One thing we agreed on was that Trump will probably last through the end of his term. That's because Pelosi wants it that way. The longer Donald Trump is left to hang out to be flayed with accusations, the better the 2020 elections will be for the Democrats.
That's why I think that if Trump is removed from office, it will be the Republicans making it happen. They will be doing damage control. And they'll have to do it soon. A conservative pundit has predicted that a half hour before Trump leaves office, he'll resign and Mike Pence will pardon him. But for that to happen, Trump will almost certainly have to re-name Pence as his running mate for the second term in office. That potential pardon is another reason why Democrats may not want to bring charges against Trump. I'm not sure that they can stop Mueller or state Attorneys General from charging Trump and family, but if the Dem leadership can keep the reek of Trump in the public eye through 2020 and even beyond 2020, it could serve them well.
So my prediction is that as Mueller continues to reveal dirty findings about Trump and the people and organizations around him, the Republican party will begin feeling the drip, drip drip of their brand eroding. Critics argue that the investigation has not shown evidence that Trump colluded with the Russians. Muller doesn't have to do that. He's showing that Trump has surrounded himself with lying, conniving, corrupt people. This is not the way the White House or the Executive Branch should operate. Al Capone wasn't imprisoned for the worst of his crimes. He was convicted of tax evasion. The following video cites a litany of investigations of Trump and his organizations. Conservative arguments that there has been no substance to Mueller's inquiry are delusional, or simply echoes of the garbage spewed by Fox News.
Bottom line, if Trump leaves the White House early, it will be because the Republican leadership force him to, and the question will be whether congressional Democrats actually back the threat of impeachment that will come from the Republicans. My guess, though is that Schumer and Pelosi will try to block that support, so the GOP can bleed even more through 2020.
It was really fun getting together with a crew of OEN people.
I'd like to make that happen, not only where I live in Philly, but in other locations as well-- NYC, DC, and where else? My book, The Bottom-Up Revolution, is coming out in May. I hope to take it on the road, so I'm planning on visiting a lot of places where I can also get together with OEN regulars. Where would you suggest?