# The Trump Impeachment Inquiry **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 24, 2019, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771 "2019-09-24T20:23:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 44
**Author:** ![mjmlabs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mjmlabs/32/69_2.png) [@mjmlabs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mjmlabs)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/861 "2019-09-27T14:28:03Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > A friend of mine in Ukraine shared a meme from Ukrainian social media. It shows Zelensky in a wig and blue dress and reads: “Monica Zelensky. Available for hire to bring impeachment against any U.S. President.” > > 🙂 > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I’ve been searching for this image all over teh intarwebz and can’t find it; could you link to it please? Here ya go: [https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/grzegorz/73820440/91980/91980\_300.jpg](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/grzegorz/73820440/91980/91980_300.jpg) Source page, via Google Translate: [https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ru&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fbitter-onion.livejournal.com%2F2460559.html](https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ru&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fbitter-onion.livejournal.com%2F2460559.html) Third-hand or so, but I don’t do social media, and I certainly don’t do social media in Ukraine. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/862 "2019-09-27T14:32:23Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > I have a little more faith in the military than to think they will just shoot off nukes in every direction because President Dipshit tells them to. I’m not interested in an argument about whether he has the technical statutory authority to do so. I’m talking about just the reality and gravity of something like that. > > If that’s a coup, so be it. The people “shooting off the nukes” are pretty damn isolated from the rest of the world while on duty, and if they are told that the nukes they are in control of need to go out in a retaliatory strike they will turn the proper keys and push the proper buttons because they are trained to do so. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/863 "2019-09-27T14:37:43Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > The people “shooting off the nukes” are pretty damn isolated from the rest of the world while on duty, and if they are told that the nukes they are in control of need to go out in a retaliatory strike they will turn the proper keys and push the proper buttons because they are trained to do so. Right. The guys in the silos and submarines will have no idea whether the order coming in is a legitimate response to an actual threat or a reaction to a tweet that hurt Dear Leader’s feelings. They will do what they are trained to do. So if Donald opens the football and finds the code to order a strike on China, once he sends this down the chain there is little to stop the missiles from flying. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/864 "2019-09-27T14:48:48Z")
But never fear, because Trump would never order that. He’s too chickenshit. I believe that. He’s the bully that never actually punches. He gets people to do sneaky shit on his behalf, instead. Just like he was doing with Ukraine. (Is it no longer THE Ukraine?) ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/865 "2019-09-27T14:57:09Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > But never fear, because Trump would never order that. He’s too chickenshit. I believe that. He’s the bully that never actually punches. He gets people to do sneaky shit on his behalf, instead. Just like he was doing with Ukraine. (Is it no longer THE Ukraine?) Even a tame dog will turn into a dangerous animal when cornered and in fear of his life. Maybe he would normally never do such a thing, but are we confident on how he would behave as the walls crumble around him? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/866 "2019-09-27T14:58:37Z")
> [@SmellMyWort](#): > > The longer they don’t read it, the longer they don’t have to lie and say it’s OK when they are asked about it. Simple as that. They don’t know what to say until they get the right talking points sent to them. And the white house keeps sending the talking points to the Democratic caucus by mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/867 "2019-09-27T14:59:17Z")
> [@mjmlabs](#): > > Here ya go: [https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/grzegorz/73820440/91980/91980\_300.jpg](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/grzegorz/73820440/91980/91980_300.jpg) > > Source page, via Google Translate: [https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ru&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fbitter-onion.livejournal.com%2F2460559.html](https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ru&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fbitter-onion.livejournal.com%2F2460559.html) > > Third-hand or so, but I don’t do social media, and I certainly don’t do social media in Ukraine. Awesome; thank you very much! ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/868 "2019-09-27T15:02:38Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Gosh, let me see if I can remember so far back… :rolleyes: > > Oh yeah, now it’s coming to me. That would be six days ago, Saturday the 21st, when I emailed Colin Peterson to urge him to support impeachment and noted that as of a couple days earlier I had felt it would be premature to do so. > > What point were you trying to make there, anyway? Do you think I say my piece here and on Twitter etc. but I’m somehow reticent to express it to my elected representatives? Where would you get that idea? :dubious: I hear too much about what the Reps and Senators should do, what the Republicans need to do, what the Dems need to do, what Pelosi needs to do, etc. But… here? I never hear about what Dopers are doing. Here’s the thing: _They won’t know what to do until the American people **call** and tell them._ Waiting on polls isn’t enough. Waiting to hear of other peoples efforts isn’t enough. Waiting for people to do the right thing while we are screaming into the cyber realms, unheard, is not enough. We know people in real life who “don’t know anything”, who “follow the X line”… but we’re reticent to talk about politics - I hear this confessed all the times on this Board. _Why?_ Why this self-defeating, condescending attitude of “why bother?” when talking to people voice-to-voice is so effective? Yesterday I talked to two people, at length, about the issues here. Neither of them had a rebuttal to the simple “bribery, section 2, article 4, using taxpayer funds” argument as I was playing an audio recording of the whistle-blower report in the background. One was a Trump supporter and even he concluded, “yeah, I’m getting tired of this shit. My father’s farm isn’t doing well either.” I didn’t hit him with “YOU’RE ALL THAT’S WRONG WITH AMERICA!!!”, my pitch was “As a man who supported Ronald Reagan\*, I know the Republican Party can do better - Trump has had his chance and he’s blown it by selling out America.” American Democracy is _participatory_, it isn’t something we watch, it’s something we _ **do** _ every day. It’s part and parcel of this country’s makeup, and while there are times when the great mass of people can be silent, there are times when they cannot - and in these times, I cannot and will not be silent as to the threat that Donald Trump poses to our country and the world. However, I’m also old enough to recognize that my talking on the internet is… as far as the people in government is concerned… as close being drowned out as I can make myself. So I talk to those who, by virtue of one-on-one verbal communication, can make a difference: 1. The uninformed 2. The Trump supporters 3. People in power (Reps and Senators) The rest? This Board? Twitter? Facebook? It’s just noise. Your voice might amplify some topic to go up some trending chart, but that’s about it. I’m not going to convince HD, he’s not going to convince me, but I _can_ conserve my strength and work on convincing other people who might not otherwise be bothered to cast a vote this November next. And yes, Slacker, I calling out all of us… you included… to up our influence game! Damn right I am! Put your Senators and reps into your phones contact list, and call those motherfuckers! 1 call? In 6 days? Has nothing happened since? 😉 **This game is on** , ladies and gentlemen, our Reps and Senators are going to spend the next 18 days tallying phone calls from their constituents, and, by doing that, will have a better idea as to what to do than any poll of 1,067 people will tell them. And if you (the royal “you”, now) are not placing your voice in those tallies, then all the perfectly crafted arguments on the SDMB and bon mots on Twitter are for naught, because those do not, and will never, mean a goddamned thing compared to a phone call to a DC office. \*I was 12 when Reagan came to office, so by varying definitions of “man”… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/869 "2019-09-27T15:03:15Z")
> [@SmellMyWort](#): > > The longer they don’t read it, the longer they don’t have to lie and say it’s OK when they are asked about it. Simple as that. Maybe. Remember how long it took them not to read the Obamacare bill? There’s nobody to blame this time, although they’ll certainly try. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/870 "2019-09-27T15:03:49Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Even a tame dog will turn into a dangerous animal when cornered and in fear of his life. Maybe he would normally never do such a thing, but are we confident on how he would behave as the walls crumble around him? Have you ever seen a tame dog that gets so scared and desperate it attacks? How about a person with a bully-mouth that is backed into a corner and starts fighting? The fight is usually over in less than 3 seconds and the scared, inexperienced, desperate party is always the loser. Sure, there might a glancing blow or a feeble bite, but they quickly get the ever-loving shit smacked outta them. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/871 "2019-09-27T15:13:05Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Maybe. Remember how long it took them not to read the Obamacare bill? There’s nobody to blame this time, although they’ll certainly try. They’re still busy not reading the Mueller report. My mother is 87. She has read the entire Mueller report. She can quote you sections. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/872 "2019-09-27T15:13:11Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Have you ever seen a tame dog that gets so scared and desperate it attacks? How about a person with a bully-mouth that is backed into a corner and starts fighting? The fight is usually over in less than 3 seconds and the scared, inexperienced, desperate party is always the loser. Sure, there might a glancing blow or a feeble bite, but they quickly get the ever-loving shit smacked outta them. Many a child has gotten their asses kicked believing that “scared bully” crap. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/873 "2019-09-27T15:15:57Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > Seems strange they would rather look willfully ignorant than express an opinion. I’m very amused by this. It’s not the Mueller report or the the full text of the ACA. It’s five pages long. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/874 "2019-09-27T15:19:07Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Many a child has gotten their asses kicked believing that “scared bully” crap. Well, I didn’t. Perhaps it speaks to experience. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/875 "2019-09-27T15:20:58Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Many a child has gotten their asses kicked believing that “scared bully” crap. Perhaps you should read more carefully. There is a difference between a bully who actually can kick some ass and someone with just a bully-mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/876 "2019-09-27T15:27:37Z")
We’re talking here about a bully who can send hundreds of nuclear missiles to targets on a whim. And as stated above, the folks in the silos do not have the ability to assess the order for lawfullness or whether or not it’s a good thing right now to nuke Bejing because they insulted Trump’s golf course. They just press the button as ordered. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/877 "2019-09-27T15:27:42Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I hear too much about what the Reps and Senators should do, what the Republicans need to do, what the Dems need to do, what Pelosi needs to do, etc. But… here? I never hear about what Dopers are doing. This is a great reminder. My representative is Mark Meadows, who is to tools what Stone Mountain is to racist doodles. I’m not going to waste energy trying to get him to vote in favor of impeachment. But my senators are Tillis and Burr. Tillis is a pretty wretched idiot; but Burr is, to paraphrase PJ O’Rourke, wrong within normal parameters. And even though Tillis is an idiot, even he might be interested–or at least demoralized–if he gets a lot of calls from constituents telling him to put country over party. I’ll make the first calls this afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![mjmlabs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mjmlabs/32/69_2.png) [@mjmlabs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mjmlabs)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/878 "2019-09-27T15:39:44Z")
I have every confidence that all three of my Congresspersons are not only on board, they’re leading the charge and/or rounding up stragglers. I keep seeing them on the teevee, be it in hearings or on talking-heads shows. I’d only be distracting them with coals-to-Newcastle phone calls. But if I didn’t live in a solidly blue state, then damn straight I’d be hassling them. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/879 "2019-09-27T15:41:32Z")
My senators are Durbin and Duckworth. She of “Cadet Bone Spurs” coinage, so I know I can count on them. My state has something like 13 of 18 Democratic Reps., so I can count on them, too, but it’s a valid point. And I, too, will be making calls during the recess. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/880 "2019-09-27T15:51:03Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > This is a great reminder. My representative is Mark Meadows, who is to tools what Stone Mountain is to racist doodles. I’m not going to waste energy trying to get him to vote in favor of impeachment. > > But my senators are Tillis and Burr. Tillis is a pretty wretched idiot; but Burr is, to paraphrase PJ O’Rourke, wrong within normal parameters. And even though Tillis is an idiot, even he might be interested–or at least demoralized–if he gets a lot of calls from constituents telling him to put country over party. > > I’ll make the first calls this afternoon. I think you need to call Mark Meadows too. I don’t think there is any reason whatsoever to avoid calling Republicans, especially if they represent you. In fact, it’s _far_ more important for me to constantly call Senators Cruz and Cornyn than it is the Castro brother which represents me. They listen. They really do. Your calls matter. Telling them you will speak to other likely voters that you will not be supporting them if they don’t “X” matters. Take the fight to the R’s, and don’t just inspire the D’s to keep the course. Tell the R’s you’re pissed and you’re organizing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771.md?page=43) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771.md?page=45)