Street Smart

As I write this the D.C. Democrats are one day away from opening their second impeachment of former President Donald Trump. I don’t get it! I’ve been trying to figure out why so much effort is being put into impeaching a man who no longer holds the office. Most scholars agree that moving forward with the impeachment is unconstitutional. Beyond that, everyone pretty much agrees that (like the first impeachment effort), there simply won’t be enough votes for a conviction. So, why are the Democrats so focused on getting this done?

I think it’s just plain fear. Donald Trump struck shear fear/panic in the Democrats and they are terrified that he’ll be back for another run at the presidency in four years. A successful impeachment would mean Donald Trump is prohibited by law from running again and that, in my opinion, is the ultimate goal. I believe that “Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS)” is a real thing and the D.C. Democrats can’t get past that.

My next thought then is, why are the D.C. Democrats so afraid of Donald Trump? I believe it’s because he saw right through them and exposed their tactics. He wasn’t afraid to take them on. I think back to the term “draining the swamp” from Trump’s 2016 campaign and feel I have a better understanding of D.C. Democrat’s panic. Career criminals don’t like having the light of truth focused on them! This latest impeachment effort will fail just like the last one did, but, D.C. Democrats feel they have to try. It’s a matter of self defense for them.

Next, I think of the incredible (yet typical) hypocrisy in all of this. Washington Democrats are hanging their impeachment hat on Trump’s use of incendiary language before the riot on January 6, 2021. I marvel at how they can so easily forget their own culpability. Let’s have a look at just one example. In June of 2018, Maxine Waters said the following regarding the Trump administration and supporters, “If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them and tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.” Incendiary? I think so. There are other similar instances, but no need to belabor the point.

D.C. Democrats also have a pretty skewed view of what constitutes a riot and what doesn’t. Here’s an example from the other day. Representative Cori Bush, D-Missouri, was very outspoken in her condemnation of the January 6 riot at the Capitol. According to her, former President Trump and all of his supporters are nothing but a bunch of white supremacist criminals. On the other hand, when commenting on a jail riot in her state, Representative Bush shared the following quote from Martin Luther King, “A riot is the language of the unheard.” So what’s the truth? Is a riot that supports the Democrat political agenda a valid tactic and vehicle for change or a criminal act? All year long we’ve seen video of rioting all over the nation. Seldom did we hear any condemnation of this rioting by any of the D.C. Dems. Biden hasn’t come out and made a definitive statement and he still claims that ANTIFA is a movement not an organization. Weird, the ANTIFA rioters I’ve confronted over the years looked pretty organized to me. Also, we now have a vice president who helped organize a bail fund for rioters! How would that have played out if someone from the Trump administration had done the same thing?

Now let’s have a look at follow up from the rioting. Look at Portland and Seattle. Those two cities civilly exploded last summer and hundreds of arrests were made. However, there was no aggressive prosecution. Most of the cases were not even presented for a criminal filing. Many of those arrested have been jailed multiple times! Contrast that with the Capitol rioting. In that instance, there is a very aggressive effort to arrest and prosecute those who criminally participated. I strongly support that. However, I can’t help but wonder about the difference in the way the Capitol riot arrests are being handled compared to Portland and Seattle. I think any reasonable person would have the same questions.

This second impeachment effort against Donald Trump is even more foolish than the first one. I wonder what might be accomplished if the same amount of work was expended looking for ways to help the American people. Shouldn’t our representatives be working for us? How about COVID? How about healthcare and unemployment? We have dozens of issues much more important than a "doomed from the outset" impeachment trial. Seventy-five million people voted for Donald Trump and that fact terrifies the left. Joe Biden is an ineffectual leader and that fact too is known and frightening to them. It’s too bad that political agendas are getting in the way of working through all the problems, but, is anyone reading this really surprised?

Blaine Blackstone is a retired Los Angeles Police Sergeant who enjoys the simpler life in Thompson Falls.