Bipartisanship by Nancy Ohanian-by RedStateBlueWorldOnce again the Powers That Be in the Democratic Party advise doing the smart thing-- be cautious-- this time on impeachment. How many times in my 48 years as a member of the party FDR built have I heard that we have to be smart? In five minutes I came up with over 50. Here are five.
• We can compromise on this Supreme Court nominee, we’ll catch up next time we have the presidency.• The DNC consultants and their algorithms are exactly what we need to win.• Trump is a pushover, Hilary will bury him; Why worry about Rust Belt states, they’re in the bag!• Hey, that 50 State Strategy, it’s too hard and a waste of effort, let’s just focus on key swing states.• Let’s vote unlimited war powers without end to Bush/Cheney… what could go wrong?
As the Brits say Democrats are “too clever by half.” Beltway Dems play the “safe” bet, the “smart” bet. That’s why voters see them as weak. No one ever accused Republicans of playing it safe. Whatever you may think of their beliefs, they have prosecuted them with fervor. How’d that work out over the last 35 years?Democrats always think they’re smarter than Republicans. Three decades of results would suggest a radically different conclusion. Who controls the Supreme Court, who redistricted who out of Congress and the state legislatures, who lost to a serial bankrupt adulterous sex offending clown? To quote Aaron Sorkin (as painful as that may be), “If liberals are so fucking smart, how come they lose so goddamn always?”On to impeachment. The smart play is political. Beltway scuttlebutt says: Game the implications. Impeachment riles up the Republican base. Failure to convict in the Senate gives Trump an electoral advantage. It distracts from Democratic policy messaging. These are certainly possible outcomes. Other possibilities include burying Trump in an avalanche of testimony, exposing grotesque illegal and unconstitutional behavior, driving his re-elect score even lower. The hearings demoralize the Republican base, suppressing turnout in critical Senate and state elections. Hearings just might guarantee a landslide. To hell with the Clinton example, who remembers Nixon? By ’75 you couldn’t find 5 people who admitted voting for a guy who got 520 electoral votes.The right play is impeachment hearings. You can’t call Trump a criminal and unfit for office and be too chicken shit to start the process (Nancy!). Hearings demonstrate strength, commitment to good government, the courage to do the right thing even when it may be risky, and belief in the history and promise of our Constitutional form of government. Americans respect courage and principle.The right thing is the smart thing. Impeachment hearings now. Anything less is craven, small minded bullshit. And bad politics.
