How McConnell Outplayed Pelosi

The Republican leader unified his caucus by relying on precedent

Matthew Continetti  "Mitch McConnell was clear when he addressed the Senate December 18: Any impeachment trial of President Trump would follow the precedent established by the trial of President Clinton 20 years ago.
"Clinton's trial was divided into pieces. The Senate agreed unanimously to begin with a briefing, opening arguments, questions from senators, and a vote to dismiss. Whether to hear witnesses or introduce additional evidence were questions decided later. "That was the unanimous bipartisan precedent from 1999," McConnell said. "Put first things first, lay the bipartisan groundwork, and leave mid-trial questions to the middle of the trial."
"The arrangement satisfied Chuck Schumer back when he was a recently elected junior senator from New York. Funny how times change. Now Senate minority leader, and looking to damage Republicans in a presidential election year, Schumer demanded that McConnell call witnesses and ask for additional documents at the outset of the proceedings. Pelosi followed his cues. After the House impeached Trump on December 18, she said she wouldn't transmit the articles of impeachment until McConnell gave in to Schumer's demands.
"McConnell refused. He continued to point to the (relative) bipartisanship of the Clinton era. "The Senate said, 100 to nothing, that was good enough for President Clinton," he said on January 6. "So it ought to be good enough for President Trump. Fair is fair." The following day, McConnell ridiculed the idea that Pelosi had "leverage" over the Senate: "Apparently this is their proposition: If the Senate does not agree to break with our own unanimous bipartisan precedent from 1999, and agree to let Speaker Pelosi hand-design a different procedure for this Senate trial, then they might never dump this mess in our lap." Fine with him. The Senate has plenty of other things to do." . . .

Nancy Pelosi’s Delusions of Grandeur; Madam Speaker is a greater threat to democracy than the man she impeached.

The American Spectator; Madam Speaker is a greater threat to democracy than the man she impeached.

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly portrayed President Trump as an existential threat to the republic. As she put it when announcing the House impeachment inquiry, “The actions taken to date by the president have seriously violated the Constitution.” She later justified her mad rush to hold an impeachment vote in December by claiming it was necessary “to defend democracy.” In reality, by presiding over the hyper-partisan passage of two inscrutable articles of impeachment and holding them hostage until the Senate allows her to dictate how it will conduct the president’s trial, Pelosi has revealed that she is the genuine menace to our unique system of government.

"The speaker of the House has no authority to impose conditions on the Senate in return for transmitting articles of impeachment to that body. The Constitution unambiguously invests the upper chamber with the sole power to conduct presidential impeachment trials, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made it abundantly clear that he has no intention of acceding to Speaker Pelosi’s unconstitutional demands: “There will be no haggling with the House over Senate procedure. We will not cede our authority to try this impeachment. The House’s turn is over. The Senate has made its decision.” Yet Madam Speaker continues to issue high-handed ultimatums:

The President & Sen. McConnell have run out of excuses. They must allow witnesses to testify, and produce the documents Trump has blocked, so Americans can see the facts for themselves. The Senate cannot be complicit in the President’s cover-up.

'By presuming to dictate what the president and Senate Majority Leader “must” do, Pelosi is deliberately undermining the checks and balances built into the system by the Framers." . . . 

Flashback: Feinstein On Clinton Impeachment, ‘Tears At The Fabric Of The Presidency’

Weasel Zippers
"But now, it’s just hunky dory."

Steve Guest

✔@SteveGuest

FLASHBACK: In 1998, Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein said impeachment hurt the U.S. internationally and that the Senate should finish the trial "as quickly as possible"

Feinstein added that impeachment tore “at the fabric of the presidency.”

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1:53 PM - Jan 17, 2020

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Pelosi's Pen not Mightier than Trump's Sword

Image by Scott Kunst of The Shrug

Pelosi's Pen not Mightier than Trump's Sword  . . . "Democrats have often mocked Trump rallies as carnival shows filled with actors from central casting and others literally paid to be there. Democrats in 2016 reassured themselves that these were just bitter clingers out for a good time. They weren’t going to actually turn out to vote. Yet they did, in numbers so great that Hillary Clinton had to cancel the fireworks show.

"The makeup of the audience at Trump rallies has been changing but in a way that should be frightening to Democrats. Rather than just diehard Trump supporters we see a growing number of independents attending, many picking up their Maga hats on the way in:

Several days ago, Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale posted statistics from last week’s rally held in Toledo, OH, which showed that 43% of attendees identified as either Democratic or Independent….

 REPORT: Over 50 Percent Of Attendees At Trump’s Wisconsin Rally Weren’t Republicans  Stats posted by Brad Parscale

Excellent data from Milwaukee:
20,395 Voters Identified
15,738 Voters From Wisconsin
57.9% Were NOT Republicans (Yuge!)
4,313 Registrants Didn't Vote in 2016

Every Democrat Still Running for President Supports Abortions Up to Birth

Life News

. . . "Bernie Sanders thinks it is a constitutional right to kill an unborn baby for any reason up to birth – and to force taxpayers to pay for it, too. The Vermont senator and presidential candidate has been touting a radical pro-abortion position that calls for unrestricted abortions up to birth, taxpayer-funded abortions and more.
"Sanders claimed his position is constitutional.
“ 'Abortion is a constitutional right – not a privilege for those who can afford it,” he wrote on Twitter.
"Joe Biden once was more moderate on abortion, supporting restrictions on taxpayer-funded abortions and other measures, more recently, he has embraced his party’s extreme platform on abortion. In June, he announced that he no longer supports the Hyde amendment, which restricts taxpayer-funded abortions.
"Biden’s new health care plan would expand abortions in multiple ways. If elected president, he would codify Roe v. Wade into federal law, prohibiting states from passing even moderate restrictions that protect unborn babies from late-term abortions, according to the report." . . .

In May, when asked about abortions in the third trimester, Buttigieg said he thinks they should be legal and unrestricted. He told Fox News’ Chris Wallace, “I trust women to draw the line.”

There is no doubt that Tom Steyer, the single largest donor to the Democratic Party in recent years, would support abortion on demand if elected. Last summer, as the party debated welcoming pro-life Democrats, he announced that he would donate money only to pro-abortion candidates.

 And finally, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar would work to make abortion an “American right” if elected to the highest office of the United States.