# The Trump Presidency HAS to end with Impeachment... right? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 11, 2017, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406 "2017-05-11T23:48:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/161 "2017-05-14T17:07:15Z")
“David Duke, former imperial wizard for the KKK and all around terrible human being, was an avid Trump supporter. That there were irredeemable and deplorable people supporting his candidacy, therefore, is not in question. But, I truly believe that the majority of Americans who voted for Mr. Trump are good people, who were simply sick of politics as usual in Washington, and we hope that they will look at our platform and our policies, and agree that the Republican vision is not the path forward for us.” ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/162 "2017-05-14T17:19:37Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Yeah, not only will it not happen but I think he’s (unfortunately) likely to win re-election and go the full 8 years. Unless the Dems come up with some rockstar candidate like they did with Obama… but for the most part they absolutely suck at picking candidates, so I’m not holding my breath. Why do you think this? Yes, I understand that with the shadows of Nov 2016 still upon us all seems lost and the electorate appears to have the sense of a underripe turnip, but recall that in 2016 we had a Democratic candidate who was mired in faux scandal, and had been subject to 20+ years of Republican hate machine, against a Trump candidate who was riding a wave of anti-establishment fervor who was promising the moon and sun, and the promise of a supreme court seat which was driving Evangelicals to the polls, and yet still Trump won by just a whisker. In 2020 Trump will be the establishment and unless his presidency take a radical U-turn will have demonstrated himself to be completely ineffectual in office. His poll number right now give him a net 15% negative approval and seem to be heading south from there. Democrats are motivated by the shear horror of what they have witnessed, while the best I’m hearing from the Trump voters is “well its still early lets give him a chance”, or “Hillary would have been worse”. To my mind so long as there isn’t a sudden surge in competence in the Trump administration and the Dem’s choose someone better than Hillary, Trumps reelection chances in 2020 look rather dim. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/163 "2017-05-14T17:35:16Z")
> [@2nd\_Law](#): > > Trump is 70 years old, overweight, and probably in lousy physical condition. Quitting to “spend more time with his family” is out, seeing as half his family is on staff with him already. I suspect he’s not going to stick around to get impeached, but rather he is going to have a health related “crisis” (quotes because the “crisis” could be real or feigned), heart attack or stroke (probably not Alzheimer’s because that would strike too close to home for Trump’s comfort), which will result in his stepping down for “the good of the country”. Then he will have ghost writers create books (because he doesn’t do anything himself) for him to hawk, bragging about he bigly he was - and then not pay them, as is his well documented custom. Then he’ll go bankrupt to avoid paying anyone else involved (after taking his cut of course). ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/164 "2017-05-14T17:39:57Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Good grief. That’s very significant. > My neighbor plays the radio in his truck too loud. I blame the Clintons for this. > My other neighbors neglect their sweet dog. I blame the Clintons for this. > My cat has bladder problems. I blame the Clintons for this. > There’s not going to be a third season of _Home Fires_. I blame the Clintons for this. > My mother is fading into dementia. I blame the Clintons for this. > Whatever. I blame the Clintons… > :rolleyes: I farted. Clinton’s fault! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/165 "2017-05-14T17:41:37Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > As for Trump… if his disapproval rating keeps rising, Republicans will start running away from him as soon as the election season heats up. > > But don’t be too sure - They will continue to support him, as long as they think they will get what they want. They need to look more closely at his “business” practices. That would show them what their chance of NOT getting fucked really is. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/166 "2017-05-14T17:45:38Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Unable to edit, but I would also like to note that there are numerous investigations into Trump and his campaign, the Attorney General was forced to recuse himself, … and yet found time to be involved in the firing of Comey, in some capacity. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/167 "2017-05-14T17:50:57Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Surely releasing such secrets would violate classified-info laws and get him more legal trouble? Laws? You think he cares about that? It’s ALL about him and what he feels like doing. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/168 "2017-05-14T18:04:36Z")
Besides, he won the election. Bigly! ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/169 "2017-05-14T18:35:44Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > I’m now very suspicious of these betting sites (since our last discussion on them), because you can get [very different odds](http://www.paddypower.com/bet/politics/other-politics/donald-trump?ev_oc_grp_ids=2944322) at other sites. The link here shows 3/1 odds on Trump being impeached in 2017 alone, and 4/6 odds on impeachment in total. Seems like an arbitrage opportunity, or some of these sites are full of crap. I do like wagers, but I’m not brave enough for one of these sites to have my credit card! Can’t speak for other sites (and they may well be illegal for US residents to use, to boot). Bit PredictIt is both legal and has never given me any issues. If you’re concerned, a pre-paid card used to fund the account can limit your exposure. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/170 "2017-05-14T19:30:35Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > “David Duke, former imperial wizard for the KKK and all around terrible human being, was an avid Trump supporter. \*\*That there were irredeemable and deplorable people supporting his candidacy, therefore, is not in question. \*\*But, I truly believe that the majority of Americans who voted for Mr. Trump are good people, who were simply sick of politics as usual in Washington, and we hope that they will look at our platform and our policies, and agree that the Republican vision is not the path forward for us.” I have bolded the part of this that will make the rounds on twitter. And FOX. And Breibart. And everyone else in the right-wing media. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/171 "2017-05-14T21:00:08Z")
I doubt Trump even runs assuming he’s around by then. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/172 "2017-05-14T21:19:09Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > … Note that the odds on Predict it are slim: If you buy a contract that pays a dollar if Trump is impeached, and nothing if he’s not. . . right now that contract costs sixteen cents. If you think that impeachment is of greater likelihood, make some money! I see you’re fudging this yet again by failing to note that the [Predictit.org](http://Predictit.org) odds you offer as an indicator that Trump is likely to be safe from impeachment, _ **cover 2017 only** _. [https://www.predictit.org/Browse/Category/13/US-Politics](https://www.predictit.org/Browse/Category/13/US-Politics) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/173 "2017-05-14T22:20:30Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > You know, that raises an interesting question. > > I figure this will come up in the next presidential election: _hey,_ someone will ask, on live national television, _remember how Hillary said half of Trump’s supporters were deplorable to the point of being irredeemable? Was she correct?_ Half of them, irredeemable? I would have to agree, but Clinton should certainly not have said it. Driving through Iowa, I saw a small (fake) black hand chained to the back of a pickup truck. Buck Ofama bumper stickers (how clever) and confederate flag bumper stickers adorned cars. In IOWA. How do you even talk to such people? Deplorable, you bet. Irredeemable? Probably. > [@](#): > > How should the Democrat answer? I am not a big fan of Clinton, and I don’t think there is any way to reach some people that are so racist and misogynic. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/174 "2017-05-14T22:35:49Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > I doubt Trump even runs assuming he’s around by then. Yep. Trumps win was not expected by anyone, much less by him. After the surprising election, he thought he would be King. He is finding out it doesn’t work that way. Turns out to be the hardest job in the world (surprise!) That really shows just how stupid and foolish Trump really is. The only way IMHO to do the job is to surround yourself with VERY capable people. oops. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/175 "2017-05-14T22:59:00Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I see you’re fudging this yet again by failing to note that the [Predictit.org](http://Predictit.org) odds you offer as an indicator that Trump is likely to be safe from impeachment, _ **cover 2017 only** _. > > [PredictIt](https://www.predictit.org/Browse/Category/13/US-Politics) I thought that 16% sounded low. In that case, it’s not too far off from the PaddyPower odds, which put a 2017 impeachment at 33%. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/176 "2017-05-15T00:12:00Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > You know, that raises an interesting question. > > I figure this will come up in the next presidential election: _hey,_ someone will ask, on live national television, _remember how Hillary said half of Trump’s supporters were deplorable to the point of being irredeemable? Was she correct?_ > > How should the Democrat answer? > [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > “David Duke, former imperial wizard for the KKK and all around terrible human being, was an avid Trump supporter. \*\*That there were irredeemable and deplorable people supporting his candidacy, therefore, is not in question. \*\*But, I truly believe that the majority of Americans who voted for Mr. Trump are good people, who were simply sick of politics as usual in Washington, and we hope that they will look at our platform and our policies, and agree that the Republican vision is not the path forward for us.” > [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > I have bolded the part of this that will make the rounds on twitter. And FOX. And Breibart. And everyone else in the right-wing media. I added **Budget Player Cadet’s** bolding to **Fiveyearlurker’s** post so **BPC’s** quote would make sense. **Budget Player Cadet** is correct. Forget replying to anything with long, nuanced answers. By “long,” I mean a sentence longer than 3-4 words. Such answers will be edited into inflammatory and “newsworthy” headlines and sound bites. For example, if the candidate replied to the OP’s question, “Hillary was wrong to say it,” that would turn into the headline, “Candidate X says ‘Hillary was wrong!’” It’s as if public figures must only speak in sentences of two words to avoid sound-bite-itis. Or maybe confine themselves to 140 characters… hmmm… IMHO she was factually accurate, but she should never have said it. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/177 "2017-05-15T01:10:41Z")
I remarked that Nixon wasn’t impeached for Watergate but rather for the fact that the United States was losing Vietnam (among other things), and people snickered and ridiculed me claiming that I needed to brush up on my history. Maybe now it’s beginning to sink in: **impeachment isn’t a legal process, but a political one.** If Nixon had found a graceful way to end Vietnam instead of ramping up bombings in Cambodia, and if there hadn’t been the oil shocks and stagflation of the early 1970s, Nixon could have strangled Archibald Cox on the Ed Sullivan Show and nobody would have given a shit. Trump inherited a country that is in a state of relative prosperity and hasn’t sustained a major national security emergency in the better part of a decade and a half. He’s riding the tailwinds. Most of his constituents think he’s not the perpetrator of unjust and unconstitutional acts but rather the victim of such conduct. And he has allies in congress who have their own agenda and they’re not going to let Trump’s tweets sidetrack what they’ve been wet dreaming of for the past few decades, which is total right wing control of the country. Nothing will change unless and until the plumbers, construction workers, small business owners, and itinerant white workers of America wake up and smell the shit that republicans have been putting in their coffee the last few decades. Unfortunately for them and the rest of us, that probably means nothing short of a real depression – not like 2008 when we had FDR-era mechanisms in place to bail us out from the worst effects of the financial crisis, but rather the kind of financial crisis that results in the banking sector and the stock market collapsing so suddenly and so hard that even the FDIC and Treasury can’t stave off the worst of its effects. Only when there are white conservatives standing in line bread lines with black and hispanics, only when Social Security goes bankrupt, and only when Army veterans no longer get pensions and VA care will things change. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/178 "2017-05-15T01:31:45Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I see you’re fudging this yet again by failing to note that the [Predictit.org](http://Predictit.org) odds you offer as an indicator that Trump is likely to be safe from impeachment, _ **cover 2017 only** _. > > [PredictIt](https://www.predictit.org/Browse/Category/13/US-Politics) You’re right! Not that I was fudging it – I didn’t notice the limitation. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/179 "2017-05-15T01:51:35Z")
The funny thing about the “basket of deplorables” comment is how wonkish it sounds. I say good sir, sell off these pork futures and invest in the basket of deplorables. > [@asahi](#): > > I remarked that Nixon wasn’t impeached for Watergate but rather for the fact that the United States was losing Vietnam (among other things), and people snickered and ridiculed me claiming that I needed to brush up on my history. The elite weren’t pleased with Vietnam, but Nixon got in trouble for the same reason Bernie Madoff did: he went after people with power. Big mistake. > [@asahi](#): > > Only when there are white conservatives standing in line bread lines with black and hispanics, only when Social Security goes bankrupt, and only when Army veterans no longer get pensions and VA care will things change. If that happens the proto-fascists will stop pretending. They’ll say the big liberal government institutions have failed us and we need a strong leader to clean up this mess, and it’s time to stop pussy footing around with the dregs of society since they caused this. And off to the races we go. > [@enipla](#): > > Buck Ofama bumper stickers (how clever) [Buck Fush](https://www.google.com/search?q=Buck+Fush&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTrceg3fDTAhUpI8AKHRXrA48Q_AUIBygC&biw=1920&bih=936) I don’t know if that’s original to liberals, but it’s remarkable how much right wing jargon is appropriated from the left: SJWs, PC, regressives, fake news, or their various flavors of class rhetoric and identity. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/180 "2017-05-15T01:55:45Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I remarked that Nixon wasn’t impeached for Watergate but rather for the fact that the United States was losing Vietnam (among other things), and people snickered and ridiculed me claiming that I needed to brush up on my history. > > Maybe now it’s beginning to sink in: **impeachment isn’t a legal process, but a political one.** If Nixon had found a graceful way to end Vietnam instead of ramping up bombings in Cambodia, and if there hadn’t been the oil shocks and stagflation of the early 1970s, Nixon could have strangled Archibald Cox on the Ed Sullivan Show and nobody would have given a shit. There is a kernel of truth in that but only in the sense that Nixon was very unpopular with liberals, despised by the media, and deeply mistrusted by almost everyone. But it was the audacity of the Watergate conspiracies and coverups – the shameless criminality of the whole gang of Nixon underlings – that drove Woodward and Bernstein’s investigations and the eventual Senate Watergate Committee hearings, not Vietnam. Virtually all of this is true for Trump, and although outright criminality has yet to be established, the lying, malfeasance, and utter incompetence of this administration is totally unprecedented. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406.md?page=10)