To my cat (my faithful reader). Sorry about this, I meant to upload this last month…I tend to procrastinate. With no further ado…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recently the senate neglected to have the 2\/3rds majority\nrequired to convict President Trump on either of the charges brough forward\nfrom the House of Representatives: Abuse of Power and Obstruction [of\nCongress]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both of these charges fell under the category of \u201cHigh\nCrimes and Misdemeanors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do I think you ask? \nWe\u2019ll I\u2019m glad you asked. At\nwork, this has been a hot topic, with the fellows who fall in line with\nRepublicans cheering, while those who fall in line with the Democrats fear of\nthe precedence set by this president. I,\nas usual, am a middle of the road kinda guy. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other day, Mr. Trump touted his accomplishments in his\nannual State of the Union address. I will comment on the State of the Union\naddress in a couple of days, but for now, I want to focus on the fallout from\nthe recent Impeachment Trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mitt Romney (R): He was the ONE Republican Senator to\nvote for conviction. View his full speech<\/a> on why he\nvoted the way he did. I hear people\ncomplain about Mr. Romney, but the fact is, he voted with Mr. Trump 80% of the\ntime. See this\narticle<\/a> by his videographer Greg Whitley regarding the authenticity of his\nfloor speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doug Jones (D): \nHe is a democrat in a red district. \nIn his speech defending his vote, he was concerned about the precedent\nbeing set by the Senate not calling witnesses, stating that there was\nsufficient evidence, in his mind to convict. \nHe has voted with Mr. Trump 37% of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kyrsten Sinema (D): She is also a democrat in a red state,\nup for re-election. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Joe Manchin (D): He voted to convict, but took no\npleasure in voting as such, and stated \u201cI take no pleasure in these votes, and\nam saddened this is the legacy we leave our children and grandchildren.\u201d He also suggested since there were\ninsufficient votes for conviction, the president be censured. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are other Senators who may receive the wrath of the\nconstituents (think Gary Peters (D), of Michigan) during their next election,\nbut these are the ones who stood out, the three democrats as being from red\nstates, and Mitt Romney for going against his party and voting to convict on\nthe charge of Abuse of Power. In\naddition to these, there were two folks who were dismissed by President Trump\nafter he was acquitted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lt. Col. Vindman: A Ukraine expert on the National\nSecurity Council. Called upon by the\nHouse of Representatives to testify by subpoena. Trump stated he was fired for\ninsubordination, because he complied with the subpoena. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ambassador Gordon Sondland: US ambassador to the European Union.\u00a0 Also called upon by the House of Representatives to testify by subpoena. He was of the opinions that a \u201cquid pro quo\u201d did in fact happen, and he testified as such.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, from where I sit, having these two thrown out with the\ndishwater is\u2026unsettling. The last thing\nI want in our government is a bunch of kiss-ass \u201cYes\u201d men and women. Name calling and impugning the integrity of\nthese members is very disturbing to me. \nOur government, which should be \u201cFor the People, By the People\u201d is\ndisintegrating into an authoritarian state, where the only opinion that matters\nis the leaders \u2013 and that is profoundly; un-American. We are a country where the \u201cloyal opposition\u201d\nis entrusted as the sounding board of our government. They may not get their way; but they will put\npause into the speed of events, and \u201chelp\u201d the party in control ensure their\ndecision is the best decision for the country, not their party. I fear our government is turning into the\nland of kiss-asses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a fantastic article, titled \u201cThe Loyal Opposition<\/a>,\u201d\nwritten by Richard Epstein, three years ago, on the eve of the election that\nbrought Trump to power. It is an\ninteresting read, and he ended up being right on several points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I applaud Mr. Romney and all those who followed through with\ntheir duty to testify when subpoenaed. Mr. President, we are a government for\nand by the people of this great land. I\nadvise you to work for the betterment of all peoples, not just yourself. I will also take this opportunity to invite\nall Americans to vote this November. \nWhoever you vote for, make sure they are the person you want to run the\ncountry; you don\u2019t have to agree with everything they do, but you should be\ncomfortable with them. DO NOT vote the\nparty line, research your candidates, and then pull the lever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take the time to vote \u2013 it is your duty as an American\ncitizen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What say you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n References I used in drafting this post:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Details of the charges against our President: https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-usa-trump-impeachment-charges-factbox\/factbox-abuse-of-power-obstruction-the-charges-against-trump-explained-idUSKBN1YM1O8<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Loyal Opposition: https:\/\/www.hoover.org\/research\/loyal-opposition<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mitt Romney\u2019s Senate Floor Speech: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=C5oPNG6HLgM<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n How senators voted on Trump\u2019s impeachment: https:\/\/www.politico.com\/interactives\/2019\/trump-impeachment-vote-count-senate-results\/<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Democrats from Trump Friendly states: https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/30\/us\/politics\/trump-impeachment-democrats.html<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Red State Democrats: https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2020\/02\/05\/doug-jones-impeachment-vote-110818<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump\u2019s \u2018Firday night massacre\u201d is just the beginning: https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2020\/02\/08\/trumps-friday-night-massacre-is-just-beginning-i-fear-whats-come\/<\/a>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"