Although I do discuss politics from time to time, that is not what this blog is all about. Lately I have been doing a lot more of that. That’s because what is happening now affects us both as Jews and as Americans. Right now there is no more important issue facing the American people than the impending impeachment of the President. That is what is on my mind now and that is what I am going to discuss.
There is not a scintilla of doubt in my mind that by the end of the day, President Donald J. Trump will become only the 3rd President in American history to be impeached by the House of Representatives. And I am equally sure he will not be removed from office by the senate in the trial that will follow.
Whether Trump’s behavior rises to the level of the ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ required to remove a President from office depends entirely on which side of the political aisle you are on. One would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to see that.
If you are a Democrat you are absolutely convinced that the President abused the power of his office by asking a foreign government - the Ukraine - to smear his most likely opponent in the next election. And in the process undermined the security of the United States by withholding already promised vital aid until that got done. Can’t get too much more unethical than that. That was followed by obstruction of congress in his refusal to allow key witnesses to testify about what they knew and when they knew it. For Democrats - impeachment is a no-brainer. I believe they are sincere in that belief and that for the most part they will be voting their conscience.
If you are a Republican, at worst you believe that his behavior was inappropriate and maybe even unethical - but that it does not rise to the level of ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’. They argue that no crime was actually committed - let alone a high crime. They deny that he risked the security of the United States since the Ukraine eventually got that aid anyway. More aid than was promised by the previous administration. Not only did he not hurt our security he enhanced it.
That the President wanted to investigate Biden’s son, Hunter, is explained as concern about the overall corruption the Ukraine was guilty of. And that Hunter was part of that corruption too. Although it is very likely more about getting dirt on Biden than it is about being concerned about corruption, there is certainly no absolute proof one way or the other.
Republicans point to testimony by witnesses from the state department that they actually were concerned at the time that there was at least an appearance of a conflict of interest on the part of then Vice President Biden who was tasked with investigating Ukrainian corruption. All while his son was serving on the board of a Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company. A company that was already identified as highly corrupt by that time. Hunter Biden had no experience at all in the field of energy and was nonetheless placed by Burisma on their board.
That every single Republican in the house stands behind the President and strongly objects to impeachment - while all but 2 Democrats think the impeachment is warranted and just - shows just how partisan this impeachment is. And yet both sides appear to sincerely believe in their positions. And believe the other side is being political.
How is that possible? How can virtually every single Democrat legitimately believe the President is guilty of ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ while virtually every single Republican believes he is not?
I believe it’s because politics is not the dirty word it is often painted as. A political opinion is based on sincerely held values. Those values will color how a controversial act is viewed. It isn’t hard to see why each side looking at the same thing sees something different. It is also understandable why each side sees the other as purely partisan. Democrats - for their own narrow political concerns - accuse Republicans of being derelict in their duty to defend and protect the constitution. Republicans – for their own narrow political concerns - see Democrats attempting to subvert the will of the American electorate who chose this man to lead the country
As sincere are politicians on both sides of the political aisle are there is not a doubt in my mind that their sincerely held political views color their perception.
If you are a Republican, this President has implemented polices that they whole heatedly support – seeing them as highly beneficial to the country: a stronger economy, lower taxes, more US manufacturing , higher wages, more disposable income for consumers, the lowest unemployment rate in 50 year, better trade deals, better border security and better relationships with the US’s strongest and most reliable Middle Eastern ally, Israel. They could not be more pleased about all of that.
If you are a Democrat you see him as a complete disaster in areas like climate change; our deteriorating relationship with allies; increased racism and antisemitism (resulting in increased violent attacks), his anti immigrant policy (which is anathema to the nation of immigrants that the US is); his claims about the great economy being overblown and in any case coming at the expense of the environment via deregulation; his coarsening of political discourse; his dishonoring the oval office; his vindictive approach to his critics… In short they have never been so offended by a President as they are with him. They reject almost all of his accomplishments seeing them as anything but!
Their disdain for the President and his policies cannot but help color their perception of what he did. Same is true for Republicans whose support of his polices color their perceptions too.
Democrats see an obvious impeachable offense and Republicans see Democrats unscrupulously attempting a coup to remove a sitting President from office for political purposes.
So where does the truth lie? I admit to being biased favorably to most of Trump’s polices if not the man himself. So my views are probably just as colored as are those of politicians on both sides of the political aisle. That said, here is my honest take.
I believe the President wanted to find dirt on a political opponent. He was going to look for it wherever he could find it. If that was through the efforts of a foreign government, that was perfectly fine with him. He saw nothing wrong with that.
That was clearly unethical. Especially since he seemed to hold back vital aid already promised to them as he was making his request. But the evidence is mostly circumstantial albeit strongly so. It is therefore unproven. We have no real way of knowing whether he was bluffing or not, since he ended up giving them the aid. No matter what we suspect his intent was.
True - the assumption of State Department witnesses who testified at the congressional hearings was that is was a quid pro quo. But none of them said they knew. All but one of them said they assumed. That’s because they cannot know what was actually on the President’s mind. Was there a quid pro quo? One witness said there absolutely was. But the President of the Ukraine said numerous times on different occasions that there absolutely was not. Nor was he eve aware that aid was being withheld.
True - the assumption of State Department witnesses who testified at the congressional hearings was that is was a quid pro quo. But none of them said they knew. All but one of them said they assumed. That’s because they cannot know what was actually on the President’s mind. Was there a quid pro quo? One witness said there absolutely was. But the President of the Ukraine said numerous times on different occasions that there absolutely was not. Nor was he eve aware that aid was being withheld.
No one really knows for sure and that’s why it was not listed by the House as an article of impeachment.
Based on all this, my belief is that he did deserves to be censured by congress. Not impeached. I do not believe what we know about what he did rises to the level of a high crime and misdemeanor. That congress is divided exactly along political lines - reinforces my belief. To impeach a President based only on the views held by only one side of the political aisle is wrong. No matter how sincere or how much he and his policies are disliked. No matter how much they think he is harming the country in so many different ways.
The will of the people should not be overturned by congress based on politics just before an election. There will in any case be a referendum on that Presidency in less than a year. Let the voters decide. Just as they did in the last election. Isn’t the will of the people what a democracy is all about?