THEM CHICKEN DEMS

Is Nancy Pelosi doing Mitch McConnell a favor not impeaching Trump? (Photo credit: variety.com, wbur.org)

Shrinking from the Big Moment.

Hiding behind the Mueller investigation, with their unfortunate Democrat timidity on full display, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and committee chairs Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler and Elijah Cummings are now on the verge of essentially becoming accessories to Donald Trump’s crimes.

The attempted cover-up of Trump’s criminal activity, perpetrated by Republicans like Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Devin Nunes, Chuck Grassley, Lindsey Graham, Jeff Flake and Susan Collins, is being unwittingly supported by the apparently hapless Blue Wave Democrats.

Despite Trump’s shortcomings, which exhibit a man unfit for the presidency, House Democratic leadership, mirroring Trump, are unwilling to fully do their stated jobs. Pelosi, Schiff, Nadler and Cummings now match Trump and Republican disregard for a U.S. Constitution that calls for a president of Trump’s already proven criminality to be removed from office, starting with impeachment.

Dems wishy-washy attempts at nuance further erode our sacred democracy and embolden those intent on turning America into a haven of unrepentant wrongdoing and subterfuge orchestrated by wayward government officials.

Pelosi, who The Weekly Opine initially rejected as choice to become House Speaker, won many doubters over by deftly outmaneuvering Trump in the chess match that was the government shutdown. But now, Pelosi appears to be succumbing to a redundant 21st Century Democrat posture of playing soft when firm, immediate action is required.

Admittedly, Pelosi has earned some benefit of the doubt, given her mature, headmistress dismantling of schoolboy Trump in December and January. Maybe Pelosi’s “he’s not worth it,” (unless overwhelming evidence is produced), comment regarding impeaching Trump is a trap for The Donald and GOP senators.

But the question is begged: What more overwhelming evidence do you need? Even Pelosi admits, “I don’t think he’s (ethically, intellectually, politically) fit to be president of the United States.”

Nearly two years ago, on national television, Trump admitted to NBC’s Lester Holt that he obstructed justice by firing FBI Director James Comey. Trump has openly obstructed justice numerous times since then with unprompted, unfiltered rants on Twitter, to the media and at his MAGA rallies.

Since becoming president, Trump inarguably committed campaign finance fraud (a felony) by paying hush money to a pornography star he had sex with.

Let that sink in again. Before he became president, the president of the United States cheated on his wife sleeping with a pornography star. Then Trump committed another crime by covering up the monthly payments to the porno star.

And while not technically a crime of treason, Trump’s betrayal against the United States, by openly courting, supporting and vouching for Vladimir Putin, is itself grounds for impeachment.

Purely based on the evidence found in numerous court filings, if Trump is not ready to be impeached today, right now, then the impeachment provision should be removed from the Constitution.

Pelosi’s refusal to begin the impeachment process makes a mockery of the foundational rule-of-law principle and reinforces the misguided, ridiculous Department of Justice assumption that a sitting president cannot be indicted.

The notion that Dems are willing to just let this thing with Trump slide, planning to defeat him in the 2020 election is preposterous.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings said he feels “this matter will only be resolved at the polls.” Has Cummings, who gave a disappointingly uneven, at times fainthearted, performance overseeing Michael Cohen’s testimony two weeks ago, given in?

During the Cohen testimony, Cummings allowed Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and the Republicans to badger Cohen and, at times, take control of the hearing. Most alarming was Cummings allowing himself to be used as prop by Rep. Mark Meadows. Meadows, attempting to defend himself from charges by Democrat freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib that using a black woman as a prop was itself racist, called on Cummings to defend him.

Astoundingly, Cummings obliged Meadows, who was later proven to be racist when video surfaced of him calling for President Obama to “be sent back home to Kenya, or wherever.”

Counting on 2020, after counting on 2016, could be fool’s gold for Democrats. What if Trump wins again? Would Dems accept another four years of the America-destroying Trump administration in the Oval Office? Four more years of MAGA rallies?

Or would Pelosi and Co. suddenly find their voices (and gumption) and finally do their job by introducing Articles of Impeachment? Why then but not now?

In a show of unexpected incompetence, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said, referring to impeachment, that he sees little gain in “putting the country through that kind of wrenching experience.” Rep. Schiff, have you been on Mars the past two years? Since Trump took office, what the country has experienced surpassed “wrenching” months ago.

Among Democrat House members, House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters, along with Rep. Al Green and Rep. Brad Sherman have been vocal proponents of impeaching the president. Long before Tlaib uttered her infamous “We’re going to impeach the m.f.” call-to-arms, Waters, Green, Sherman and others accurately read the tea leaves and called for Trump’s removal.

Tlaib, who displays tenacity along with intelligence, is not backing off and says she will continue calling for impeachment.

Waters, Green, Sherman and Tlaib are not persuaded by polls, some of which say impeaching Trump is not a priority for Americans. In this case, the poll is meaningless. For example, a poll of grade school students might reveal they want pizza for lunch every day. But school administrators, elected to protect the students, know better and dutifully feed the kids vegetables.

Similarly, Congress was elected to do a job and part of that job is holding the president accountable. It matters not what the American people say in a random poll. It matters not whether there is bipartisan support in the GOP-controlled Senate to remove Trump from office.

What matters is there is a dangerous, ignorant, criminal occupying the White House. A reckless fool who places the national security of the United States at great risk. The U.S. Constitution is unambiguous that Trump must be removed from the presidency.

Nancy Pelosi fought vigorously to return to the top position of House Speaker. She was sworn-in to uphold the Constitution. The Congress she leads is supposed to act as a counterbalance to the Executive and Judicial branches of government.

Pelosi’s duty is to immediately begin Trump impeachment proceedings in the United States House of Representatives. No more dilly-dallying.

Douglas FreelandMarch 14, 2019