Trump To Be Acquitted, But….
Here are a few words from Neal Katyal, American lawyer and partner at Hogan Lovells, as well as Paul and Patricia Saunders Professor of National Security Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Katyal served as Acting Solicitor General of the United States from May 2010 until June 2011. He concludes his note, “Let’s make him pay for it in November.”
One can only hope, and, in fact, this really could happen. According to a RealClearPolitics polling average, McConnell’s approval rating currently sits at 24.3 percent, and Morning Consult poll conducted over the summer also found that he is America’s most unpopular senator with voters in their own state. I.e., voters in the deep red Bluegrass State of Kentucky hate his guts; it’s encouraging to know that he’s detested by the most conservative people in the country. He’s running against retired marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath, whose poll numbers look strong.
What’s more, with voting day more than nine months in the future, a lot more can happen, very little of it good for McConnell as far as anyone can see. Yes, he will all but certainly have manipulated the Senate into acquitting a corrupt president by strong-arming his subordinates and preventing the presentation of evidence, but think for a minute what this means. The acquittal will not stop evidence from rolling in. What’s McConnell going to look like from under an avalanche of the truth concerning Trump’s behavior?
Craig,
Um…., do you ever think before you when you write this sort of illogical theorizing?
If Mitch McConnell is so hated by everyone and detested among his fellow GOP Senators, how could he possibly acquire and hold a position which requires the the approval of his fellow Senators to keep?
Naturally, Democrat voters and “Never Trumpers” hate Sen Mitch McConnell, that’s to be expected. Some of the old guard GOP party power brokers are also unhappy to see The President Triumphant, but when 95% of the rank and file GOP party members and GOP voters loyally support the President it would be folly for any GOP politician facing an election in November to cross the party favourite.
It’s true that Donald J Trump isn’t a member of the old GOP party elite. As a populist, rather than a true conservative, he attracts a wide spectrum of supporters, most of whom are former working class democrat voters.
But, over the last three years many traditional GOP voters have warmed to his policies and will turn out to vote in 2020 whereas in 2016 they abstained.
Perhaps the most damning polls reveal i more than 40% of “independent” voters thought media reports covering the Impeachment proceedings were biased against the President and largely untrue.
This was reflected in the polls which show a steady decline in support for impeachment as the process unraveled.
In Kentucky the Democrats have going for them a relatively unpopular opponent, an anti-incumbent moment, and the energy of the Trump-era left. However, the most important factor is Money !
When McGrath declared her intention to challenge McConnell, money poured into her campaign at an unprecedented clip. She raised nearly $11 million in her first quarter in the race, more than the $7.5 million McConnell had raised all year.
Two “Billionaires” have pledged over $80 million to defeat Mitch McConnell.
How Kentuckians’ react to a party who has always claimed “get money out of politics” and then boasts of how it’s financed by billionaires, remains to be seen.
The problem for the Democrats and their media allies is their stubborn refusal to admit when they lose.
The American public has tuned out to all the excuses. Democrats always trying blame their own errors on cheating or chicanery by others, groes wearisome. The average person no longer listen to Democrats yelling “Wolf’, especially since no Wolf ever appears! (or it turns out to be a small puppy).
Some Democrat excuses:
1)Hillary Clinton didn’t lose 2016, the Russians interfered and the Electoral College is racist.
2) Stacy Abrams didn’t lose in Georgia, the election was ‘stolen’.
3) The Impeachment trial, failed because without additional witnesses the trial isn’t legitimate and the acquittal isn’t real.
4) Joe Biden doesn’t have to account for his actions, the Republicans tainted him unfairly by asking for his behaviour to be investigated.
It’s never the fault of the Democrats themselves, it’s always “we woz robbed” !
The Impeachment trail failed and the two most telling exchanges that will be remembered are Rep Adam Schiff repeating;
“The (2020) election is far too important to be left to the voters to decide”.
And the following exchange between an interviewer and Adam Schiff:
Interviewer to Schiff: ‘in all, 31 or 32 times you told the Senate you had proved every aspect of your case and no further proof was needed
Schiff: ‘We did.’
Interviewer: ‘Okay, then why shouldn’t the Senate take you at your word and decide no more witnesses are necessary?
Schiff, ‘because without witnesses of our choosing, our case,…’ (trails off).
Interviewer: ‘Congressman Schiff ?’…
Schiff ; ‘otherwise the trail would be legitimate and all the evidence wouldn’t have been heard’.
Interviewer, ‘but I though you said your case was complete without testimony, at least to secure a conviction, or was that not true?”.
Shciff, ‘It was, more than sufficient, but without more witnesses of our choosing how were we to get to the bottom of the issues.
It was these two exchanges that epitomized the political motivated fishing expedition behind the whole process.
One other memorable exchange was the responses provided by 26 six Democrats Senators (three being Presidential candidates) on the first day of the trial.
The Democrat Senators responded to the question “are you here today to ensure the President does not get acquitted?” .
Each Senator replied enthusiastically in the affirmative, acknowledging their vote was a foregone conclusion!
That’s to be expected, but it must be considered hypocritical for those same Senators to accuse GOP Senators of not being impartial and open minded.
The President won the day, more importantly he has regained the initiative. His 2020 election prospects are looking much brighter and he can begin planning revenge against those plotters who tried carrying out a covert coup against his presidency.
It will be Democrats who will feel the heat of a far more experienced and confident President backed by a team of far more experienced and talented advisors and officials of his choosing.
Those clandestine and “resistance” government employees might start thinking about hiring good lawyers, as should Joe Biden and his family.
William Barr is slower, but far more deadly than Schiff and crew.
Craig,
Just a final observation, why would you think GOP Senators, would be any less loyal than GOP Reps?
Unlike the Dems one Rep broke ranks in house vote, so why would GOP Senators.
The demand for witnesses shows the Dems never intended anything more than a “show trial”. Lots of theatre but no substance. The House of Reps Dems had the capacity to issue subpoena’s and then try to get the courts to enforce the witnesses to appear.
It was their choice not to do so.
In the case of Richard Nixon, the Court moved quickly to hear the applications. However, in this case the Dems were afraid the Courts would find against the Dems requests as unconstitutional.
The Constitution was always on the President’s side, and once all the political hype and rhetoric is stripped away, there never was a real case for the president to answer.
It was always doubtful that any court would uphold an unconstitutional “fishing expedition”.
The whole process was just another ill-conceived, poorly executed, waste of time by desperate Dems with nothing more to offer voters other than “we hate Trump”.
Just being “anti” and creating more news stories about a President who thrives on the motto, “there’s no such thing as bad publicity’ is not a winning formula.
One of the President’s more formidable tactics is to goad his opponents into making extremist gestures and extravagant predictions, none of which occur! This leaves the President lots of wriggle room and allows him to surprise critics by being restrained and calculating.
His other tactic is linking his achievements with the aspirations of his supporters. When you denigrate the President, by default if you also degenerate his constituency and the non-aligned.
His base may only be 45%, but they are bolted on loyalists, spread across vulnerable states. He may not win the plebiscite, but he isn’t aiming at that demographic.His target is winning the election.
All he needs come polling day, is 10-15% of the ‘undecided’ and he gains 4 more years in power. The American people will not tolerate any further attempts to unseat him by anything other than an election.