I don't know why you'd edit your comment, instead of respond to mine. I guess your understanding of the comment system is as good as your understanding of the impeachment process.

In any case, Trump has been impeached twice. Remind me of when he was held accountable? The impeachment does nothing. He has to be out of office to be held accountable by the DOJ. The senate could remove him after impeachment, but they don't have the votes. So it would be a waste of time. Wasting time doesn't defend the constitution.

I'm sure you are. You sound very brave. Doesn't change the fact that a show trial and impeachment are worthless.

Trump has been impeached twice, and held accountable zero times. They didn't have the votes then, and they still don't. It's not about doing one thing vs two, it's about not wasting time and energy pretending they're trying to hold him accountable. They can't. Not right now, at least.

Continue to kick and scream. I'm sure you'll cause a real ruckus.

You literally said you'd "take a show trial." And now you'd like them to "scream into microphones." So... you'd like them to make a lot of noise, but not actually get anything done. I'm not insinuating it, you are saying it.

I'd like people to be held accountable, too. But an impeachment won't do that. Getting popular policies passed, getting reelected, and ensuring the DOJ can do it's job is the only hope. But by all means, continue to throw tantrums and cross your fingers that'll matter.

I was actually thinking all the way back to Obama, but you're proving my point. Democrats have historically made a lot of noise about popular policies, but failed in spectacular fashion to implement much of anything. Impeaching Trump is the same thing. It's noise. Blustering. A rally call that will lead to nothing. Another "strongly worded letter."

Mamdani recognized what he could not do, and moved on to focus on what he could. It's why he's made actual change. It's what everyone else needs to do.

So your argument for them to impeach is that by showing they're willing to waste time, it shows they want to get stuff done? That by failing to do anything, it will prove how fit they are for office?

Hollow threats and empty gestures are why we're in this mess in the first place. The democrats pretended they'd protect abortion access for years - they shouted about it every chance they got, but never codified it into law, even when they had the house, senate, and presidency. They do this all the time. We don't need more puffery. We need to find people who can actually get work done, and weed out the ones who pretend.

Note that I haven't once said "don't hold people accountable." All I'm saying is don't waste time. They need to: Get work done. Get reelected. Charge people when they actually have the ability to convict and punish. They can be spiteful and petty, but it's pointless it they're not also smart. Otherwise, come next election cycle, people will just vote the republicans back in because the democrats "can't ever get anything done."

This is like Mamdani admitting he can't arrest Netanyahu and instead focusing on what he can actually do in NYC. He looked into it, realized he didn't have the ability, and turned his attention to housing, healthcare, etc. The difference is there's no reason to waste time looking into it - we already know the house/senate can't do anything.

How about focus on the living breathing people, who are being killed in multiple wars, or the ones who can't afford, housing, food, or healthcare, or the ones being rounded up by ICE? A show trial does nothing, except waste time that could be used to address issues where they could actually make a difference.

Congress can't impose any punishment other than removal from office, and again, they don't have the votes. And why would any of the senators break ranks? They wouldn't be the ones facing any consequences, and Trump still has the power to pardon them if they were. It'd be much more in their interest to stay cozy with him.

It's not playing nice - they literally can't do anything. Impeachment is toothless. It just allows the senate to vote to remove, and they don't have the votes. Congress can't impose any other punishment. The justice department can, but only on citizen Trump. But if they can't remove him from office, all they can do is wait.

No they didn't. The full oath of office is this:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

Source

You could make the claim the constitution compels them, but it doesn't. It gives them the power, as a check on the executive branch, but no obligation. See https://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Impeachment/.

And from that same page, note this:

Fines and potential jail time for crimes committed while in office are left to civil courts.

At the absolute best, all they could do is remove someone from office. But they can't impose other penalties. And they can't remove anyone from office, because they don't have the votes. So, it would be an enormous waste of time and energy to impeach Trump. And for all the time they focus on that, we still have multiple wars, rising costs of groceries, housing, healthcare, education, etc, ICE running around like vigilantes, a prison system that's basically slavery with extra steps, and so many other problems that can actually be addressed.

I recognize why it's unpopular, and think his explanation is piss poor, but he's not wrong to not prioritize impeachment. If the house impeaches Trump again, it will go to the senate, which requires a 67 vote super majority to remove. That won't happen. They have a majority, but not a super majority. The impeachment would be a waste of time. A show trial, with no real consequences.

It would be far better to prioritize taking popular actions they can actually push forward, ensuring people vote to keep them in power in the next two elections + get a democrat president, and use the justice department to prosecute citizen Trump, et al. They can hold people accountable. But they don't have the power to remove anyone right now.

Maybe yes, maybe no. It could be strategy to make sure representatives who might get voted out in the midterm if they did not vote to impeach, will not have to go on the record, and thus hold their seats.

In other words, rather than having them save Hegseth and then lose their seats, they delay the impeachment, potentially sacrificing Hegseth, to save multiple seats.