Thursday, July 7, 2011

Another absurd threat to impeach the president if he doesn't dance to Republican's music

Texas Republican Rep. Pete Olson said a number of Republicans have been seriously contemplating impeaching President Obama if he uses the  Constitution to raise the debt ceiling. Huffington Post blogger Amanda Terkel wrote on Wednesday that Republican Tim Scott of South Carolina, said that move would be “an impeachable act.”

This is not surprising. There is not a Republican in Washington who does not claim to be a constitutional scholar. President Obama does not have to make such a claim. As professor he taught Constitutional Law for 12 years at the University of Chicago Law School. These Republican eager beavers should get out their copies of the Constitution and read it. Again and again and again.

The Constitution gives President Obama the right to raise the debt ceiling if Republicans continue nursing their shenanigans to protect millionaires and billionaires. They are also protecting their own financial interests. Many of them have become millionaires since holding office, especially seat warmers like John McCain, John Boehner, Eric Cantor and Orrin Hatch. Mitch McConnell. The list is long.

The 14th Amendment, Section 4: "The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing o insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall held illegal and void.

A sitting president can be impeached for treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors. The House of Representatives has the sole power to impeach a president.  Removal of an impeached official is automatic upon criminal conviction as voted on by the Senate.

Two U.S. presidents have been impeached–Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, both of whom had a trial; both were acquitted. Richard Nixon most likely would have been impeached for the Watergate burglary had he not resigned. His impeachment had already been approved by the House Judiciary Committee.

President Obama is not guilty of committing a crime of any kind. Republicans are ready to get the Supreme Court involved in a debt ceiling lawsuit that would take years to resolve. President Obama has the 14th Amendment on his side. That’s what scares whining Republicans.

There have been other impeachment threats from Republicans: Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona was hell bent on impeaching President Obama if he did not backtrack on his stance regarding the Defense of Marriage Act. Franks is against gay marriage.

Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas threaten impeachment if President Obama did not do more to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States.

Rep. Tim Wallberg of Minnesota decided he was going to start impeachment proceedings if President Obama did not show his long form birth certificate. He said the president was not a U. S. citizen.

These low brow charlatans have lost sight of the reason they are in Washington. There is an old southern that says: "He's so bad he whips his own ass twice a week." These impeachment minded Republicans should take terms whipping each other's ass twice a day instead of twice a  week. Maybe it will awaken their single brain long enough to think instead of sitting on it.

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