I wrote a Huffington Post column about this a while back, so I’m glad to see today that I’m not the only writer who thinks a Republican Congress would impeach the president. DougJ from Balloon Juice sees the writing on the wall (or on Glenn Beck’s chalkboard as the case may be):
It seems worth asking: what would Republicans do if they gained control of the House? [...] My guess is that politically, the biggest thing would do is start lots of investigations. What do you think they would investigate? Anita Dunn and Van Jones, probably, but what else? Would they delve into Obama’s pre-presidential years? Would they hold hearings on his birth certificate? Would they impeach him? Would the press go along with all of this the way they did with Whitewater and Travelgate and Socksgate? My gut feeling is that the answer to the last three questions is “yes”.
I hate to be so grim, but these are the stakes. And I couldn’t be more deadly serious.
In terms of the politics, it’s what makes the soft-pedaling on healthcare seem all the more puzzling. Abandoning healthcare creates a snowball that will eventually grow to mammoth proportions and roll right over the White House. They have to pass this bill — obviously because it will save lives and the economy — but also to preserve Congress and the Obama White House.
Adding… Admittedly, this is one thing that motivates me to sometimes appear a bit cheerleader-ish. As much as I wish we could be, we simply don’t have the luxury of being progressive purists. Blocking a Republican takeover of Congress ought to be our number one priority, regardless of whether we think the White House or the Democrats are doing the right thing in terms of progressive policy. Sorry, folks, flame me and un-follow me all you want but I can assure you, there won’t be any overturning of DOMA while multiple Republican House committees at the command of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh (who the Republicans are loath to repudiate) are investigating the president for fictitious ties to ACORN.
