No not really, but since so many members of Congress and Media alike have been voicing such for the past month, I figured I’d pull at your heart strings as well.
Over the past few weeks there have been many article and blog rumblings contemplating impeachment of President Obama and, as normal, the majority of those posts only speak of possible “high crimes and misdemeanors” in abbreviated narrative all the while forgetting the process of impeachment.
Here's a hint: It doesn't happen over night!
It would be boring to the entire story, which is the problem with today’s Media; they only want you to know the juicy stuff. Why would anyone want to have a well informed reader?
Any Political novice knows that Political Science 101 informs us that for any Impeachment of a President to happen it must begin with the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee and only the House Judiciary Committee chairman can decide whether or not a presidential action is an impeachable action.
So let’s stop there and think about that. Has any member of the HRJC introduced any impeachment resolution? No.
Yet the talk of such is lustful just to get the people enraged for one.
Take Texas Rep Blake Farenthold, whom at a town hall meeting in August stated that “the House Republicans have enough votes to impeach President Obama” but within the same breathe said “it would be unsuccessful and could damage the country.”
Dangle the carrot a little more why don’t you Blake?
No, ok so I will just for your entertainment value or is it my entertainment value?
Of all the complaints of NSA spying, Benghazi, IRS scandal and even the “Birther” notion, not one of these constitutes reason for resolution?
Cowards
Now, if the Judiciary Committee chairman deems an action as impeachable, that person can introduce a resolution calling for a formal inquiry into the issue of impeachment and those findings will create yet another resolution to be sent to the House on whether or not impeachment proceeding get a “green light.”
But the amount of time between the formal inquiry resolution and “green light” resolution can be lengthy.
For example, in 1994, the House began an inquiry investigation into President Clinton over Whitewater within months of taking office. That investigation led into the Monica Lewinsky inquiry investigation over a year later.
By December 1998, the House finally had the “green light” to start the Impeachment debate
Got that, it took 4 years to go from Point A to Point B.
Once the House has voted in favor of Impeachment, it all comes down to the Senate to hold the trial and they get to set the rules (Reminder: Democrats hold the majority in today's Senate, so guess how this may go).
In any impeachment trial, the President is represented by his lawyers, selected House members play Prosecutors, Supreme Court Chief Justice holds the gavel and all 100 members of the Senate play jury.
Returning to the example of the President Clinton impeachment trial, it began on Jan 9, 1999 and ended on Feb 12, 1999. That’s 5 weeks of trial, so that’s plenty of time for Senator John McCain to play his Iphone poker app.
For a sitting president to be convicted it takes 2/3 of the Senate to vote in favor of impeachment and removal from office. And for added salt to the impeachment wound, the Senate can also add a provision of prohibiting the impeached from ever holding public office in any form ever again.
See how boring fact-filled articles can be? No wonder Media strays away from it so often.
So fast forwarded to today and the calls to start Impeachment of President Barrack Obama and just using the exampled President Clinton time frame, if the House began Impeachment inquiry today, one could expect a Senate impeachment trial to begin for President Obama around December 28, 2016 and vote by Inauguration Day 2017.
That’s it, slap the tap, I’ll keep the beer cool and the peanut bowl filled waiting for you on the ascension swearing in of the new President Biden/VP Boehner.
Until then, pay your political tab.
Cheers!
