A little this and that this Friday morning as the House Judiciary Committee has decided to move forward.
- Now we’ll wait and see what the 31 House Members in districts the President won do. How many choose self preservation and vote no?
- Will any Republicans fold and vote to impeach?
- When it moves to the senate what do the senators up for reelection do?
Does Romney vote against the President?
Can Susan Collins win no matter how she votes in Maine?
What about Martha McSally in Arizona?
On the other side what does Doug Jones as a Democrat do in Alabama? - The drama of the Senate is not in the total vote, but in individual ones.
Here’s some info/stats you might find interesting on this impeachment: - Democrats have based this impeachment entirely on President Trump’s July 25th phone call with the Ukrainian President right?
Well: - Do you realize that that 104 current Democrats voted to impeach the President long before that call? Remember they had votes before this.
- That’s 104 (out of 233 current Democrats) representing 44% of the entire caucus.
- One of those 104 is — Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler.
He of the “pained vote” this time had voted before. Anyone falling for his act should be embarrassed. - And add this — 16 other Democrats on the Judiciary had already voted for impeachment.
IMPACTS AND OTHER THOUGHTS ON THIS IMPEACHMENT:
The President’s Campaign said this yesterday:
“They have ignited a flame underneath that, with 300-some days to go, actually makes our job easier in some ways. This lit up our base. I think it’s a huge miscalculation by [Democrats].”
They added, “not only is impeachment generating more campaign volunteers and cash donations, it’s swaying independent voters in swing states who want the election, instead of an impeachment investigation, to decide who is the next president.”
From the WSJ:
“Plans for a Democratic presidential debate in January have been complicated by the expected Senate impeachment trial. The Democratic National Committee is struggling to settle on a date, a decision also complicated by the NFL playoffs.”
Politico reports this on the impeachment vote:
”Democratic leaders are privately expecting no more than a half-dozen defections on next week’s vote to impeach President Donald Trump, even as many of their most endangered lawmakers remain publicly mum on their decision.
Alan Dershowitz, who has been critical of Democratic attempts to impeach the President, wrote this:
“The Democrats have now announced that they intend to propose only two grounds for impeachment: abuse of power and obstruction of congress. Neither is specified as a ground for impeachment in the constitution. Neither is a high crime and misdemeanor. They have apparently dropped the only specified ground, namely bribery. A vote to impeach President Trump on grounds not specified in the constitution would be unconstitutional and void.”
SOME OTHER “THIS AND THAT’S” TODAY:
The Washington Post reports this:
“Former Attorney General Eric Holder writes that current Attorney General William Barr is doing “lasting damage” with his conduct in office.”
Really? Barr is doing that? Funny, so many think Holder’s complete support of President Obama did more damage.
The President continues to have an impact on the courts. He got his 50th pick through the senate this week. How significant is that for his his first three years? Well it’s only five short of President Obama’s record of 55 over an eight-year period.
With Mitch O’Connell he has filled virtually every vacancy in the powerful appellate court system.
Next they are going to try and fill 18 district level (lifetime) judges before Congress breaks next week.
Does it matter? See next story.
Joe Biden pledged to undo much of President Trump’s immigration policy in a new plan. So if you liked the past open door policy you have a choice.
Meanwhile a Clinton appointed judge yesterday ruled against the administration diverting billions of dollars earmarked for the Pentagon to build the border wall. Remember when they transferred funds?
The judge halted $3.6 billion that the President sought to move from the Defense Department for wall construction, based on his declaration of a border national emergency.
The administration of course is going to appeal to a higher court. Remember all those appointments they have made? It makes a difference.
This from the Washington Times:
A high-level defector from Kim Jong-un’s regime has sent a letter to President Trump warning that he has been “tricked” into believing the North Korean leader will ever denuclearize and that Washington should instead ramp up a “psychological warfare campaign” aimed at inspiring North Korea’s elites to replace the young dictator from within.
This from the Washington Examiner on one of “The Squad”:
Rep. Rashida Tlaib deleted a tweet Thursday morning that blamed “white supremacy” on the mass shooting this week at a kosher supermarket in New Jersey. “This is heartbreaking. White supremacy kills,” Ms. Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, wrote from her personal Twitter account.
You may remember her, she was one who on election night said “we are going to impeach the Mother F____”.
Have a great Friday and weekend.