Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Clinton's Scandals: Is this corruption the worst ever? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: j g cordes who wrote (8135)	10/11/1998 3:24:00 PM
From: Trippi	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13994

Zoltan! You continue to use the rule of law as your argument against us non-intelligent liberals. Many of us believe that if this trial were held in a court of law -- the President would likely be found guilty. The fact is that not all impeachable offenses are crimes and not all crimes rise to a level of an impeachable offense. The framer's of the constitution placed impeachment in the House of Representatives and the Final Trial in the US Senate to make it both a legal and political decision. They wanted to make it difficult for a majority party to remove an elected President from the minority party in the face of countervailing public forces. I use this metaphor on the air -- If the President stood accused of stealing a stick of gum -- If indeed we had video from the 7-11 of the president indeed stealing the stick of gum -- the President would clearly have been guilty of breaking the law. The question is would/should Congress and the Senate find such an offense impeachable? If the current circumstances were actually at trial -- and they should be upon the President's leaving of office (If he isn't impeached) he could well be found guilty of breaking the law. That does not mean that in a Senate Trial he would be impeached. Going back to the stick of gum -- If the Senate impeached a sitting President over stealing a stick of gum and then lying to the American people about it -- how ever high minded the debate was -- if the American people felt that the President had been impeached over something they viewed as unimportant or trivial -- the House and the Senate would pay a price in the next election. You and your Representatives in Washington feel this President must go -- A majority of the American people feel otherwise. The rule of law can be applied appropriately in a court trial -- Or with a finding by Congress that the President should be punished -- but that punishment does not rise to the level of Impeachment. Impeachment will be a political not legal process -- we know what you want -- now the only question is do you have the votes. The rule of law won't have a lot to do with getting the votes -- but its a nice argument. Trippi