Trump’s impeachment strategy (and its possible consequences).

The Cynic has not opined about impeachment for one reason: it seemed like an open-and-shut case — in the president’s favor.

The president asked Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. The Democrats contend that the request was for the express purpose of securing info on Joe Biden to, in turn, rig the 2020 election. The trigger for the entire House of Representatives investigation was the assertion that the president withheld, or threatened to withhold, aid to Ukraine until such an investigation was commenced.

The president then released a transcript of his conversation which he claims exonerates him. The Democrats, MSNBC (Chris Matthews) and CNN (Jeffrey Toobin) insist, on the other hand, that the transcript condemns the president.

So, after a hurried investigation, the Dems in the House voted two articles of impeachment: obstruction of Congress (really?) and abuse of power.

The Republicans keep yelling for anyone who will listen that the aid was in fact delivered to Ukraine in spite of the conversation, or in American vernacular, “no harm, no foul.”

But this argument by the Republicans seems shallow. It encourages the dismissal of the articles without addressing the alleged transgression. The president’s request to Zelensky to investigate continues to dangle untouched, for any of Trump’s opponents or enemies to point to as evidence of the president’s unfitness to hold the world’s highest office.

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The Moderate Dems and Mayor Pete

From an outsider’s perspective, it looks as though Joe Biden will not be able to sustain a lead far enough into next year to sustain momentum.  Obviously, a vacuum would be created in the moderate wing of the Democratic Party if he were to drop out.  Proceeding from there leaves us to speculate on who will take his place.

Two possibilities:

First, someone will emerge from within the group of announced candidates.  This is difficult because none present as moderate as Biden; in fact, he has been forced to move so far left that he looks agonizingly uncomfortable when he tries to pass off as authentic.  He does not seem to have a clear grasp of the left agenda, which is much more important to his campaign than him actually believing his rhetoric.

HOWEVER…watch out for Mayor Pete.

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Debate preview.

Looking forward to this week’s Democratic debates.  It should be a contest to see which candidate can promise the most, to the most.  It may become difficult to keep all of the promises and their corresponding promises straight.

It could become a bit frightening if promises start to cause candidates to increase in popularity — then there may be no end to them.