“And always let your conscience be your guide.” — Jiminy Cricket in the Walt Disney film “Pinocchio,” 1941
by Lynn Mandaville
It’s been a tough couple of weeks watching and listening to the happenings in Washington.
Whichever party one pays attention to – and I intently listen to both – there just seems to be a lot of hot air blowing around.
One side is pushing process while the other pushes content.
After two weeks I am stuck, wondering why this wasn’t, as my son Randy said, a slam dunk, that the president acted in a manner completely contrary to national interests, and completely focused on personal gain.
On one hand I feel helpless to point out the president’s transgressions, because staunch Trump supporters simply resort to party spin, pivot and manipulation of facts. On the other hand, I feel that it would be irresponsible to let Trump’s “normal” continue to establish its roots deeper and deeper into the social conscience.
I have tried to be a responsible watcher of the hearings this week. I would be dishonest if I didn’t admit that Adam Schiff has very carefully orchestrated rolling out the transcripts of the closed-door hearings, and the order of witnesses who have appeared this week, and those who are scheduled for next week.
Schiff is establishing a backdrop of what used to be normal behavior, process and protocol of the State Department and its foreign service employees, especially the ambassadors and charges’ de ’affairs, against which to contrast the President’s illicit activities.
Schiff has held strictly to predetermined rules of order to which committee members must adhere in addressing the body and the witnesses.
Though some Republican members have felt that Schiff has acted improperly, it must be admitted that the process has been relatively without chaos.
It has been refreshing to see Ambassador Taylor, Mr. Kent and former Ambassador Yovanovitch retain their calm demeanors in the face of such drama queens as Representatives Jim Jordan and John Ratcliff, while they posture for sound bites and a bit of attention for the voters back home.
It has been dismaying to watch the Republican membership cling to an attitude of disregard where the President’s conduct is concerned. They refuse to look at the content of Trump’s communications, despite his guilt staring them in the face.
Republicans have argued that certain testimony is inadmissible because it would not be admissible in court, disregarding the fact that what is happening is not a trial but a hearing.
What should have been abundantly clear to everyone the day Trump released the initial summary of the July 25th phone call, should be even clearer now with the revelation of a phone call between Trump and EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland on the 26th, and the President’s real time tweet during her committee appearance further intimidating Marie Yovanovitch. Trump has acted, over a protracted period, in a manner entirely unethical and perhaps illegal in an attempted shakedown of the new Ukrainian president in order to elicit an investigation of Hunter and Joe Biden.
It would be unfair to say that the nation has accepted the President’s overall, day-to-day conduct as normal. I rarely hear anyone say that his demeanor and behavior is normal. But it appears that the Republican Party has embraced his unorthodox ways and state daily that there is nothing amiss about it.
When a highly lauded United States Ambassador is seriously and very publicly maligned by the President of the United States, Republican Senators and Representatives are conspicuously mute, while the rest of us are picking our jaws up off the floor.
And that is just the latest example of our president’s callous, sloppy, juvenile and thuggish behavior.
I have finally come to grips with the fact that these hearings, and the inevitable filing of articles of impeachment, are necessary.
A divided nation may become more divided, and the Senate will, in all probability, acquit the President.
But it is absolutely appropriate and judicious that this be done in order, finally, once and for all, to call Donald Trump to account for his undesirable comportment, and conduct unbecoming any president, whether or not it be partisan in nature.
And while this process rolls forward, will anyone in the Republican fold be stricken by his or her conscience and do the right thing? Will any one of them put more value on the founding document of our nation than on selfish re-election to office? Will any one of them admit the emperor is naked?
Or has Jiminy Cricket left the room?
I completely agree, have the vote to impeach the president and get on with it without this Schitt circus. Move it to the Senate for a vote immediately to get this travesty of Democrat smear campaign over. Russia, Russia, Russia didn’t work, helpless, clueless Bob Mueller didn’t work, now the Swamp people in Washington want to nullify a lawful election. Get over Hillary’s ass whupping and start doing your jobs. Otherwise resign or retire. The American people are tired of your whining.
Hillary’s ass whupping? Most Americans, that bothered to vote, voted for Hillary. By the way, Roger Stone (and some others) may be feeling like the Meuller thing had some impact.
Mr. Basura,
You know very well you must win the electoral college vote to become president. Candidate Trump did his homework and concentrated on those states he could win and get the popular vote to equate to an electoral win. Hillary and her advisers were clueless. Bill knew different and told her she must not depend on past voting trends and to campaign in Wisconsin. Her hubris wouldn’t allow her to take his wise advice. Her avoidance of WI helped seal her fate.
Aren’t you die hard Democrats disturbed how she stole the primary from Bernie with cheating on the questions being presented during the debates? She is a despicable and detestable person. How much you Trump haters dislike the president doesn’t compare to my feelings about Mrs. Clinton.
And to those people that swore they would move out of the country if Trump won, why are you still here?
Its amazing to see how many people who call themselves Americans are anxious for authoritarian government.
What’s just as amazing is to watch multiple GOP members of Congress expose their ignorance on impeachment proceedings trying to imply impeachment has the same rules and procedures as a civil or criminal court.
Then many of the same members of Congress are critical of Congressman Schiff for operating the proceeding by the rules many of them voted to put in place when John Boehner was Speaker of The House. The GOP majority helped write those rules and agreed with them when others (like Hillary Clinton) were being investigated.
DTOM I’m wondering if you were born with the tunnel vision you so often reveal.
I have no problem with the lawful election; but doesn’t that imply that the winner should also be lawful and truthful? I’m still waiting for those two virtues to show up in our lawfully elected president.
Russia, Russia, Russia?? Are you trying to say you don’t have any qualms about Russia?
We should have known what kind of person tRUMP was when we watched him walk back and forth behind Hillary while she was speaking at the last campaign debates. A normal person with some sense of manners would never done that. It just showed us a man who constantly uses intimidation as a means of getting his way. He has shown himself to be the bully and tantrum throwing man/baby many of us thought he was.
While we are looking at personalities, you come across as a man who drives only one brand of automobile. If your beloved brand of automobile broke down in the middle of a huge desert, I doubt you would accept a ride offered to you if it involved any other brand of automobile.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that even if GOD (or in your case a MMA champion) ran for president that you wouldn’t vote for that person unless they were duly registered as a Republican.
Pat as you stated “In fact, I would go so far as to say that even if GOD (or in your case a MMA champion) ran for president that you wouldn’t vote for that person unless they were duly registered as a Republican.”
Shame on you, you do not know what DTOM’s relationship with God is. That comment is uncalled for and beneath despicable.
ROBERT M TRAXLER: I took that into consideration and is the reason I added the comment that followed in parentheses. Did you read all of the comment before you decided to reply?
For that matter, I don’t know anything about your religious leanings any more than you do about mine. It really is not relevant to this article. I was simply making a point and referring back to my comment about “tunnel vision”
If you have a problem with that, then follow your own moral compass. You notice that DTOM has not complained about my reference to God.
As you two keep saying, “Get over it!”
If anyone can keep the USA Great, it will be through working together for the good of the country and not for the individual party.
Mr. or Ms. Pat.
Thank you for the reply. You are correct – for years I had tunnel vision as a Democrat. I am probably the only person you’ve heard of that voted for Jimmy Carter twice! Probably the worst president ever but ahead of Barack Obama. I was also working in a company with a union, the worst place I ever worked at the time.
Why did I support President Trump? Because he wasn’t a politician or a D.C. swamp dweller. He doesn’t need the job, he’s rich and can’t be bought like career politicians. The Russia hoax was from the Steele dossier that Hillary and the Democrat Party paid for. It was their “insurance” to get him impeached. Her hatred knows no limits. I guess that’s what happens to you over time when married to a reprobate like Willie.
I have had 5 different American company vehicles and two Japanese. I have been stranded in the Mohave Desert in a moving truck (GMC) and would have gladly accepted any kind of help. Luckily, we were offered a ride In a Cadillac with three pretty ladies.