“No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise,” Winston Churchill once said. “Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
Churchill was right to say this, as Plato had been before him. Democrats should take their advice as they pursue President Trump’s impeachment. Because while Trump’s conduct towards the Ukrainian President was unbecoming and evinces poor judgment, Democrats should not be so quick to make this an excuse for reversing an election.
It’s quite simple: Trump was legitimately elected. Absent damning evidence of clear wrongdoing, his impeachment will inherently undercut our democracy. It will put the whims of politicians before the lawful choice of voters.
This is not to say that impeachment should be ruled out. The founders established a constitutional framework for impeachment because they realized that without it, unchecked power might cause grave damage to the nation. But if Democrats want to impeach Trump, they must first establish explicit evidence of Trump’s corruption. That means showing an explicit quid pro quo arrangement, in which Trump agreed to release military aid to Ukraine in return for a personal political favor in the form of an investigation of Crowdstrike or Hunter Biden. What’s needed is clear proof of Trump’s preference of personal interest before the lawful will of Congress and American interests.
But Democrats should recognize they don’t yet have that evidence. To impeach Trump now would be to tell those who voted for him that their popular choice no longer matters. It’s a grave action — an act of last resort.
Democrats should remember that impeachment isn’t, ultimately, a legal act. Instead, to adapt from Clausewitz, it is the continuation of politics by other means. And in America, political power belongs to the people. Wherever compatible with the nation’s interests, impeachment should be avoided in favor of elections. And there just happens to be one coming up next fall.
