Watching the so-called debate I was struck by the impeachers rehearsed contrived references to prayer the Founding Fathers the Rule of Law and the Constitution itself
By Michael Goodwin
Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless theres something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan I dont think we should go down that path" Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told the Washington Post in March.
As the leader of a party that has marinated its mind in unadulterated hatred of President Trump Nancy Pelosi bears unique responsibility for this calamity. She could have stopped it. Indeed for months she did.
Soon after Democrats took the House in last years mid-terms the asinine calls for impeaching Trump that began immediately following his 2016 election reached a level she could not ignore.
Publicly and privately Pelosi repeatedly and wisely said no arguing it would tear America apart unless there was a bipartisan consensus.
The bet was that she expected special counsel Robert Mueller to deliver the goods on collusion which would push the public and members of the GOP into the impeachment camp. Then she would be all in.
But Mueller came up empty and at first blush it seemed his finding of no collusion in April would be the end of it. The cloud over Trump was lifted. Surely Washington would get back to a normal level of partisanship.
It was not to be with the end of Mueller only temporarily quieting the Dems clamor.
Its worth noting that theres more than a little irony here Democrats with the help of a biased media endlessly suggested or promised the Mueller Report would reveal Trump to be a traitor making it the greatest scandal in national history. It all turns out to be a bogus narrative" as Attorney General Bill Barr calls it.
But the Trump-traitor narrative was very helpful to Dem candidates at the time. The midterm elections in which Democrats & Pelosi reclaimed a majority in the House of Representatives might have turned out differently had Mueller finished earlier or never been appointed.
By early June the pressure was growing again. They didnt have honest cause just raw hatred.
Still the speaker resisted.
I dont think theres anything more divisive we can do than to impeach a president of the United States and so you have to handle it with great care" Pelosi told CNN on June 16th.
It has to be about the truth and the facts to take you to whatever decision has to be there.
It should by no means be done politically" said Pelosi.
But behind the scenes the Democrats intra-party civil war raged with the most virulent Trump haters twisting the arms of those who merely disliked him.
By Sept. 24th with the 2020 Election fast approaching and her icy relationship with Trump now a bonfire Pelosi suddenly flip-flopped on impeachment. Her ostensible reason centered on the unverified claims of an anonymous whistle blower regarding Trumps phone call with the president of Ukraine.
The call she was assured by the media and Rep. Adam Schiff would amount to a smoking gun. It felt like a fill-in-the-blank speech one she had on the shelf ready to go as soon as she had an excuse to use it.
Twenty-four hours later Trump released the transcript of the Ukraine call and it was benign in comparison to Pelosis inflammatory accusation.
But it was too late. Confident she had the votes now that most if not all of the 2018 winners would be with her she erased her previous red lines about bipartisanship took the plunge and plunged America into a nightmare that continues.
Watching the so-called debate Wednesday I was struck by how the impeachers desperate to inflate their base partisan passions into something noble have cheapened our nations history and language. They resembled Grade B actors performing for the camera their rehearsed references to oaths prayers the Founding Fathers the rule of law checks and balances and the Constitution itself all sounded so contrived.
That was consistent with Pelosis pre-vote demand that her Democrat members stay solemn" in public so as not to give the impression that they were gloating and joyful.
In other words hide how you really feel so we can fool more people into joining us.
Only the damage to America is real.
Its said there are two things you should never watch being made: sausage and government budgets.
Now we can add impeachment to the list of stomach-turning sights to avoid.
Michael Goodwin a Fox News contributor and New York Post columnist can often be read in Forbes The New York Times The Wall Street Journal and the HuffingtonPost.
