• I was listening to a podcast this morning and they were discussing Trump’s pronouncement on the South Lawn about how he encouraged Ukraine and China to investigate the Bidens.  One of the pundits offered the opinion that this might be excused by some as “Trump being Trump.”  It’s just like during the campaign when he encouraged Russia to go find Hillary’s emails.  It also brings to mind the excuse that I heard some offer for Trump’s announcements during the campaign.  I’ll build the wall and Mexico will pay for it.  They would say, you should take Trump seriously, but not literally.  My response to that is I have no problem if Trump wants to be Trump…as a private citizen.  Unfortunately, he speaks for the country as President now.  If the defenders out there would have a problem with Obama appealing to a foreign country to investigate an American citizen, and especially a citizen who happens to be the President’s likely opponent in the next election, then their defense of Trump for doing that should be given little to no weight.
  • I think I have previously said that I opposed making the impeachment only about Ukraine.  I think I’m coming around on that idea.  There’s enough there in the Ukraine fiasco to warrant impeachment on its own.  While I think the Russia stuff and general obstruction are also impeachable, adding those might give Republicans cover to obscure why they’re voting with the President.  Make it about Ukraine and only Ukraine and you get them on the record very clearly.  If, as I suspect, polling on impeachment and removal starts to align with Trump’s underwater approval numbers, then a no vote on impeachment in the House and a vote not to remove him in the Senate are going to be important data points for Democratic candidates to use against their Republican opponents.
  • I thought impeachment is what Trump wanted.  He was sure it was going to be a political winner for him.  His antics this week undermine that theory.  But that’s also one of the points I think was in favor of impeachment to begin with.  Keep Trump focused on the witch hunt and he can’t do other things to hurt the county.