“President Obama is begging to be impeached,” Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) told World Net Daily this past weekend.
But like many Republicans in Congress, Stockman doesn’t think impeachment now is the best option politically for his party. I heartily disagree. On both points.
I don’t think President Obama is begging to be impeached as much as I think he knows he’s going to be impeached. He’s already shopping for a post-presidential home – with three years left in his second term – and last week, his press secretary began doing the unthinkable, actually talking about impeachment as a real possibility. At best for the administration, that’s a bad PR move. I’m more inclined to believe they are trying to “get in front of the story.”
The other point – that Republicans are better situated if they wait until after the midterms – is a fallacy created by fear. Republicans were demolished in the 1998 midterms during which President Bill Clinton was being investigated, and they’ve never forgotten it.
That view seems to ignore the fact that the investigation into Clinton was focused on the President’s marriage infidelity and efforts to cover it up, not in any failure to obey his Oath of Office and constitutional responsibilities. And, during that same time, President Clinton’s approval rating was moving upward, not sliding into an abyss.
Compare that to the current case building against President Obama: Benghazi, IRS targeting of conservative organizations, NSA spying on everyday citizens, the use of government agencies to harass and/or coerce political opponents, and refusal to enforce laws he disagrees with politically. Couple that, then, with the news on Friday that the President’s approval rating has fallen to an impossibly low 39 percent.
Republicans are, plain and simple, just too chicken to impeach right now. But, I also think President Obama is scared, too.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is soliciting money to bolster Democrat chances this coming November, specifically identifying an “imminent” threat of impeachment. Scare tactic? Perhaps, but last quarter, the DCCC out-raised its Republican counterpart by more than 2-to-1.
No, I think the DCCC honestly believes there will be an impeachment proceeding that they need to combat. And so President Obama is trying to get as much of the rest of his presidential bucket list accomplished as he can before he’s done. Case in point: reports that he is considering a wide-reaching amnesty-by-fiat executive order, granting legal status to up to 5 million illegals.
The only case for impeachment in U.S. history that has been this strong was the Watergate scandal that resulted in President Nixon’s resignation. So, it would seem to beg the question: why are Republicans so terrified of the prospect of impeaching another Democrat president?
The Constitution is quite clear on the role of Congress in a situation like our nation is facing. Impeachment was the only tool given to Congress to deal with a tyrannical chief executive. And with an approval rating of just 15 percent, one would think they would be even keener to do their job on behalf of We the People.
I don’t think the November elections are a sure bet for Republicans. I think there is a wave of discontent in the U.S. we haven’t seen in a very long time, and it’s time to pay the piper. “Anti-incumbency” will quickly become the new catchphrase between now and November, if Congress fails to confront the President.
If Republicans really want to steamroll the Democrats this coming November – as they should, given the political climate – they need to go on the offensive. Now.
Follow Us