If President Obama had behaved exactly the same, ALL of the Republicans would have convicted

[steve2470]

Before you start flaming me, OF COURSE President Obama would have NEVER acted this way if he had lost re-election in 2012.

We all know McConnell and his band of cowardly scumbags would have voted to convict. We all know this.

I also believe IF...IF...IF...President Obama had acted the same, that enough Democratic Senators would have voted to convict. That is what makes Democrats morally superior to the Republicans. Yes, maybe some Democrats would have been cowards, but at least enough would have voted to convict.

THE REPUBLICANS ARE COWARDLY FASCISTS. It is 100% clear. The 7 Republicans and Democrats voted for democracy. 43 Republicans voted for fascism.

[Rick Rolle]

1. And Democrats would have voted to acquit.

This whole trial has been about a political theater. Impeachment is always about politics.

Congress already has the authority, under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, to bar Trump from ever holding federal office again. It will take only a simple majority vote, which the Democrats could pull off, to exercise their authority.

I'm not sure why they chose the impeachment route, especially knowing full well that there would be no conviction in the Senate.

[Turin_C3PO]

2. Democrats would

most certainly have not voted to acquit Obama if he provoked an insurrection. That’s insulting to suggest Dems would tolerate that.

[steve2470]

6. agreed

If the Democratic Senators had voted to acquit President Obama of similar conduct, I would have resigned from the Democratic Party and become Independent. I think most other Democrats would have done the same. We believe in the Constitution, no matter our party or the politics of the moment.

As I said below, I still do not believe Clinton committed a high crime or misdemeanor. Perjury ? Yes. Perjury is not a high crime or misdemeanor. Clinton was censured and lost his law license. There is NO comparison between what Clinton did and what Trump did. Absolutely none.

[Takket]

3. Al Franken and Katie Hill say hi.......

[steve2470]

5. precisely nt

[steve2470]

4. eh, I don't think we are as cowardly as they are

Yes, some of them are, but we agree to disagree.

The Clinton impeachment was pure politics. Clinton got censured. He lost his law license. But impeachment over perjury relating to a blowjob ? Not quite a high crime or misdemeanor to me.

[Rick Rolle]

7. I agree that the Clinton impeachment was political

But the vote was, essentially, a party-line vote. The fact remains that President Clinton was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice, and the final Senate vote was pretty much along party lines.

Impeachment is, by its nature, a political process. The "crimes" with which the President is charged are whatever the House of Representatives says they are, and a Senate conviction does not necessarily carry any prescribed punishments. The Senate decides what the punishment will be. A legal crime, however, has a specific definition and carries specified penalties.