With reckless discussion and growing threats of an impeachment move against President Barack Obama, the country lurches toward a situation which creates great dangers for the nation, as well as the 44th President of the United States.
The irony of it all is that, under no circumstances, would an impeachment move lead to the removal of the President from his position before the time his term of office ends on January 20, 2017!
Were it otherwise, Vice President Joe Biden would succeed Obama, and be likely to get an edge on the 2016 nomination, and to keep the office for the full term, similar to what happened after Lyndon B. Johnson became President upon the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, and almost happened to Gerald Ford after he succeeded the resigned Richard Nixon in 1974, only losing the Presidency by two percentage points to Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1976, and even would have won that election if a few thousand votes had switched in the states of Ohio and Hawaii.
But although Obama would survive any impeachment threat, the idea is very bad for the stability of the American nation and political system in the following ways:
It would bring up the ugly element of racism, which is very prevalent in our society as it is, but would be elevated by an attack of the right wing on Obama, a lot of it based on suspicion of the “black man” in the White House, who doesn’t seem to be a “true” American to the hate mongers, who have been unwilling to accept the fact that he was born in Hawaii, and is a legitimate President, elected twice by the American people in a clear cut electoral vote and popular vote margin!
The racial tensions already evident in our society are not just of blacks and whites, but also between Latinos and white Anglos, and even between Asian Americans and whites, who resent that they are in a losing battle demographically in a nation rapidly becoming a majority minority within the next three decades. Nothing will change that reality, and the future will include the likelihood of other African American Presidents, or more likely a Latino President, or even possibly an Asian American President, and even the possibility of a non Christian President, whether Jewish or Muslim! Additionally, we are going to have a future woman President, even if it is not Hillary Clinton!
Beyond the racial divide, an Obama impeachment would undermine the ability of the nation to continue its economic recovery, and that is something this country cannot afford, as it harms not just the Obama economic record, but real life situations of millions of Americans, and harms women and children, even more than men in the long run, as it inflates the poverty level of single women and their children, scarring the future for millions of American children, whose childhood experiences can harm them for life!
An Obama impeachment would endanger the international scene, and the ability to fight terrorism, and face the challenges of Iran, North Korea, Russia, China, and other nations that would love a wounded America in foreign policy and national security.
An Obama impeachment would also poison ever further the political divide between Republicans and Democrats, between “red” and “blue” states, and could lead to the long range danger of a civil war, not just of racial and ethnic groups, but between those who dream of secession from America, and unfortunately, have paranoid elements who have been building up large caches of firearms, that they would be ready to use against other Americans, law enforcement authorities, and even the US military, which could cost tens of thousands of lives! There is already a powder keg situation, in which crime against people based on their ethnicity, race, or sexual orientation has been growing!
Finally, and the greatest fear for anyone who cares about the long term American future, there is the massive danger of a successful attempt against the life of President Obama, with the realization, as this author has discovered in research for his upcoming book on Presidential Assassinations and the American Presidency, due out in 2015, that Obama has been subjected to an average of up to 30 stated or revealed threats per day, or about 10,000 per year, since he has become President, more than any President except maybe Abraham Lincoln, but probably more than Lincoln in reality!
Reported and published threats in the news media number at least 36 at this writing, much more than any other modern President for sure, and the number keeps on growing, and this is just what we know publicly, not the true story of Secret Service records, which remain secret!
So the publicity of an Obama impeachment effort would bring out ever more whackos and wing nuts who would like nothing better than to use the excuse of the impeachment controversy to try to gain permanent fame by assassinating Barack Obama, and that would further poison the American populace, and would likely be the beginning of a widespread civil insurrection, that might be hard to stop!
This author has hinted at these fears before, and it can be hoped that Speaker John Boehner and other Republican leaders will understand the dangers of an impeachment move, stop the rhetoric that Obama is a dictator breaking the Constitution, and allow our 44th President to finish his time in office, without further endangering his personal security and safety, and realize that they have made a dangerous error in allowing themselves to cater to an extreme right that endangers not only Obama, but really themselves, and also the civil order of the American nation!
It is time to stop the divisiveness, and to work with President Obama for the benefit and progress of the American people, or else the names and reputations of these Republican leaders will be condemned in the long run of American history!
Very powerful Professor Feinman and frightening.
Michelle Bachmann want government to ignore the Fourteenth Amendment.
http://www.forwardprogressives.com/michele-bachmann-publicly-urges-government-ignore-fourteenth-amendment/
As the article says in the first paragraph, the GOTea are treating the Constitution the same way they treat the Bible – cherry-picking the parts they like and ignoring the parts they don’t.
“With reckless discussion and growing threats of an impeachment move against President Barack Obama, the country lurches toward a situation which creates great dangers for the nation”
Sounds like an exaggeration. It couldn’t be that creating “great dangers for the nation” could be this goddamn easy.
Nothing new about the Tea Party wanting to treat the Constitution in a selective manner, Princess Leia.
Mark, you want to make a light hearted reaction to this situation, but believe me, you will see what I am saying IF this impeachment threat becomes reality! It is indeed VERY troubling and has no purpose, as there is no way that the US Senate would remove the President on impeachment charges by the House, anymore than the odds were against Bill Clinton being removed, and everyone knew that fact! It serves no good purpose!
” as this author has discovered in research for his upcoming book on Presidential Assassinations and the American Presidency, due out in 2015,”
Wow, so you’re telling me that I’ve been debating the impeachment of Clinton with not only a Professor, but also an established author? Holy Sh#t! As a construction worker with One semester of college, I was outgunned. 🙂
You know Ronald, I agree with your opinions on impeachment. I find the worse part of impeachment, is that it makes us look weak, as a nation. Sort of funny considering that Conservatives hold the appearance of strength of our nation in the highest regard. But yet want to impeach everyone. Anyhow, I still feel the impeachment of Clinton would have been justified. And considering how he sent jobs overseas, placated to the banks, and in my opinion just did an all around shi##y job. Maybe the positives of him being out of office, would have outweighed the negatives of impeachment.
But I just don’t see it here. I wish Mark or that Dave dude could inform me of the Impeachable offense that Obama has committed. Do I think he’s been an ineffective POTUS, yes. There are many things he should have done, many executive orders he should have executed. But like him or not, he has done nothing illegal that falls under Article II, Section IV. But there is a plus to an Obama impeachment and you hinted to it Ronald. That would be that Biden would finish the term, and quite possibly put him in the driver’s seat to defeat the “other” Clinton. A woman who I can’t help but think would be just as destructive to this country as her husband. But still, if this were the case, The positive would not outweigh the negative.
It is my opinion that we let this President finish out his term, and hope he can accomplish some good things. We shall see.
Thank you for your time, Professor PHD, lecturer, and established author. GEEEEESSSSHHHHHH. 😉
JOB, you are so funny! LOL But I thank you for your kind words! 🙂
I have also published on the New Deal, so you might look at my “About Page” where the title is listed. As you will see, I have studied the Republican Party and the US Senate, as well as the Presidency! 🙂
Thanks again! I appreciate your commentary, whether we agree or disagree! 🙂
For the record, I will not purchase any of your books, unless they are autographed. LOLOLOLOL.
HAHA, IF you choose to buy my past book used on Amazon, and send it to me with postage paid for return, I will be glad to sign it, with your correct name indicated! LOL
For the new book, depending on fortune, and who knows, I might do book signings and you could come to one of them at Barnes and Noble or whatever, but I point out I have NO idea of how successful it might be, and IF I would, indeed, be doing book signings, but again, IF you buy the book on Amazon or BN, and send it to me with postage paid for return, I will gladly autograph it. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves this early! LOL HAHAHA 🙂
Well Ron, I wish your new book much success. If you do a B&N signing in Chicago please let me know.
BTW- JOB is what my friends call me. It is an acronym for my name. Jon O’Brien. Now that we’ve officially met Ronald, we are friends. I look forward to learning from our experience. I look even more forward to our arguments, and debates. I seem to learn for during those times… LOLOLOLOLOL. You’re a good dude. Stay gold pony boy 🙂
I agree, Jon, that we are friends, and if you are ever in South Florida, I would love to meet you. I always like making friends and having debates, and have many with former and present students, many of whom disagree, but we have a lot of laughs and learn from each other! 🙂 And using your term, I can see you are a “good dude”! LOL
So totally agree with this! http://www.politicususa.com/2014/02/08/duck-dynastys-ratings-plummet-proof-america-liberal-nation.html
I second that it is definitely absurd that we have Do Nothing Republicans in Congress!
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/02/09/absurd-republicans-congress-intend-absolutely.html