" hat. (That place here is a little island of the old touchy-feely California in the South Jersey burbs.)

Given Our Hostess' stated political stance of "cruel neutrality", I have that feeling even more strongly today.

If they've lost her, how many other fair-minded, basically apolitical independent voters have they lost as well? You can't win an election without getting the independents. And Trump's increasing support among Blacks and Hispanics only adds to his advantage.

The Democrats, nationally at least, are going to Hell in a handbasket, and they know it. And they want to take the rest of us along for the ride.

Only the True Believers will join them, but that was never in doubt. Pass the Kool-Aid, comrades!

Michael K said...

Bad news for the Ingas and Chucks of the world.

Mike Rogers has been working with Durham for months.

This is particularly important because NSA Director Mike Rogers’ knowledge is at the epicenter of the origination of almost everything related to the FBI data-surveillance that was happening in 2015 and 2016.

(Via Intercept) Retired Adm. Michael Rogers, former director of the National Security Agency, has been cooperating with the Justice Department’s probe into the origins of the counterintelligence investigation of the Trump presidential campaign’s alleged ties to Russia, according to four people familiar with Rogers’s participation.

Rogers has met the prosecutor leading the probe, Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham, on multiple occasions, according to two people familiar with Rogers’s cooperation.

While the substance of those meetings is not clear, Rogers has cooperated voluntarily, several people with knowledge of the matter said.

Rogers, who retired in May 2018, did not respond to requests for comment.


I hope they have enough room in the gray bar hotel.