Today, readers are responding to Monday’s Editorial, Don’t impeach Donald Trump. Vote him out of office.
The piece points out that “in a country where impeachment has been used in the past to attempt to remove judges and presidents from office on the grounds of drunkenness and lying about having sex with an intern, the allegations and facts surrounding Mr. Trump are enough for the House of Representatives to vote to impeach him a few times over.”
Despite this, the Globe’s editorial board argues “There is not even a small chance the Senate would convict Mr. Trump. So what would the process accomplish?”
The roughest justice the narcissistic Mr. Trump could ever face would be his rejection at the hands of the American people, The Globe's Editorial Board argues.Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
The real danger of the Trump presidency is the risk it poses to the pillars of modern economies and societies. His attacks on the very idea of knowledge and expertise, and his hostility to institutions that help us discover and assess the truth has allowed him to tap into the "mobocracy." He must be removed from office so that American democracy can be revitalized.
The White House is occupied by a man who the Mueller Report shows to be, at a minimum, the unwitting tool of an immensely hostile foreign power. Every additional day this circus continues, it harms Democracy, it harms America, it harms NATO, and it harms world trade. Yet the Globe's default position is that Congress should make no attempt to remove him from office. Oh, please. Why give the Republicans in the Senate a free ride? One lesson we have already learned is that everyone who signs up to serve this White House only ever ends up destroying themselves, and their own reputation. If the Republican Party wants to take responsibility for this circus, then the Democrats should make them carry every ounce of that burden in the harsh light of day. The Republican Party - and particularly its leadership in the U.S. Senate - should be forced to own this disaster. Every member of congress who votes against impeachment should be forced to wear that vote for life. Let them embarrass and humiliate themselves in public view.
Excellent article. The Democrats should focus on uniting their divided party and concentrating on policy. With the exception of Biden, I don’t think anyone can beat Trump. A middle of the road candidate is needed. Remember the term “it’s the economy stupid” and that’s all American voters really care about. They lost their moral compass a long time ago. It’s sad but true.
It's up to the voters to hold politicians accountable. If the Democrats focus on re-fighting 2016, they risk losing in 2020.
I agree that impeachment is completely justifiable. But with the existing evidence, Republicans will be able to defeat it without demonstrating beyond doubt just how compromised they are. If I am reading Pelosi correctly, current efforts to shed the light of day on Trump's tax records and financial misdeeds are intended to make it impossible for (sufficient numbers of) Republicans not to accept impeachment. Trump does not want this to go ahead. I hope Pelosi succeeds.
This is, of course, presuming that American voters know what to do. They do not always act in their own self interest.
And sadly, between voter suppression, gerrymandering and the electoral college, the will of the people may still not be served.
Yes, I don't get the editorial writer's faith in the election. Who's to say that the election won't be decided by a handful of people in a flyover state who are fine with the idea of Trump shooting somebody on Fifth Avenue. Or what about Russian interference that messes with the election so that Trump can insist that he must stay on until it's sorted out? Or Bush v. Gore all over again, or what if Trump just refuses to accept a close result? I think Congress is better off trying to put a stake through the heart of this lawless regime by fighting by the rules of impeachment in the House where everyone can see what Trump has done.
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