Here it is, plain and simple if you read to the end of this article. The
reasoning behind the charges about Russian interference in the election.
"Trump is so bad that the end, even though it's 'trumped up", justifies the
means.
Miriam
Truthdig
Movement for Impeachment Must Be Grounded in Opposition to Trumpism and the
GOP
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/movement_for_impeachment_must_be_grounde
d_20170518/
Posted on May 18, 2017
By Sonali Kolhatkar
President Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on April
28 before signing an executive order on oil-drilling policy. (Pablo Martinez
Monsivais / AP)
Like many Americans, I have been fantasizing since Jan. 20, 2017, about
Donald Trump's presidency coming to a quick and dirty halt, ideally of his
own doing. At best, Trump has been a global embarrassment, at worst, a
purveyor of deadly ideas and policies. Never before has a president been so
unpopular
(http://www.newsweek.com/least-popular-president-donald-trump-approval-ratin
g-average-falls-610440) at just 100 days into his tenure. Now the "i-word"
has even started to appear on the lips of Republican members of Congress
(http://thehill.com/homenews/house/333803-first-republicans-talk-impeachment
-for-trump") , an odd reaction has emerged from some sectors of the
progressive left
(http://inthesetimes.com/article/20141/the-trump-pence-impeachment-trap-be-c
areful-what-you-wish-for) . It goes something like this: Don't back
impeachment-unless you're ready for President Mike Pence.
To be sure, when one examines Vice President Pence's political past
(http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/10/mike-pence-isnt-boring-hes-one-
americas-most-extreme-governors) as Indiana governor, one finds that he
symbolizes a horrific combination of misogyny and racism, as well as
anti-immigrant, anti-working class and anti-environmental ideologies. But
the tens of million voters who picked Trump did not necessarily care about
Trump's less flamboyant sidekick. Videos have emerged since last year in
which angry racists air their abusive attitudes
(https://newrepublic.com/article/139033/ranting-trump-voters-viral-videos-ar
ent-empowered-theyre-opposite) toward people of color. These videos feature
people who cite only Trump, never Pence. Trump is the bogeyman that white
supremacists invoke to justify their racism. It is Trump who has unleashed
the most terrifying attacks on immigrants, Muslims and others, with Pence
standing by his side.
Donald Trump is "the devil you know" in the scenario in which progressives
oppose impeachment for fear of Pence. But we are dealing with two "devils"
in the White House, as well as with a "devilish" party that has closed ranks
around the Trump-Pence team for nearly a year now. So, opposing impeachment
amounts to a win for Trump and the entire Republican Party. Trump's
belligerence has united Americans of many stripes since his election, some
of whom have marched and protested for the first time ever, and hopefully
have adopted a commitment to social justice as part of their lives.
The Trump presidency has prompted many Americans to realize that they are
the ones they have been waiting for; they have the power to hold their
elected officials responsible. Town hall meetings with elected officials are
now well-attended affairs, as they should be. Petitions opposing the
Trump-Republican agenda have quickly reached their goal numbers. People are
calling their representatives, showing up at marches in large numbers to
speak out, defending immigrants as best they can, welcoming refugees at
airports, and, in general, are more aware of injustices perpetrated by their
government.
When Trump is impeached, Pence can and will be the next target of this
empowered group of Americans. Progressives need to fight tooth and nail
against every assault on our democracy. If that means first Trump and then
Pence, so be it.
The opposition to Trump's impeachment reminds me of the opposition during
primary season to Bernie Sanders among some sectors of the left whose
members worried that Sanders' stated loyalty to socialism would become a
liability for him during the general election. The logic was that Hillary
Clinton had dealt with all the public scrutiny any politician could ever
expect and had survived, and because of that she would also be able to
survive the coming onslaught of Republican attacks.
She didn't. And all progressives lost because some among us did not have the
courage to stick to our ideals and instead opted for the "pragmatic
solution" of backing "Clinton over Sanders." In our current scenario,
sticking with Trump because Pence might be worse is a similarly pragmatic
approach-and just as morally bankrupt.
There are a few ideals we should hold dear as we back impeachment, however.
Just before Trump's inauguration, I warned that
(http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/greater_expectations_anti-trump_forces_
should_aspire_to_much_20170119 ) if the new, emergent progressive movement
"is focused simply on disgust over Trump, then it is as doomed as Hillary
Clinton's candidacy was." As activists fighting for social justice in the
age of Trump, we need to be clear that Trump is carrying out the GOP's wish
list of cruel policies-from the attacks on women's reproductive rights, the
racial profiling of Muslims and immigrants, to the attacks on voting rights,
the empowerment of police to continue to abuse poor people of color with
impunity, the rewards to the military-industrial complex and more. He is
pushing forward on the GOP's agenda with bluster and with no regard for
consequences.
Our opposition to him ought to be rooted in our broad opposition to the
Republican Party's increasing reliance on white supremacy and military
supremacy as a framework for its political power. If the impeachment of
Donald Trump leads to a President Mike Pence, it is simply the next
challenge for progressives to face and overcome. A President Pence should be
effectively tainted by the Trump name and wholly dismissed and opposed with
the same enthusiasm as Trump has been. That is why the movement to back
Trump's impeachment is grounded in a general opposition to all his policies.
That said, our support for impeachment should not be grounded in conspiracy
theories reviving Cold War-era rhetoric against Russia. Trump is not in
Russia's pocket, although Trump might wish he were. Arguments over Trump's
fitness for office should not rest on possible collusion with Russian
sources and a misplaced faith in intelligence agencies such as the FBI to do
the right thing; the FBI has a long and sordid history of undermining
democracy and human rights. What is playing out is an internal battle
between various branches of government over a brazen and unpredictable
spoiled child with too much power. We need a clear-eyed analysis (such as
this one
(https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/05/18/did-trump-commit-high-crimes-
and-misdemeanors) ) of the mess Trump has made for himself, and we need to
understand that the wheels of government will likely play out to Trump's
detriment.
President Trump deserves to be impeached for his horrific demonization of
people of color and the unleashing of white supremacy. He deserves to be
impeached for his vile attacks on vulnerable immigrants and his racist
attorney general's decision to undo America's minimal progress on police
brutality. He deserves to be impeached for his attempted defunding of
Planned Parenthood and the vile statements he has made about women. He
deserves to be impeached for fueling unfounded paranoia over voting fraud
and enabling the Republican Party's attacks on voting rights. He deserves to
be impeached for his flippant decisions to bomb countries and kill
civilians. He deserves to be impeached for wanting to fleece the American
public and reward his billionaire buddies through his proposed budget cuts
and revised tax code while reaping benefits such as tax-funded security
details for his golf outings. He deserves to be impeached for the blatant
lies that flow freely from his mouth and tweeting thumbs.
But there are no procedures to impeach for these far graver offenses, so let
his intelligence-sharing with Russia be his downfall, let the alleged
obstruction of justice with regard to the Flynn investigation be the
concrete issue on which his presidential authority fails. Congress knows
that his impeachment has strong grass-roots support, as a new poll
(https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/05/16/first-time-more-voters-support
-trump-impeachment-oppose-it) and strong street actions since January show.
At this point it is a matter of finding which transgression sticks in legal
terms. Trump's inevitable fall will be welcomed. And if we are left with
President Pence, he'd better watch out, too, for we're coming for him and
his ilk.
If the left desires pragmatism then let it be this: The scandal over
possible collusion with Russia is a gift horse that will pave the way for a
repudiation of everything Trump and his party stands for. We need to
ideologically "impeach" not just Trump, but Trumpism, and the general
cruelty of conservatism. Let the upcoming impeachment marches
(https://go.ourrevolution.com/page/event/detail/gpg7mh) see the Russia
inquiry as a means to a crucial end-the end of the horrific era that Trump's
election began, and the beginning of a population that is more aware of its
democratic rights and civic duties and less tolerant of the violence of
conservatism.
GOP Proves It's Not the Party of 'Security' as Intelligence Allies Abandon
Trump
Director Laura Poitras: Julian Assange Is an 'Equal-Opportunity' Leaker
(Audio)
Sweden Drops Rape Inquiry Against Julian Assange, but He Still Faces Legal
Uncertainty
Elizabeth Warren Challenges Steven Mnuchin Over Glass-Steagall Remarks
(Video)
Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines
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