In a vacuum, the case to impeach President Trump is straightforward. He used presidential powers for his private, political gain. If further investigation corroborates the facts already known, then Trump committed an obvious abuse of power that many members of Congress will view as impeachable — and perhaps many more would if the party labels were different.
But Republican opinion on the matter hasn’t budged, and comments made by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday demonstrate why.
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“I personally do believe that the president has engaged in flagrant violations of the emoluments clause,” Ocasio-Cortez told CNN. “I’m concerned that we would allow this corruption to continue. But at the end of the day, we have to be able to come together as a caucus, and if it is this Ukrainian allegation that is what brings the caucus together, then I think we have to run with however we unify the House” [emphasis added].
That was already revealing, but then she dropped this one: “This is not just about something that has occurred, this is about preventing a potentially disastrous outcome from occurring next year.”
Even the most objective arbiter of the impeachment question can’t help but acknowledge that Democrats have been debasing themselves from Day One of Trump’s presidency. They have proven again and again that they would and will resort to anything to impeach Trump. He just happened to be stupid enough to give them something they dared use.
But we’re not in a vacuum, and voters are fed up. They are fed up from pussy-cat-hatted protesters sobbing in the streets. They are fed up from the Mueller-mania that ultimately fizzled after two years of promises from the media that it would come up big. They are fed up after the Kavanaugh farce, and they are fed up from year three of the media’s relentless meltdown.
So even when the goods are there, it’s still a little difficult for Republicans, deafened and desensitized by three years of relentless wailing, to believe that Democrats are operating in good faith. Especially when their star freshman just admitted she only finds the Ukraine allegations useful because it’s “what brings the caucus together,” to impeach Trump, and “we have to run with however we unify the House.”
The other issue here is that impeachment is really just about rigging the 2020 election. I care immensely that Trump abused his power. I consider impeachment a valid constitutional and potentially justified remedy for the offense. But you’ll have a hard time finding Republicans outside of the Beltway who feel that way because they understand where AOC is coming from. She and others have run their mouths for years now, revealing that the corruption question is just a means to their preferred end of gaining an advantage ahead of the 2020 election.
