Welcome to the week where, for the third time in US history, we shall have a presidential impeachment.
If you are not a student of American history, the previous times were that of Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. The most recent, Bill Clinton, had to do with lying under oath, resulting in President Clinton being disbarred by the Supreme Court from practicing law before them, and a suspension of his Arkansas law license for five years, as well as a $25K fine.
The articles of impeachment being tried before the US Senate this week are purely partisan.
Oh boy, I loved that staged “solemn” signing ceremony along with the showcase processional. As well, they are nebulous in nature, to say the least. Therefore, under the theme of comparative analysis, let’s examine this impeachment of President Donald Trump from the simple perspective of, who decides what is an abuse of power?
First, however, the second article of impeachment accuses President Trump of obstructing Congress. Well, just how many times did that happen with the Obama administration? Most notably with the fiasco called Operation Fast and Furious, not the movie, but the failed, criminal, gun walking scandal that resulted in the death of a US Border Patrol Agent, Brian Terry.
The ensuing House of Representatives oversight hearings requests for information was stonewalled by Obama AG Eric Holder. And yes, Holder was voted to be held in contempt. This, and other occasions, are examples of President Obama, to include citing executive privilege for members of his administration, for which the progressive socialist left, namely those supporting this article against President Trump, said nothing.
But who gets to decide what constitutes an abuse of power in America?
President Obama once quipped that he had a pen and a phone and that he would rule, not govern, our America by executive orders. Matter of fact, when Obama so boldly acclaimed that at a State of the Union address, the same folks accusing President Trump of abuse of power rose to their feet in thunderous applause and cheering.
So, let me understand this: President Obama can clearly assert, and from the podium of the US House of Representatives, that the legislative branch is irrelevant and that he would establish law, based upon his ideological agenda, by his own pen?
And yes, that is what he did with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Not to mention the countless times he amended the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, by executive fiat, not through the legislative process as established in our rule of law, our US Constitution. Obama acted far outside of his constitutional, enumerated powers…but Pelosi, Schumer, Reid, Nadler, Schiff, Waters said nothing.
Obama unleashed the power of a government agency, the IRS, against constitutional conservative grassroots organizations, Americans. These progressive socialist leftists are upset with Ukraine’s aid being delayed. They are claiming that President Trump abused his power. Barack Obama sent the Ukrainians MREs and socks as they faced an onslaught from Russian para-military forces…after all, Obama did promise to Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev more “flexibility” after his reelection. Chuck and Nancy said nothing then.
So, who gets to decide what is an abuse of power in America?
Right now, in Virginia, we see a disturbing example of an abuse of power. First, no Republican governor and attorney general who had been wearing blackface would still be in office. The political hypocrisy of the left is worthy of its very own analysis. Northam and his cronies are evidencing to all of America that the forced implementation of the ideological agenda of the left is not an abuse of power, regardless of its violation of individual constitutional rights, it is their nature.
Just as we have specific states and cities who declare themselves, sanctuary, for illegal immigrants, that is not an abuse of power. Nah, it is just the left being who they are.
When the President of the United States delegates decision-making authority to governors on resettling refugees, that is our system of federalism — and the 9th and 10th Amendments of our Constitution — at work.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott made the decision, within his enumerated power, to not receive any more refugees in the Lone Star State. However, a federal judge in Maryland has decided to block Governor Abbott’s decision…yes, a judge in Maryland. Is this not an abuse of power by this judge? Since when did an unelected jurist get the power to usurp the legal powers of a Governor? Then again, we have power driven judicial activists all over the Country, mostly left leaning, who fail to understand they do not make law…they interpret it.
Sadly, these jurists, leftists in black robes, feel they can decide what is an abuse of power in America.
Locally, why did former Houston Mayor Annise Parker feel that she had the authority to demand Christian Pastors surrender their sermons to her? Yep, she subpoenaed them for their faith-based messages they were delivering to their congregations. Problem for them was that they were speaking out against her desire to force her LGBTQ ideological agenda on the city.
Our Constitution clearly states that our very first right of our Bill of Rights is Freedom of religion and the free exercise thereof. Mayor Parker was acting no different than King Henry VIII who when his personal agenda was not accommodated by the Catholic Church, made up his own church. Robert Francis O’Rourke boasted that if churches did not accept same-sex marriage (which is not the law of the land; SCOTUS cannot make law), churches must lose their tax exempt status.
In Austin Texas, much to the anguish and protest of parents, the Independent School District (ISD) voted unanimously, 5-0, to institute a sex education curriculum for 3d-8th graders that can only be described as pornographic. The progressive socialist left believes their ends, their ideological agenda, justifies their means. And if you are standing in their way, you are indeed guilty of obstruction…that is their definition.
If I were the Senate Majority Leader, I would have held a press conference upon accepting the articles of impeachment. I would have stood at the podium and defined what abuse of power is in these United States of America, based upon our Constitution, and the evidence the Democrat [Socialist] party provides regularly.
I would then rip to shreds the Pelosi signed articles of impeachment and declared that the Democrat led House of Representatives had abused their power for partisan ideological agenda driven purposes. The US Senate shall not participate in this theater of the absurd…and then walked away.
It is time for someone with moral courage and intestinal fortitude to stand up to the progressive socialist left and their abuse of power. Who gives a damn if it causes the leftist media to go into an apoplectic rage…they do anyways.
This column was originally published at CNSNews
The views expressed in CCNS member articles are not necessarily the views or positions of the entire CCNS. They are the views of the authors, who are members of the CCNS.
