Editorial
According to our constitution, the possibility of impeachment is the price of admission. Or so says the document we consider the preeminent law of the land since it was signed in convention on September 17, 1787 and later ratified on June 21, 1788.
While the United States of America only had 13 states back then, the words of the constitution still ring true today.
Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution states, “ The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers;and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.”
Meanwhile, Article I, Section states, “The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.
Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.”
The ongoing impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump in the U.S. House of Representatives has brought the text to our minds.
Truth be told, we’ve struggled with how best to comment on the impeachment inquiry. These days experts tell us that hyper local news coverage is the way to go. These same experts advise against any hint of national reporting specifically of the political kind.
However, a recent conversation in our office served as a reality check of sorts. The gist of said discussion was this: if we, your local newspaper, do not talk about the impeachment inquiry then we’re burying our heads in the sand and ignoring reality.
Although it’s considered polite to not talk about politics, sex or religion in mixed company, the events of the last few weeks supersede some societal niceties.
Our nation is 243 years old. In that time, we’ve had 45 presidents.
In that time, Congress has only begun impeachment proceedings three other times: against Andrew Johnson in 1868, Richard Nixon in 1974 and Bill Clinton in 1998.
In each case, Congress was controlled by the party opposite that of the president.
Today, our nation’s 45th president, Donald Trump, is the subject of an impeachment inquiry that begin two months ago.
Whether we agree with the premise of the inquiry or not, the power of impeachment lies with the House of Representatives.
A little more than one year ago on November 6, 2018, Democrats picked up 41 seats in the House to claim a majority for the first time since 2010. At that time, Republicans flipped 63 seats.
Both sea changes came during midterm elections of first-term presidents who incited their political opponents. For Obama in 2010, it was opposition to the Affordable Care Act (known colloquially as Obamacare) and last year much of the electorate’s anger [in the districts that flipped] went toward President Trump; be it his tweets or frustration over losing the 2016 presidential election.
A government that relies on elections to decides it representatives is always beholden to the will of its voting citizens.
Sometimes those voters seem to have no visible plan as our country has routinely had a government divided down party lines.
While that fact can be frustrating for those among us who want to see more done by our representatives, it is also serves as a check.
We are likely to see such a check unfold in the coming weeks. Each day brings us closer to the House formally filing Articles of Impeachment against President Trump.
If the Halloween vote to formalize the impeachment inquiry that passed 232 to 196 is any guide, then an impeachment trial is coming to the U.S. Senate.
In the Senate, the President is likely to find allies in Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his 53-member majority. Two-thirds of senators are needed to convict a president under articles of impeachment. And unless 20 Republicans join the 47 members of the Democratic Caucus, this latest season of impeachment is likely to end.
In a recent interview McConnell said, “I will say I’m pretty sure how it is likely to end. If it were today, I don’t think there is any question it would not lead to a removal.”
At that point, we as a nation, will carry on with our business; that is until the next election in just under a year’s time.