Pelosi announces impeachment inquiry

[_moksha]

oh! this thread...

Good point. Trump embodies the heart, soul, and moral compass of the Republican party.

[Guest]

Former Jeb Bush and Romney adviser claims 30 GOP senators would vote impeachment anonymously

If this report is true, it appears that Trump is doomed already.

A longtime adviser to Republicans has claimed that if the tally were held in secret, 30 Republican senators would vote to remove President Trump from office.

Mike Murphy, who has worked as a senior adviser to now-Sen. Mitt Romney and the late Sen. John McCain, appeared Wednesday on MSNBC and said that if the Democratic-led House votes to impeach the president and the Senate acquits him, it could spell political damage the Republican Party in 2020.

“These Senate Republicans, should the Democrats vote impeachment — which I think is far more likely than not — are going to be pinned down to a yes-no answer,” Murphy said, “and if they provide cover for Donald Trump on this, a clear violation of his role as president, we’re going to lose Colorado with Cory Gardner. We’re going to lose Maine with Susan Collins. We’re going to lose Arizona with [Martha] McSally. And the Democrats will put the Senate very much in play.”

If the House votes to impeach Trump, the Senate acts as the jurors and decides whether he gets removed from office. A two-thirds majority, or 67 senators, would have to vote in favor. Murphy, who is a critic of Trump, said that he thinks the results would not favor Trump if the count were held anonymously.

“I can tell you this, one Republican senator told me if it was a secret vote, 30 Republican senators would vote to impeach Trump,” Murphy said.

Surprisingly, though, if aggressively pursued, it might have been possible to successfully impeach Trump as long as 2 years ago, if this 2017 article by Elaine Karmarck in Brookings was correct:

President Trump needs friends in the Senate.

At some point in 2019 (if not sooner) a Republican Senator may walk into the Oval Office and say to President Trump: “Mr. President, we don’t have the votes,” at which point the Trump presidency will end in a resignation or a conviction in the Senate. This scenario actually occurred forty-three years ago this summer when Republican Senator Barry Goldwater walked into the Oval Office and told Republican President Richard Nixon that they didn’t have the votes in the Senate to save his presidency. Following impeachment in the House, a trial takes place in the Senate. Conviction requires two-thirds of the Senate and by my count there are already twelve senators who have shown a willingness to take on the president when they believe he is in the wrong. If you add that to the forty-eight Democrats in the Senate (who have shown no inclination to work with this President), Donald Trump could be six votes away from conviction in the Senate.

If so, we could have been spared two years of Trump's administration already. But, on the other hand, we might have had two years of Pence as president instead. Would that have been as bad or worse than Trump? Who knows? I seriously doubt that it would have been even worse, though.

[_Gunnar]

He's on a live press conference right now in case anyone wasn't aware and wants to give it a listen.

I saw that press conference. It was a complete farce! But he seemed a bit more articulate than usual.

I felt sorry for the sticky situation Trump put Zelensky in, though.

[_Some Schmo]

Good point. Trump embodies the heart, soul, and moral compass of the Republican party.

Absolutely true, given neither Trump nor the GOP have a heart, soul, or moral compass.

[_Some Schmo]

He's on a live press conference right now in case anyone wasn't aware and wants to give it a listen.

I saw that press conference. It was a complete farce! But he seemed a bit more articulate than usual.

I watched a minute of it and turned it off. I'm sick of being lied to by that piece of dog crap.

[_subgenius]

oh! this thread...

Good point. Trump embodies the heart, soul, and moral compass of the Republican party.

sez you, but its a better and smarter option than the heartless, soulless, and directionless embodiment of the Democrats.

[_canpakes]

Good point. Trump embodies the heart, soul, and moral compass of the Republican party.

sez you, but its a better and smarter option than the heartless, soulless, and directionless embodiment of the Democrats.

Ok, I’ll bite. What makes it “heartless, soulless, and directionless“, and what makes the GOP alternative under Trump better?

I’ll go grab a cup of coffee while you gather your thoughts.
; )

[_Gunnar]

According to Fox News, Jeff flake says 'at least 35' Republican senators would privately vote to impeach Trump.

Former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake made a bold claim on Thursday when he said "at least 35" GOP senators would privately vote for President Trump's impeachment.

Appearing at the 2019 Texas Tribune Festival, Flake, a frequent critic of the president, offered his own reaction and predicted that close to three dozen Republican senators would back impeachment.

"I heard someone say if there were a private vote there would be 30 Republican votes. That's not true," Flake said during a Q&A. "There would be at least 35."

If true, then how many of those 35 would have the courage to openly vote for impeachment, if they knew their vote would be made public?

Another question I have is: if The House votes for impeachment, can McConnell legally refuse to permit an impeachment trial to come to a vote on the floor of the Senate, like he is now refusing to let legislation he doesn't like come to a vote?

[_Res Ipsa]

According to Fox News, Jeff flake says 'at least 35' Republican senators would privately vote to impeach Trump.

Former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake made a bold claim on Thursday when he said "at least 35" GOP senators would privately vote for President Trump's impeachment.

Appearing at the 2019 Texas Tribune Festival, Flake, a frequent critic of the president, offered his own reaction and predicted that close to three dozen Republican senators would back impeachment.

"I heard someone say if there were a private vote there would be 30 Republican votes. That's not true," Flake said during a Q&A. "There would be at least 35."

If true, then how many of those 35 would have the courage to openly vote for impeachment, if they knew their vote would be made public?

Another question I have is: if The House votes for impeachment, can McConnell legally refuse to permit an impeachment trial to come to a vote on the floor of the Senate, like he is now refusing to let legislation he doesn't like come to a vote?

As to the latter, terra incognita.

[_Gunnar]

A further question: If McConnell could legally refuse to let impeachment come to a vote in the Senate, would he dare to do so? Could he be that stupid and/or arrogant?