With the numerous convictions, damning testimony and two years of Republican stonewalling, you would think Democrats would be in a hurry to move ahead with impeachment proceedings against President Trump. Instead, they seem to be dragging their feet, slogging along as the country continues its downward spiral.
What is the reasoning behind this?
Could it be Democrats learned from the Clinton impeachment hearings? The failure of Republicans to impeach President Bill Clinton was allegedly the impetus to his eventual re-election. Overreach by overly zealous Republicans in Congress achieved the exact opposite result from what they wanted. Democrats today hope to avoid this same fate.
The parallels between the two investigations are many.
The Clinton investigation started with a failed land deal and ended with a little blue dress.
The Trump investigation began with Russian involvement in the 2016 election and may be decided by similar allegations of infidelity. Both have been accused of numerous sexual assaults, and both fought these allegations.
The wayward investigation by Republicans and the extensive investigation by special prosecutor Ken Starr has served as a model for Congressional overreach and is a cautionary example for Democrats as they await the results of the Mueller investigation. Because of this, Democrats are being decidedly cautious, not wanting to risk handing Trump the same political impetus that Republicans provided Clinton.
So, let’s be patient. It’s quite possible that we may have to wait until 2020. We may need to wait until America has its say in the electoral process once again. Then, it can be up to the courts to decide guilt or innocence without politics.
CJ Waldron is a retired English teacher from upstate New York. An adjunct instructor at Horry Georgetown Technical College, he lives in Conway, SC with his wife, Donna.