Happy cows rumenate POTUS ?
March 1, 2006 9:58 PM   Subscribe

"BREAKING: State-based impeachment moves forward" There's no dedicated link, even, this is so breaking. So that'll have to do : Will Vermont call George W. Bush to account via a little known procedure by which individual US states can initiate an impeachment process against a sitting US president ?
posted by troutfishing (58 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: when you have a real source, please post about it.



 
I actually read about this a while back, in January :

In other words (from the linked articles and analysis), technically an impeachment proceeding against the President can begin by a state legislature passing a resolution calling for the President of the United States--or any other federal official (with the possible exception of Congressmen, see below)--to be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors.

Again, this has never to my knowledge been legally tested and I am not a lawyer


I'm glad someone has had the cajones ( "huevos" ? ) to promote this approach.

Once again, NE serves as a moral conscience for the nation.
posted by troutfishing at 10:02 PM on March 1, 2006




Doing A Heck Of a Job, President Bush
"What did President Bush know and when did he know it?

In many ways, this is impeachment language. The same type of impeachment cry used against President Clinton when he said that he never had sex with that woman, Monica Lewinsky. The same words of one Howard Baker during Watergate.

It is now coming out that President Bush knew full well about the incredible risks involved with Hurricane Katrina and his own knowledge, pretension of lack of knowledge yet his own claiming he forced mandatory evacuation is now issue number one."

[BayouBuzz.com | March 01, 2006]
posted by ericb at 10:07 PM on March 1, 2006


After watching the Clinton debacle I used to think that as much as I disagreed with and disliked this president that an impeachment hearing would be more harmful to the country than good. The depths to which Bush continues to sink have changed my mind.
posted by caddis at 10:08 PM on March 1, 2006


Kanye was right.
posted by muckster at 10:09 PM on March 1, 2006


Who's NE?
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 10:10 PM on March 1, 2006


New England?
posted by SirOmega at 10:11 PM on March 1, 2006


So it's breaking news when the Rutland County, VT Democrats recommend impeachment? What are the odds that this will actually make it to the floor of the Vermont legislature?
posted by stopgap at 10:12 PM on March 1, 2006


I was just about to post a tired note of "yet another thing for liberals to get excited about that will amount to nothing" then a little earthquake rippled through the room just as I reached for the keyboard. Weird.
posted by scarabic at 10:13 PM on March 1, 2006


Rhode Island is a small state, but its voice could become very loud. Across the country there is a groundswell of Americans favoring the immediate impeachment of President George W. Bush and his crew.

A recent Zogby poll showed U.S. citizens favor impeachment by 52 to 43 percent. Rhode Island may turn out to be the state that launches a national drive to replace our government. Already, one candidate in the primary race for a Senate seat reports his billboard has drawn very strong reaction. The billboard states: “Be Patriotic Impeach Bush.”
posted by madamjujujive at 10:16 PM on March 1, 2006


(... sorry, the above is a quote, should be in italics...)
posted by madamjujujive at 10:17 PM on March 1, 2006


*sigh* please do not tease me like this.

This will never happen, and even if it does, he'll get away with murder anyway.

/keeps hopes low.
posted by twiggy at 10:25 PM on March 1, 2006


I dislike Bush. Strongly. But I'm terrified of Cheney. As much as I agree in principle, is this really a good idea?
posted by bcveen at 10:27 PM on March 1, 2006


What twiggy said.
posted by S.C. at 10:29 PM on March 1, 2006


A link to someone's blog about a rumor that might have been heard about what might happen under potential circumstances? I know we all hate Bush here, but this is a retarded post.
posted by jonson at 10:29 PM on March 1, 2006


bcveen, that' argument is besides the point. It shouldn't matter who we'd rather have in office, or who you're terrified of. What matters is that the rule of law be restored. If Bush has indeed committed impeachable offenses, then he ought to be impeached. That's all there is to it. We can worry about President Cheney later.
posted by muckster at 10:33 PM on March 1, 2006


I can't add much to that, folks. Action from words. From blog to reality.

I want bush impeached, and this is a really interesting move (largely because it will be a clear demonstration of shameful inactivity on the part of federal legislators if it ever comes before them and they reject it) but MAN do I hate KOS sometimes. self-inflating tripe, sometimes, sweartogod.
posted by shmegegge at 10:34 PM on March 1, 2006


and what jonson said.
posted by shmegegge at 10:36 PM on March 1, 2006


It seems to be a little more than rumor -- if you read the post, it goes so far as to quote the resolution that was supposedly passed tonight.

Is it fabricated and BS? Well, maybe, but if it is, someone took the time to write up that resolution and claim it passed tonight.

I suppose time will tell... I'm sure it'll be all over the news tomorrow morning if it's real...
posted by twiggy at 10:39 PM on March 1, 2006


Well... a lot of this has to do with what happens in the '06 election. If the Dems gain leverage in Congress then all this impeachment talk will have a lot more weight.

Then again we're overdue for a terror attack and we all know how Bush tends to benefit from these things.

All of this coupled with the rumor that Cheney may be stepping down after the '06 elections means that we could be looking at Ted Stevens or maybe Nancy Pelosi as president? (Sorry my constitutional law is rusty.) But nah, that would never happen - there would probably be time for Bush to appoint a VP before he was impeached or stepped down. Meaning we'd get who? Jeb Bush?
posted by wfrgms at 10:42 PM on March 1, 2006


This is really not in the interests of Democrats. I'd much rather they focus on transmitting a coherent and appealing message for the mid-term elections than engage in sound and fury about something that will never happen, but makes the die-hards feel good. Don't get me wrong, if I thought impeachment was viable, I would be overjoyed, but if this meme keeps spreading it will be one more in a long list of missteps by the Democratic Party.

OTOH, obscure procedural rules appeal to me, so I am interested in seeing legal analyses of this method of impeachment.

Weighing both options, I think that the fleeting and ephemeral pleasure of reading a well researched essay on the matter is more important to me than the future of the nation. I call that healthy narcissism.
posted by Falconetti at 10:46 PM on March 1, 2006


It would be nice if this worked, but it won't.
posted by 517 at 10:54 PM on March 1, 2006


Given that Metafilter is all about posting great links, any front page post that includes the sentence "there's no dedicated link, even" is just asking for a smackdown.
posted by Justinian at 11:03 PM on March 1, 2006


Anything within the law that makes Bush's life miserable is okay with me. Suck payback, Commander in Chief, for the misery you've brought to others.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:22 PM on March 1, 2006


If Bush has indeed committed impeachable offenses, then he ought to be impeached. That's all there is to it. We can worry about President Cheney later.

That's why I agree, as I said, in principle. The prospect still scares me a little. Of course, it's all academic, as I don't hold out much hope of this getting very far ...
posted by bcveen at 11:22 PM on March 1, 2006


Who is knocking at more door? Let me check.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:22 PM on March 1, 2006


The secret service want me to ask if there's any way to delete my "suck it" post.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:23 PM on March 1, 2006


Lame post. Stillborn even.
posted by bardic at 11:28 PM on March 1, 2006


Isn't it sad that both our president and vice-president, viewed in context, have committed impeachable offenses?
posted by bryanzera at 11:30 PM on March 1, 2006


What does it matter if people think that it won't get anywhere, it is the principle that counts. If we sit on our @ss and say "Oh Well" then we DESERVE the government we have and get. The long slide into a banana republic begins with indifference......
posted by dibblda at 11:42 PM on March 1, 2006


Guess y'all better be on the phones to your representatives this morning if you want to turn this blog buzz into real action.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:54 PM on March 1, 2006


President Cheney is impeachable for the same offences as well.......
posted by dibblda at 11:56 PM on March 1, 2006


Lie about sex, get impeached.
Lie about weapons of mass destruction, wire taping, and people die, its perfectly ok.
posted by IronWolve at 12:48 AM on March 2, 2006


There are two things that Dems could do to guarantee Republican rule until the day I die of old age. One would be to begin (futile) impeachment proceedings against the current scumbag(s). The other would be to nominate Hillary Clinton as their candidate in 2008. Depressingly, it looks like they may just be dumb enough to do both.
posted by Optamystic at 1:12 AM on March 2, 2006


What is left saving in this government if the dems don't try to impeach Optamystic? It's a lost cause at that point, conceding defeat and saying to the president: It's O.K. if you break the law, it doesn't apply to you. I don't care who is in charge if my rights as a citizen are effectively gone. What government is left if we ignore the founding document? Not one that I want to be living under the thumb of.....

Hillary Clinton is a terrible choice, I agree. She rubs too many people the wrong way.
posted by dibblda at 1:41 AM on March 2, 2006


Bwahahaha, Hillary rubs people the wrong way. Man, where do you come up with this stuff? Pure gold.
posted by zekinskia at 1:48 AM on March 2, 2006


But seriously, isn't he technically impeachable for like 1203985 offenses at this point? Is this new plan of attack really going to make it past any of the political hurdles?
posted by zekinskia at 1:50 AM on March 2, 2006


I don't believe it. It seems like every new story about how the Bush administration is finally going to be called to the carpet requires some ludicrous series of actions to take place. I bet the next story about how Bush is going to go down will likely involve the Democrats conspiring with Iranian assassins to kill Bush and Cheney at the next State of the Union. All the while the ever-hopeful dreamers will say, "The bastards will finally be out of the White House! This time it'll happen for sure!"
posted by chrominance at 2:02 AM on March 2, 2006


I agree with you in principle, dibblda. But politics is (obviously) not about principle. In order to win back any sort of power, the Dems need to appeal to a certain percentage of those who voted for Bush twice. In order to do that, they need to come across to Joe Dumbfuck as having a solid plan to get us out of at least some of the many messes that this administration has gotten us into.
posted by Optamystic at 2:13 AM on March 2, 2006



But seriously, isn't he technically impeachable for like 1203985 offenses at this point? Is this new plan of attack really going to make it past any of the political hurdles?

See my first post.

Dude, Hillary is a bitch, that's all there is to it. Just trying to be polite.
posted by dibblda at 2:14 AM on March 2, 2006


Night...it's way too late for me to be posting. I'll reply in the morning.
posted by dibblda at 2:16 AM on March 2, 2006


I hear that Vermont is illegally enriching uranium and that they hate freedom.
posted by Jerub at 2:21 AM on March 2, 2006


Vermont: Live Free or Hold Your Breath Till You Get What You Want!
posted by Mick at 4:00 AM on March 2, 2006


Having a vp that terrifies your adversaries seems like a good strategy to avoid impeachment.

Whoever is the dem candidate for 2008, they should have a communist as VP. This should grant the prez impeachment-immunity against the reps.
posted by qvantamon at 6:13 AM on March 2, 2006


A single link to the Kos front page of a story that is nothing more than speculative rumor on a topic that is was posted in that 10 posts of the Front Page.

The only thing that could make this post worse would be if it troutfishing wrote the Kos journal linked to.

And yet, not only is it not deleted, someone came and edited the post to

In my mind, that is officially it. It's all fair game now. That this post has a stamp of approval means standard are offically disregarded.
posted by dios at 7:15 AM on March 2, 2006


Then again we're overdue for a terror attack and we all know how Bush tends to benefit from these things.

The question is, would he? At this period of time, with his ratings so low, the Congress increasingly hostile, and the Press not scared to pull their punches (too much), it seems that an attack could negatively impact Bush. "He failed to keep us safe." vs "I've tried to protect America, but liberals have kept me from implementing Big Brother 3.0."

Depending on the nature of an attack, how the Press and Congress react, it could further damage Bush. (Just look at the current port deal)
posted by Atreides at 7:15 AM on March 2, 2006


A recent Zogby poll showed U.S. citizens favor impeachment by 52 to 43 percent.

The question was "If President Bush wiretapped American citizens without the approval of a judge, do you agree or disagree that Congress should consider holding him accountable through impeachment."

"Congress should consider" is a little different than "favor" but still....WHOA!!!
posted by If I Had An Anus at 7:28 AM on March 2, 2006


If an impeachment ever goes through, can dubya add a signing statement that it doesn't apply to him?
posted by Crash at 7:55 AM on March 2, 2006


A recent Zogby poll showed U.S. citizens favor impeachment by 52 to 43 percent.

The question was "If President Bush wiretapped American citizens without the approval of a judge, do you agree or disagree that Congress should consider holding him accountable through impeachment."

"Congress should consider" is a little different than "favor" but still....WHOA!!!
posted by If I Had An Anus at 7:57 AM on March 2, 2006


Whoa. Sorry.
posted by If I Had An Anus at 7:58 AM on March 2, 2006


I don't understand all this "Oh noes! Don't impeach Bush, Cheney si preznit then!!1" business.


As if Cheney isn't calling the shots now.

Puh-leaze.


And Optymistic or whatever up there was half right. Nominating Hillary is certainly a death sentence.

GOPers hate her, progressives hate her, and the average Americans stuck in the middle have the sneaking suspicion that she's a heinous bitch - the kind who would secretly wipe her hand on her designer pants after shaking theirs.

Not a good move.
posted by stenseng at 8:24 AM on March 2, 2006


MeTa.
posted by trey at 8:30 AM on March 2, 2006


dios writes "In my mind, that is officially it. It's all fair game now. That this post has a stamp of approval means standard are offically disregarded."

Because of course you'd never put up a truly fucking stupid one-link post on the front page.
posted by clevershark at 8:37 AM on March 2, 2006


As if Cheney isn't calling the shots now.

Apparently not. He just shoots you in the face without calling anything.
posted by Mr_Zero at 8:37 AM on March 2, 2006


Because of course you'd never put up a truly fucking stupid one-link post on the front page.

that post wasn't stupid. it was a joke website, with some really funny parts on it, and you people need to lighten the fuck up. If it had been posted by anyone else short of ParisParamus, the thread would have consisted entirely of 20 LOL comments and that's it.
posted by shmegegge at 8:40 AM on March 2, 2006


standard are offically disregarded.

indeed -- you're a member here, after all
posted by matteo at 8:48 AM on March 2, 2006


standard are offically disregarded

Indeed it are.
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:52 AM on March 2, 2006


If this post had a "vermont" tag I would have seen it sooner in the RSS feed.

Thanks for the link. Go Vermont!
posted by terrapin at 8:53 AM on March 2, 2006


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