Remove, Impeach, Impeach

Join our campaign to persuade Congress to defeat the coup with a counter-attack.

Writer’s Note: This is the fourth in a series of posts on the subject of Impeachment, the most effective path for defeating the on-going attack on our Democratic Republic.

Previous posts may be found here:

1) February 5 - Resistance Is Not Enough

2) February 12 - To Stop the Coup, Impeach the Traitor

3) February 18 - Impeachment is Imperative

Whether coup d’état or constitutional crisis, this is war.

We may be winning in the courts, but we’re losing on the ground.

There are no guns or bullets, but it’s undeniable that our Democratic Republic has been attacked. Caught by surprise (though not without warning), an infantry of young techno-soldiers has invaded federal buildings and disrupted government operations, captured or destroyed vital resources and eliminated vast numbers of our front-line defenders.

The people have responded vigorously with public protests, which are growing in size and number across the country, and they’ve flooded their representatives’ offices with phone calls, emails and personal visits. Contrary to the attackers’ expectations, rather than cowering in fear Americans are joining together across divisions recently thought to be unbridgeable. Citizens are crowding into town hall meetings in districts red and blue, challenging Congress Members of both parties to lead a united opposition.

At the same time, multiple lawsuits have been filed by an ever more diverse group of organizations and State officials. The extent of this administration’s lawlessness is so audacious that Temporary Restraining Order requests are being routinely granted, even by Judges appointed by Donald Trump.

Signs of a robust and growing Resistance Movement are everywhere. And yet . . .

The attacks have continued to multiply. Every day brings another round of Executive Orders, funding cut-offs, dismissal of senior officials as well as mid-level employees, and the shuttering of offices. Last Friday, our highest ranking military officers were relieved of duty and replaced by incompetent sycophants, thereby putting our national security at risk. The pace is breath-taking, the damage likely irreversible.

Protests and lawsuits are essential, and inspiring. But in the face of an onslaught described by the attackers themselves as “shock and awe,” they have been unable to halt the unrelenting assaults.

If public protests get too large or unruly, we can expect to encounter an armed response to suppress them. And there’s every reason to believe that the cadre of determined oligarchs and aspiring authoritarians orchestrating this aggressively lawless operation will ultimately defy whatever court-ordered injunctions may be ordered. Already both the President and Vice President have resurrected Andrew Jackson’s famous declaration “(Chief Justice) John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it!"

All of this implies that everything we’ve been doing so far, even if finally successful, will be too little too late. Once the house is burned down, it’s gone.

The only way to stop arsonists is to prevent them from starting the next fire. Or in this case, the only way to defeat the attackers is to mount a counter-attack. And the best weapon for the counter-attack is Impeachment.

The Impeachment weapon is sufficiently powerful to accomplish the task at hand precisely because it summons the full authority of the Article I Legislative Branch to limit the excesses of the Article II Executive Branch. We the People, through our Representatives, have the means to defend ourselves from the imminent destruction of our democracy. But this weapon can only be deployed if there is bipartisan support for doing so. Or in formal parliamentary terms, a cross-party alliance must arise to act with determination and unitary purpose.

We mustn’t delude ourselves. This is not easy.

It won’t be enough to march in the streets carrying signs calling for “Impeachment Now!” We must engage and persuade specific Republican legislators in Congress to make difficult decisions, and to take extraordinary measures while working in concert with Democratic legislators.

And because it isn’t easy, many of our fellow progressives and Democratic “leaders” are already tempted to surrender in advance, believing that it will never happen anyway so why bother trying. We can’t let that deter us. Impeachment is undeniably the best path to a decisive victory. So persuading our activist colleagues to join the effort has become as important as persuading potential Republican allies.

In the three posts linked at the top of this post, the rationale for, and the mechanics of a successful Impeachment effort are described in some detail. (For those who’ve not already read them, there is a brief summary following the contact information for Representatives listed below.) As explained in those previous posts, before any Impeachment can proceed, a critical mass of nine Republicans in the House must decide that it is warranted. While they need not be the ones listed here, these are among the most likely to reach that decision earliest.

Contact one or all, as well as your own home district Representative. Insist that they consider Impeachment to end the crisis. Call or write repeatedly, and keep in mind that we’re just laying the groundwork at this time. By demonstrating to nervous politicians that there is growing demand for Impeachment, it will become more viable and easier for them to support.

House Republicans

Don Bacon: (202) 225-4155 D.C. —— (402) 938-0300 District Office

• 2104 Rayburn House Office Building —Washington, DC 20515

• District Office: 3906 Gold Circle, Suite 101 — Omaha, NE 68144

Brian Fitzpatrick: (202) 225-4276 D.C. —— (215) 579-8102 District Office

• 271 Canon House Office Building - Washington, DC 20515

• District Office: 1717 Langhorne Newtown Rd. Suite 225 — Langhorne, PA 19047

David Joyce: (202) 225-5731 D.C. —— (440) 352-3939 District Office

• 2065 Rayburn House Office Building -- Washington, DC 20515

• District Office: 8500 Station Street, Suite 390 — Mentor, OH 44060

Andrew Garbarino: (202) 225-7896 D.C. —— (631) 541-4225 District

• 2344 Rayburn House Office Building — Washington, DC 20515 — Fax: (202) 226-2279

• District Office: 31 Oak St., Suite 20 — Patchogue, NY 11772

Dan Newhouse: (202) 225-5816 D.C. —— (509) 452-3243 District

• 504 Cannon House Office Building — Washington, DC 20515 — Fax: (202) 225-3251

• District Offices: 402 E. Yakima Ave., Suite #1000 — Yakima,WA 98901 Fax: (509) 452-3438 and 3100 George Washington Way #130 — Richland,WA 99354 — (509) 713-7374

Young Kim (R-CA-40): (202) 225-4111 D.C. —— (714) 984-2440 District

• 2439 Rayburn House Office Building — Washington, DC 20515

• District Offices: 180 N. Riverview Dr. Suite 150 — Anaheim, CA 92808 (714) 984-2440 and Mission Viejo City Hall —200 Civic Center — Mission Viejo, CA 92691 — (949) 268-6706

Ashley Hinson: (202) 225-2911 D.C. —— (319) 364-2288 District

• 1717 Longworth House Office Building - Washington,DC 20515

• District Office: 118 Third Avenue SE, Suite 206 — Cedar Rapids,IA 52401

David Valadao: (202) 225-4695 D.C. —— (661) 864-7736 District

• 2465 Rayburn House Office Building — Washington, DC 20515

• District Offices: 2700 M Street, Suite 250B — Bakersfield, CA 93301 — Fax: (833) 284-9090 and 107 South Douty Street — Hanford, CA 93230 — (559) 460-6070 Fax: (559) 584-3564

Mike Lawler: (202) 225-6506 D.C324 - - (845) 201- 2060 District

• 324 Cannon House Office Building — Washington, DC 20515

• District Office:: One Blue Hill Plaza, Third Floor, P.O. Box 1645 — Pearl River, NY 10965 and 60 McAlpin Ave. — Mahopac, NY 10541 — (845) 743-7130

House Democratic Leadership Phone Numbers

• Minority Leader: Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), 202-225-5936

• Minority Whip: Katherine Clark (D-MA), 202-225-2836

• Caucus Chair: Pete Aguilar (D-CA), 202-225-3201

• Speaker Emerita: Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), 202-225-4965

Summary of Previous Impeachment Posts

Distilled to its briefest form, here are the main points:'

1. Analysts, historians and constitutional scholars have characterized actions being taken by the Trump Administration as a coup d’état, a constitutional crisis, or a crime spree.

   For each of these, the best remedy is Impeachment. The only way to defeat a coup d’état is to deny the perpetrators their power to succeed. The only way to resolve a Constitutional Crisis is to exercise powers established within the Constitution itself. The only way to halt a crime spree is to deny the criminals their freedom to commit crimes. Replacing the perpetrators with office-holders who will honor their oaths definitively ends the attacks on the rule of law.

2. Whereas previous impeachments have charged the President with specific statutory violations, that is not required by Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution.

   In this case, the extraordinary step of Impeaching the President would be taken for the purpose of defending the country from a coordinated attack on the government and its institutions. It is no one’s first choice. But as the damage continues to mount, Impeachment is becoming the only feasible way to ensure survival of our democracy.

   While some have questioned the legitimacy of resorting to Impeachment under these circumstances, there’s no reason, legal or practical, to exclude it as an option. Indeed, without it we are almost completely defenseless.

   If the cause for Impeachment is not Treason or Bribery, it falls under the category of “other high Crimes or Misdemeanors.” The Library of Congress’ commentary on Impeachment explains that this term is intentionally vague and essentially may encompass whatever behavior Congress determines to be impeachable.

3. Since the attacks being mounted against the United States would continue if the Vice President or current Speaker of the House were to succeed to the presidency, action must also be taken to prevent that from happening.

   That means the House must replace Speaker Johnson before initiating Impeachment Proceedings. Under Rules passed for the 119th Congress, at least nine members of the Speaker’s own party must bring a “motion to vacate the chair” in order to remove him from the Speakership. This must not be interpreted as a call to replace the Republican Speaker with a Democratic one. It is not. To preserve the integrity of our democracy, it’s essential that Republicans retain the Presidency and majority control of the House at least until the next election.

4. Thus our first task is to persuade a critical mass of moderate Republicans to join with their Democratic colleagues in a cross-party alliance to defend the United States Government against its domestic enemy.

   We can not predict how long this will take. Since we will encounter reluctance even from some of our fellow progressive, a campaign to raise public awareness of the necessity to Impeach must be part of the effort.

   Posting on social media and in the comment sections of online publications, as well as spreading the word at meetings and demonstrations, will help to generate interest. We should also raise the subject when contacting Democratic legislators whose support will be essential.

   As the effects of this President’s reckless and illegal actions ripple through every level of society, there will be irresistible pressure on Congress to act. That may very well be sooner rather than later. When it finally does happen, we want to be sure that Impeachment is already a part of the conversation.

Let’s get to work now, before it’s too late.

This is a network of ordinary citizens. In a democracy, we exercise our power by raising our voices. To be silent is to be powerless.