DON'T MOURN. ORGANIZE.

Well, maybe mourn a little.  But not at the expense of organizing.  This post is about the Senate impeachment trial, although given the news out of Iowa, it also applies to the caucus snafu.  Unproductive conspiracy mongering is one symptom of the Left’s circular firing squad mentality, and it could wind up re-electing Donald Trump.

The reporting problems in Iowa are still being unraveled as I write this, but conspiracy theorists are out in full force.  As I understand it, the Sanders camp asked for, and got, a new voting system, which turned out to be significantly more complicated than the old one, so it’s taking longer to get results out.  There have been no credible reports of hacking, or cheating.  Until such time as there is confirmation for those dark suspicions, I’ll assume the rumors are mostly Russo-Republican disinformation efforts. 

But for crying out loud, Iowa.  Drop this caucus thing and just vote.  And use paper ballots.

Meanwhile, back at the Senate, I want to offer a few words in support of the Democratic effort to impeach and remove Donald Trump.  Conviction and removal were always unlikely, but that doesn’t mean it was a waste of time.

Inevitably, the Guardians of Conventional Wisdom (i.e., center-right pundits) and the Arbiters of Progressive Purity (i.e., influencers and would-be influencers on the left) argue that the Senate’s vote to refuse additional witnesses proved that Democrats miscalculated in bringing impeachment to the Senate in the first place. This is an example of magical thinking common inside the Beltway, where Democrats must always be held responsible for Republicans’ mistakes as well as their own.    

In fact, there’s a much simpler explanation.  Logic and eloquence won’t turn partisan hacks into statesmen.  Truth, justice, and the American way were 20th century concepts that are no longer relevant to contemporary Republicans.

No, Trump and McConnell kept their minions in line in an even more old-fashioned way – with threats and bribes.  Your head on a pike if you cross Trump, or generous campaign contributions if you follow orders.  

It is possible to quibble about the timing of the impeachment hearings.  But no one knows how long it would have taken for a final decision if the Democratic leadership had opted to take Bolton, Mulvaney, etc., to court to compel their testimony.  What we do know is that Trump’s go-to tactic in lawsuits is to drag them out as long as possible.  Imagine the chaos if a Supreme Court ruling was delayed until right before the election.  Or until after the election.

As best I can tell, Democratic leadership played the hand they were dealt effectively.  Using the evidence available to them, they established Trump’s guilt so well that Trump’s motley crew of legal eagles had no answers.  They spouted nonsense and tried to change the subject.  By Friday’s vote on seeking additional witnesses, even some Republican senators were reduced to arguing, “OK, he’s guilty as charged, and so what?  He did what they say he did, and we don’t care.”.  They just wanted to get it over with, so they opted for jury nullification. 

Which again begs the question, why bother?  Why, since the outcome was predictable, did Democrats invest so much time and effort in a losing cause?  Why not get on with the presidential campaign, pick a nominee and duke it out at the ballot box in November?

Well, for one thing, Congressional Democrats swore to protect the Constitution.  I’m glad that at least one political party opted to obey their oath of office.  It’s also worth noting that impeachment is popular.  The best available polling last week indicated a significant majority in favor of calling witnesses, and at least a plurality in favor of conviction and removal. 

MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell points out that the (mostly Democratic) senators who voted “yes” on calling witnesses represent 19 million more people than the 51 senators who voted no.  How could that  be?  Here’s an example.  California has a population of 55 million.  Its two Democratic senators voted to hear witnesses.  Meanwhile, Arkansas, Mississippi, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Nebraska, and Kansas ADDED TOGETHER have fewer than 19 million people.  The 20 senators from those ten states all cast bright red votes against calling witnesses.  That’s how representatives of 19 million people can outvote representatives of 55 million.

Yes, there are some larger red states (e.g., Texas and Florida), and some smaller blue states (e.g., New Mexico and Hawaii).  But overall, the concessions that the Founding Fathers made to win the support of smaller states have, 244 years later, given the Republican Party a path (via the Senate and the Electoral College) to impose minority rule on the rest of the country.  The Senate used to be known as the world’s greatest deliberative body.  Now it’s overrun by grifters whose highest ambition is to supplement their income with campaign contributions until it’s time to become a lobbyist or a Fox commentator. 

I also want to be sure to mention Adam Schiff’s closing argument, in which he made it clear that the Senate, as well as the president, was on trial, and that history would judge the cover up as harshly as the original crime. 

Obviously, Democrats would have preferred to win the vote and call witnesses.  But if they had to lose the witness vote, the ideal loss would be by a single vote.  Which is exactly what happened. 

Not only were 51 Republican senators collectively responsible for abetting Trump’s cover up.  Individually, all 51 will also have to live with the burden of being the deciding vote.   

History will judge them, but let’s not wait for history.  We can hasten the process along by voting some of them out of office next November.  My unelected junior senator was one of the Filthy 51, and I’m looking forward to voting for Democrat Mark Kelly.  (This has been an unpaid political announcement.)  Don’t forget those down-ballot races!