Washington (GGM) Analysis | December 19, 2019
by Noreen Wise
Wednesday evening December 18, 2019, the United States House of Representatives upheld their oath of office, moral conviction, and determination to protect our democracy by voting on two Articles to impeach Donald J. Trump, the 45th president of the United States.
- 230 Dems voted YES
- 197 GOP voted NO
- 1 Dem present, Tulsi Gabbard, but no vote cast
Article II: Obstruction of Congress
- 229 Dems voted YES
- 198 GOP voted NO
- 1 Dem present, Tulsi Gabbard, but no vote cast
In light of the clear and overwhelming evidence regarding Trump’s shakedown of the Ukraine president to undermine his political rival in the 2020 election, Joe Biden, as well as obstruction of Congress when they began investigating the matter, the unfortunate lack of GOP support for impeachment shows a unified GOP front to back the president rather than the Constitution. A very sad reality for America.
“A president who subverts both our elections and our constitutional system of checks & balances puts himself above the law. It’s Congress’ duty to hold the president, any president, accountable. It gives us no pleasure, no pleasure to stand here today. But President Trump’s conduct has put our next election at risk. President Trump’s behavior puts the integrity of Constitutional order at risk. And President Trump’s continued actions put the rule of law at risk.” ~Jerry Nadler, Chairman House Judiciary Committee, December 18, 2019, following the impeachment of Donald J. Trump
What I found to be the most powerful and inspirational moment of this historic day, was the morning impeachment rally on the Capitol side lawn in front of Mitch McConnell’s office sponsored by a coalition of grass roots advocacy groups to protect our democracy and unite us all together to confront this anti-American aggression. It was a carryover of the more than 600 Impeachment Eve rallies held across the country the night before, with horrified Americans pouring onto the streets from coast-to-coast to protest Trump’s behavior and defiance of the constitution.
The sentiments shared with the public by a host of guests speakers during the morning rally were the ones I grew up on. The same values my father believed in when he expressed to his children the importance of our democracy every July 4th. The ones the veterans recounted when they stood and spoke of their willingness to risk their lives to protect our democracy for all Americans, and challenged politicians to be willing to sacrifice their jobs to protect the Constitution. Other speakers outlined examples throughout American history, about the many contentious turning points, but reminding us that our democracy had prevailed because of our Constitution and rule of law.
The rally speeches were pure, untarnished American values and ideals that we all surely remember but haven’t heard much of during these three Trump years. It was the parting of the fierce, dark storm clouds with the bright beams of sunlight filtering through. A message of hope and belief and inspiration that conjurs up so many memories, for me it was the July 4th summer evenings, sitting on the grass at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut watching the fireworks with my many cousins. My father would challenge us to dream a big dream, because in America we can accomplish any dream, so shoot for the stars.
© Copyright 2018 – 2019. ALL Rights Reserved.