Impeachment

For the first time in a while, I'm going to say something you might not have expected to hear from me: I'm against impeachment, at least at the current moment, and I'm more than happy to explain why. Impeachment is meant to serve the important purpose of cleansing the office of the presidency from an individual who has abused their responsibility, and it's not any great surprise to me that many are calling for our current president to be impeached. It would be a proper use of the measure, and I absolutely believe he deserves it, but I also believe that if we are to think about the long term consequences of what we're doing, it's not the best idea at the moment. First and foremost, I don't think we should pursue that route because I don't think it will go through and will just end up furthering the increasingly common idea among independents that democrats are just making a fuss over something that's not a big deal. Keep in mind I DO NOT agree with that idea, I think the actions of the Trump presidency are unforgivable and these people need to be gone as soon as possible, but that's not how many independents I know see it. At any other time in the history of this country, it would probably proceed without a hitch, but this isn't just any time in this country's history. It's a time when the waters have been thoroughly muddied, and many people in our government have shown that, when push comes to shove, they will put their party before their country. Trump is already using this to his advantage by making it a tool to stoke the already palpable fervor of his base, and they are eating every bit of it up with the cultish zeal that has become so emblematic of the Trumpian era. It's not only his supporters, but even many republicans, who should be impartial on the matter due to their oath of office, that are showing themselves to be weak and willing to die on this hill. It's because of all this that I don't think the impeachment will be successful, but even if it panned out, that wouldn't necessarily be the best thing in my mind either. I don't say that because I'm the biggest fan of Trump, but rather because I believe everyone is seriously underestimating the capabilities of Mike Pence. In my mind, he would be a much tougher opponent in 2020 because he has been able to keep his hands surprisingly clean throughout all of this, and has shown himself to be a very savvy debater (everyone seems to have forgotten his performance in the 2016 vice presidential debates). Keep in mind that I'm saying all of this as someone who hates his guts, so can you even imagine the kind of support he would receive from people who actually like him? Some have even said a Pence presidency would be more palatable or even preferable, which is completely misguided. While the vice president seems to have a better ability to keep his damn mouth shut, make no mistake, his views are almost exactly in step with Trumps and I would argue that a Pence presidency would be even more efficient in undermining the ideals of American democracy. Trump is the weaker target in 2020 and I would prefer he be the one to go up against the democratic nominee, whoever it ends up being. I'm well aware that many of my colleagues would call me weak and morally ambiguous for holding the belief that we should hold off on impeachment for the above reasons, but we live in one of the most morally ambiguous times in history so I just think this is the way that the game has to be played, at least for the time being. Again, make no mistake, from all that I've seen of the man, he deserves to be impeached, and in a just world, that's how things would pan out, but we don't currently live in a just world. Another thing that I've been struggling to figure out is whether or not all of the scandals this administration has taken part in are purposeful or not. With all that he's gotten away with so far, it almost seems as though it's all been intentional for the purpose of skewing everyones view of what should be considered crossing the line. In the mind of many independent voters, the fact that Trump hasn't really faced any concrete consequences for his actions so far means that they weren't really all that bad. Obviously that's ludicrous but for people who aren't that invested in politics, I can actually see how they would come to that conclusion. "If he was really that bad, he would have been reprimanded by now" is a sentiment I've heard in a few different forms. But to think that this man, who comes across as especially dim witted and bull headed, actually orchestrated a plan of building up the ignorant populaces tolerance for scandals bit by bit as a means of deterring his truly detestable actions from invoking punishment is pretty hard to fathom. I just don't think he's that smart. Still, it can't be denied that that what this administration has done to the landscape of American political discourse is abhorrent and the sooner the lot of them are gone, the better. I just think an impeachment attempt will lead to them being around longer, which is why I'm opposed to the idea at the moment. Should Trump win reelection, and God help us if he does, then I would be more open to the idea. I say this because at that point, I would just be ready for anything different and would be willing to gamble on Pence. Still, that's an absolute worst case scenario. If Trump ends up getting impeached and removed from office, I wouldn't exactly be heartbroken, but I wouldn't be breathing a sigh of relief either because that doesn't mean we swear in Hillary Clinton, or Nancy Pelosi, it means we are stuck with Pence.