Thanks for Small Favors

While many will disagree with me on this (not that it matters to me), I was actually quite pleased with what happened today in the impeachment proceedings.  When this all started, all I read from Republican congressmen was that the president didn't do anything wrong.  This was all a witch hunt, and the Democrats were just trying to besmirch trump's reputation.  Given me a break!  Since he became president, trump has done plenty all by himself to besmirch his own reputation.  He's crude, he's a bully, he doesn't believe in any rules, he isn't loyal to anyone that isn't completely loyal to him, and he is clearly an egomaniacal narcissist.  Is any of that impeachable?  Probably not, because I believe that almost everyone who voted for him and who would vote for him today don't care.  This is America, and if that's who the winner of the electoral vote was, so be it.  You'll note that I didn't say, if that's who the American people chose.  While an electoral college majority made trump the winner, a majority of the American people did not vote for him.  Nevertheless, that is our system, and we are presently stuck with it.  So why am I pleased with what happened today? Why am I thankful for small favors?

When this process started, it was hard to find a Republican who would say anything negative about trump.  They kept saying that there was nothing going on when it came to impeachment.  Today, respected Republican Senators said that trump's call with the Ukrainian President was NOT perfect.  They said that what he did was inappropriate.  They just don't believe it was impeachable.  They also said that the Democrats absolutely made their case when it came to finding what trump did as being wrong!  I agree 100% that a Senator who believes everything that the Democrats said trump did happened, and that it was wrong, doesn't have a need to hear more witnesses.  Witnesses will not change their judgment.  They know he was wrong, they just don't believe it is impeachable.

The fact that there are now Republican Senators on record saying that what trump did was inappropriate gives everyone a chance to spin this however they want.  The president will say he was exonerated, which he'd say no matter what happened, because to him, everything he does is perfect.  Democrats can now point to the fact that the impeachment process had merit.  They can speak to the fact that they brought out facts that the American people can judge for themselves in 9 months.  The Republicans will say that the American people can judge for themselves in 9 months.  See, both sides agree!

It's time for each side to stop blaming the other for the partisan divide in our country.  Each side believes that they have a stronger case than the other for casting that blame.  I say put down our swords and remember that we're all Americans.  Let's all try to have a civil discourse on the issues.  Let's all try not to name call, especially with each other.  Let's try not to put each other in categories.  We're not liberal, conservative, progressive. We're Americans.  We need to revel in the fact that we have a country that allows us to speak freely, even on topics we don't agree upon.  And, at the end of the day, let's try to be thankful for small favors.