Yesterday, the local township dems in Bucks county PA, where I live, voted unanimously to support impeachment-- Cheney, then Bush. I brought it up at a meeting. I didn't expect a unanimous vote. It was easy.
Last month, the Princeton Dems, the largest township in Rush Holt's district voted to support impeachment after Mark Crispin Miller, Dafe Lindorff and I gave talks on impeachment. The vote among Princeton Dems was more than 70% in favor.
I did my first impeachment talk, at the National Constitution center, at an Event organized by Progressive Democrats of America, AfterDowningSTreet and Democrats.com, with Dave Lindorff, Cindy Sheehan, Viet Nam Veteran Bill Perry, Elizabeth Holtzman (who was involved in the congressional preliminary hearings that would have led to impeachment of Nixon,) David Swanson and others, back in October.
On July fifth, there's an Impeachment meeting in Philly and a few days later, I'll be speaking on impeachment to the south jersey PDA group in Pennsauken.
It's time we, in every township, every voting district, every county send a message to our local elected dems and tell them to take a vote that gives our congressional representatives a clear indication that the democrats in their district want impeachment...
Whereever you live, you need to organize to put on a presentation to the Executive committee of the democratic party for your congressional district when it meets the next month or two. Kucinich has already entered legislation to impeach Cheney and it has eight sponsors, with more signing on each week. It will be easier for our congressman to sign on to a Cheney impeachment, for starters.
Across the nation, these meetings and presentations are going on. There are plenty of speakers who will help persuade members. The reasons NOT to impeach are easily overcome.
At the Take Back America conference last week, Nancy Pelosi's surrogates in the house and senate told us that we need to win in 2008, that impeachment would be criticized as wasting time. But over and over again those same members of congress said that the way to get out of Iraq, and to get anything done is by "we the people." The dem presidential candidates said it. The new freshman members of the house and senate said it. It's almost like they were pleading with us.
"Put the pressure on and we will respond."
Our polling in PA last year, before many of the latest corruption disclosures and hearings had unfolded, already showed that 80% of Democrats want impeachment. You can make it happen. Insist that there be discussions of impeachment by your local elected democratic ward leaders and officials. Insist on a public vote on the issue. You deserve to know how your representatives represent you. These votes are landsliding their way across America. We need to collect the results so the members of congress can see that this is what their constituents want.
pre-emptive responses to objections:
1-there's not enough time. If a supreme court justice dies or retires, there's time for Bush to put another nail in the coffin of Democracy by making a third or fourth appointment.
2-Impeachment prosecution will fail in the senate. Bush and Cheney have committed crimes that must be prosecuted. Just the start of the process may force some compliance with subpoenas. Each Republican vote against disclosure of hidden secrets can be used in the '08 elections-- real, substantive stuff, not the tripe the RNC has on their website. Seventy percent of Americans are unhappy with Bush, more are unhappy with Cheney. The house will impeach Cheney based on serious, grave criminal charges and because of Cheney's continued defiance to the constitution. He is making the Republican party look despicable. The Republicans may decide he is better off gone. It is highly unlikely they will allow him to fight this. Instead, they will tale "THE WALK" one of many such walks, already done, but this one will be to tell Cheney that he must resign. He will do so with a note from his doctor. That should not stop the house from taking investigations as far as possible, especially after he resigns and can no longer claim the same level of immunity.
Once Cheney resigns, the senate can hold up appointment of a vice president indefinitely.
Many of the hearings that will work against Cheney will also be working against Bush. As investigations, discovery, subpoenas, people claiming the fifth, then testifying under protection proceed, there will be more and higher level corrupt official and appointees identified. We're seeing the tip of th is in the Gonzales justice department investigations. There are many more to come.
Each new disclosure of right wing supported Bush Admin corruption, of Right wing attacks upon the constitution makes the Republicans who block further investigations who support Gonzales and the other rotten Bush appointees look worse and worse. The loyalty to party over constitution and nation make the Republican party look worse, worser and worst, as Keith Olbermann might say.
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