Friday WTF. Bulgarian family relations for foreigners

[asthfghl]

Impeachment: it comes down to courage

[edelsont]

I've responded to entries in this community journal before, but this is my first independent entry here.  I live in the USA, specifically in the mountainous far-western part of North Carolina.

 

I know that not everyone active in this community is US-American, but probably most know something about our current president.  I won't name him at the moment; I prefer to refer to him as the Orange Outrage.  If you infer that I don't like him, you are not wrong.

 

In fact, I am one of those who believes that he should be impeached (and removed from office).  That is my topic today.

 

I've written about impeachment a number of times in my personal journal (edelsont.dreamwidth.org/), most recently five days ago, on May 6 (edelsont.dreamwidth.org/8436.html).

 

Talk of impeachment has gotten more widespread lately, since the release of the Mueller report.  In particular, it's being talked about frequently by members of the House of Representatives, which is the body which would have to take the first steps to act on it.

 

Among Congressbeings of the Democratic persuasion, quite a few have come out in favor of impeachment, or at least of the beginning of a formal impeachment proceeding.  Among those who haven't, most, if they've spoken up about it all, seem to me to be saying something more-or-less equivalent to "We think that he deserves to be impeached -- that doing so would be morally and legally justified -- but we're not sure, nevertheless, that it would be a good idea actually to do it."  And various arguments are put forth in favor of that position.

I don't intend directly to address any of those arguments today, though I may do so later.  It's not that I think they are so obviously wrong as not to need discussing; indeed, I think it is a matter on which reasonable people can disagree.

 

But today, I want to do something different, which isn't exactly an "argument" for (or against) impeachment at all.  It's just a different way of looking at the question.  That is to suggest that if you think that impeachment is justified, but doubt that it is advisable, you should try thinking about it as a question of courage.

 

The courage I am talking about is political, not physical, and it is primarily the courage (or lack of same) of groups, not individuals.  In other words, I certainly don't mean to suggest (and do not believe) that anyone taking the "impeachment is justifiable but not advisable" position is a coward.

 

I have no doubt that an impeachment process would be unpleasant, messy, and perhaps, in one or more senses, dangerous.  There is nothing morally wrong with wishing, and trying, to avoid these consequences.  But ask yourself this: if the House does not move to impeach, would the nation actually be avoiding those consequences?  Or would it just be postponing them?

 

Maybe it's like when the auto mechanic says, "You can pay me now, or you can pay me later."  The implication is that, if you choose to wait until later, it's going to cost more.