Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

There seems to be no end that Republicans are willing to go in their efforts to slow down the impeachment train that is headed to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. After hearing from witnesses over several weeks, both from executive branch employees and noted constitutional scholars, Republicans are still pushing the narrative that impeachment proceedings are “a charade” because the president has done nothing that is impeachable. They continue to follow President Trump by calling the hearings a witch-hunt or a hoax, as they try their best to use the public arena to defend the president. They have reluctantly admitted that President Trump did ask the Ukrainian president to do him a favor by investigating Joe and Hunter Biden. Their excuse has been that leaders between different nations “do that all of the time” asking for favors. That may be true, but it is done in the interest of national security, and not for personal gain. President Trump has convinced practically the entire Republican Party where party leaders continue to go on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, saying that Trump’s “request” was all about finding corruption in Ukraine. How convenient that the first names that came out of his mouth were that of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, and no one else. It is unheard of for a president to ask the head of a foreign state to investigate the person who according to election polls would handily defeat President Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Republicans don’t talk about the upcoming election, or whether they are concerned that Russia will once again sway the election to Trump. All of the intelligence agencies and even Robert Mueller said that the Russians interfered. Somehow, Republicans have convinced themselves in an effort to take the impeachment heat off President Trump, by insisting that Ukraine has something (a small portion) to do with election interference. It has not been proven, as there is no evidence. Nevertheless, Rudy is still out there looking for dirt.

Republicans argue that other nations “have interfered” in our elections, but there hasn’t been any retaliation done to those nations because the intelligence experts expect that to happen. However, they can’t explain why a president would specifically identify an opponent in an upcoming election that he is in, for his own personal gain. It has been reported that none of the other presidents that were up for reelection used a foreign power to help them win an election. The president is accused of not only trying to get dirt on Joe Biden as his reelection prospects are not good, but also Hunter, claiming that the younger Biden was involved in a corruption scheme where he was paid large sums of money. Republicans also will not mention that investigations had already been done, clearing both father and son. Republicans were in control of Congress before Trump became president up until 2018 when they lost control of the House, and kept the Senate, but never opened any new investigations into the Bidens.

Republicans know that unless Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi “has a change of heart”, an impeachment of the president in the House will happen. No one is calling Pelosi “dumb”, as the power is in her hands, and history has shown that Pelosi knows how to use it. Republicans have complained every step of the way that Democrats are being unfair. Democrats on various committees have followed the rules laid out by Republicans when they were in control of the House. An example of Republicans’ hypocrisy was shown when Newt Gingrich (remember him?) went on Fox and lamented how Democrats are “using Christmas” to launch an impeachment hearing, thereby “violating the sanctity” of the season. Now Christmas is two weeks away. However, thanks to Rachel Maddow who is on her game, played a video of guess who, leading an impeachment against then President Bill Clinton over his involvement with Monica Lewinsky. Guess what time of the year it was? Clinton was lighting the Christmas tree at the White House, but that didn’t stop Newt and his Republican friends. So the next time you hear Republicans say that Democrats are out “to get the president”, just remember who started it. Remember, the world is watching. So is God.