Why have ‘Centrist’ Democrats striven to avoid impeachment proceedings against the Trump?  They describe themselves as voices of moderation; yet they were the force relentlessly accusing him of treason with Russia.  In their campaign against Trump, the ‘Centrists’ insisted on focusing on the weakest of an array of arguments that should have been used to challenge his presidency.  At any time in his presidency, charges of Abuse of Power, Violating the Emoluments Clause, and Obstruction of Justice could – and should – have been vigorously pursued.  Instead, the ‘Centrists’ concentrated on the Russia argument.  It was always the weakest argument to use against him.  As Glenn Greenwald recently reminded us on Democracy Now!, while the Trump campaign was talking with Russians, the Clinton campaign was talking with people from the Ukraine.  

Why the focus on Russia and treason?  This campaign was not focused on the destruction Trump has been enabling:  it was focused on the charge that he stole the election from Clinton by selling out the country to our re-christened “arch-enemy,” Russia.  His current crimes and his undermining of the Constitution apparently were not what motivated the Democratic ‘Centrists’:  rather, it was the fact that they had lost a crucial election that they should have won, and they wanted to blame it on something other than their own shortcomings.  They were determined to regain power without changing themselves or looking critically at their political choices.  The option they chose was to cry foul.

In doing so, in attacking Trump with the weakest argument at their command, they risked failure.  And they seem intent on failure, because if they do not now pursue impeachment, Trump will continue to claim victory, and use this claim to forward his vicious, racist, misogynist, unconstitutional and criminal agenda. 

In the Democracy Now!  debate cited above, Glenn Greenwald argued that the House’s failure to push for impeachment demonstrates that the Mueller hearings did not unearth matter that was damaging enough to pursue.  Given the nature of ‘Centrist’ Democrats, this does not necessarily follow.  If you consider that their agenda is to hold on to power, they may feel that pursuing impeachment without the Russia/treason focus is not in their best interest. 

After all, the Podesta emails showed a Democratic campaign that preferred Trump as an opponent.  They calculated that they could win on an “anyone but Trump” campaign.  They chose to take this terrible chance over working with the progressives in their own party, to offer a real alternative to neoliberal policies.  Centrist Democrats continue to show their allegiance to this failed agenda.  Instead of banding with the progressives in their own party, in order to fight the terrifying abuses of the Trump administration, they continue to try to undermine new, powerful voices from their own party.  They do not even make a consistent stand against vicious Republican abuse of new Democratic representatives.

Centrist Democrats argue against impeachment proceedings, saying that they cannot ultimately succeed.  This is not the point.  Progressive Democrats are pushing for impeachment proceedings because they will reveal more of the truth, and will weaken the Trump’s power and his ability to forward his agenda.  Without the Russia charges to serve as a distraction, Trump should be charged with Abuse of Power, Violating the Emoluments Clause, and Obstruction of Justice.  This is long overdue, and there’s no question but that bringing these charges is the job of the House of Representatives.  The division in our country cannot be healed by fearing or deferring to the far right.  The only thing that has ever held back the forces of destruction is making them unacceptable.

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