Impeachment is here, and opinions are varied. Media produces a constant stream of arguments about whether or not the process is the correct political strategy. The consistent reinforcement of binary points of view reinforces our growing polarization. We need an alternative vision of the future, one that rejects the trend of conflict. With a little imagination, we can turn impeachment into the first ripple of a new wave to unite Republican and Democratic voters.
Although the full evidence is currently unavailable to the public, the testimonies so far suggest that it will be difficult to deny a crime was committed. Donald Trump’s acting Chief of Staff admits that there was a quid pro quo, an illegal act under article II, section 4 of the United States Constitution [1]. With public trials set to begin tomorrow, we’re moving quickly towards a conclusion.
There is no question that soliciting a foreign nation to research a political opponent is an impeachable offense. What is uncertain is how the American people will react to the impeachment process and how the Senate trial will play out. Americans seem to be shifting to support the impeachment process [2]. Still, our current trajectory is causing deep divides in the American psyche, which will remain without regard to the final results.
Every scenario that presents us with negativity creates the possibility for positive outcomes. Using the impeachment process to unify the two parties requires a significant sacrifice from each. Suffering these humilities unites us around the central theme of rooting out corruption in our government.
Democratic voters must recognize, embrace, and prioritize the grievances of the rural white working-class relating to corruption. We do so knowing full well that this concession may lead to the downfall of long-time democratic representatives who have been playing foul. We argue that we must impeach because Trump broke the law. Well, if that’s true, then there can be no more sacred cows. It’s time to pull all the skeletons out.
The second burden falls to Republican voters. Unifying around impeachment means supporting impeachment if Trump violated constitutional law. Ending government corruption requires that we embrace the idea that no person is above the law: Certainly not the most powerful elected official. Republican voters are the heroes of this story. They lead with trust and take the first step towards uniting America.
A nation of principles and laws can only claim that descriptive if they are willing to enforce them.
Impeaching Donald Trump is somewhat hypocritical. Why are democrats choosing to attack President Donald Trump instead of everyone else involved in foul play? The question is not without merit.
Take, for example, Hunter Biden’s appointment to the board of Burisma Holdings. It’s a Ukrainian natural gas company, and Hunter lacks substantive experience working in Ukraine or the energy sector. He received compensation that was reportedly as high as $50,000 a month [3]. The right isn’t wrong when they cry foul on this arrangement.
What about legal corruption, such as insider trading? It’s no secret that Congress members have access to privileged information about corporations in the United States, and members of both parties are involved in profiting.
In 2008, Visa offered congresswoman Nancy Pelosi IPO stock access just as H.R. 5546, which Visa strongly opposed, arrived at the House for a vote. Pelosi and her husband purchased 5,000 shares at $44 per share. Two days later, the stock price increased to $64 per share. Pelosi gained $100,000 overnight. When H.R. 5546 was put forth, Speaker Pelosi refused to bring it to a vote [4].
More recently, Republican Chris Collins of New York’s 27th District pleaded guilty to insider trading and resigned from his position. Collins tipped off his son that a company he invested in had failed its clinical drug trials. The knowledge saved Collins’ son $768,000 in losses as they liquidated the stocks before the announcement [5].
The list of political corruption scandals is long, varied, and spans both parties [6]. American politics has historically been a pathway to personal wealth and power. Republican or Democrat it doesn’t matter, the average American is frustrated with the political class and their consistent trend of gaming the system to enrich themselves. Here our shared desire to end corruption in government leads us to the first seeds of unification.
The central theme of our unifying movement is a choice to support a more pure form of justice. One that treats all individuals equal under our body of laws and encourages a rapid transformation of legal arrangements that fail to reflect and represent the values of American society today. Justice is said to be blind, but in the United States, her eyes are wide open. The wealthy and the poor exist within two different realms of authority and privilege.
Unifying the country beyond current ideological divides, begins with finding common ground. If Republicans, Democrats, and others can agree that flushing out corruption in government is a top priority, then we have a real opportunity to move forward. There is no higher rank, position, and responsibility in this country than the President. It is precisely because of his power and stature that the transformation begins with the impeachment of Donald Trump.
If we are unwilling to demand legal equality for our most powerful, we have no hope of achieving it for the common man. Republican voters lead the way in protecting American democracy and law, setting the tone for how we the people demand accountability from our government. Here we break free of the limitations imposed on us by a tribalist political party system in favor of a more collaborative approach to justice.
Democrats recognize that in return for their trust and cooperation, the concerns of Republican voters are heard and acted upon. Our journey for justice doesn’t end with Donald Trump. He is our point of departure. The impeachment should be the first of many investigations into the rampant corruption happening in Congress today. In the spirit of cooperation, Democrats give Republicans the first choice of where to focus after Donald Trump.
Want us to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden’s actions in depth? So be it. Hillary Clinton’s emails? Sure, if that’s what you want to use your turn on. The process could continue, back and forth, until the majorities of both parties feel like we have done our due diligence. This partnership holds the potential to route out deep rot. We can join together to unmask Jeffrey Epstein’s network, collect what is due from Americans identified in the Panama Papers, and much more.
The process can continue, back and forth, until both sides are satisfied. Immediately after impeachment, Republican voters decide the next investigation. After it is complete, we refine our process. Developing ground rules to ensure that frivolous, sham, and personal attack investigations are avoided from both parties if they lack proper supporting evidence.
All investigations should be conducted independently, free from political influence. Results should be presented in full to us in a variety of formats. Expanding democracy means engaging the public consistently in a form that resonates with them. It’s no longer enough for Congress to release a 1400 page document, content should be provided in video, audio, and summaries as well.
Members of both parties should recognize that elected officials may come out against this radical cooperation demanding justice. A unity movement is a people’s movement. We have everything to gain and little to lose except corrupt career politicians. There’s likely little hope of this movement gaining Congressional support without firm demands from constituents.
Every investigation provides our united front with the potential to reshape our political institutions. In scenarios where corruption seems evident but legally shrouded, we band together to demand bi-partisan cooperation in removing these political class privileges. We demand justice, accountability, clarity, and, most important, reform.
These actions aren’t without cost. Each investigation is an investment of tax dollars and time, so we’ll want to ensure that there is proper supporting evidence before pursuing any pathways. Strengthening national unification has a price, but one that is sure to pay dividends.
The possibility exists that there is enough corruption in Congress today to radically reshape the participants. We could ensure the process includes special public elections to replace congressional representatives found guilty of a crime.
Elected officials may refuse as a whole to move forward with the process. A people’s movement would track, mark, and focus on ensuring that these individuals were removed from public office. Refusing to prosecute corruption in a representative democracy where constituents overwhelmingly support it is a dereliction of duty. We will learn much about the character of our elected officials through this collaborative effort.
Uniting around impeachment is the first step in a long journey. Together Republican and Democratic voters have to commit to becoming more involved in the process of choosing our representatives. If we demand candidate transparency and access but are unwilling to take our local, state, and federal elections seriously, we’re just wasting our time.
Healing our national divisions begins with imagining possible projects for us to join together around. In this example, our unity takes the form of a return to justice. We demand to exist in a society where elected leadership are bound to the same laws and degrees of punishment as the common man. Together Republicans and Democrats unite around the construction of ideals defining not who we are but who we want to be. It’s a movement that only a unified people can bring, one that would profoundly change the course of American justice towards good.
[1] In Defending Trump, Mulvaney Admits Quid Pro Quo He Later Denies By Jennifer A Dlouhyand Ben Brody Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-18/in-defending-trump-mulvaney-admits-quid-pro-quo-he-later-denies
[2] Modest Changes in Views of Impeachment Proceedings Since Early September Pew Research https://www.people-press.org/2019/10/17/modest-changes-in-views-of-impeachment-proceedings-since-early-september/
[3] Why Trump’s Ukraine scandal could backfire on Biden By MARC CAPUTO, NATASHA KORECKI and BEN SCHRECKINGER Politico https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/21/trump-ukraine-biden-1507051
[4] Congress Cashes in on Insider Trading Represent Us
[5] A former Republican Congressman pleads guilty to insider trading Reuters https://news.yahoo.com/former-republican-congressman-pleads-guilty-214631231.html
[6] List of federal political scandals in the United States Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_political_scandals_in_the_United_States