Hello Everyone:
This is Blogger Candidate Forum with a live post from the verdict in the Senate trial of Mr. Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
13:24 pm PST: On the first charge, abuse of power, the vote was 48-52 to acquit. Since the two-thirds majority threshold was not reached, presiding magistrate Chief Justice John Roberts decided in favor of acquittal. Right now, the second chafe is being read by the Chief Justice. Roll call vote is now being taken. So far it looks close.
13:32 pm PST: the vote on the second charge, abuse of Congress, is right along party lines, 47 in favor of guilty and 53 for acquittal. Again, the two-thirds majority threshold was not reached and the vote was decidedby Chief Justice Roberts in favor of acquittal.
The close votes were not exactly what the president wanted but that is what he got. He also wanted to strut into the House of Representatives chamber, for yesterday evening's State of the Union speech, and gloat about acquittal. That did not happen either. What did happen was a trial, if we can call it that, without witnesses or evidence, that was largely an exercise in absurdity.
The Republican senators seemed more interested in getting the whole thing over and done with before moving on to other things. Their Democratic colleagues were no less guilty of that offense but kept pressing for a fair trial. The defense complaints of lack of due process were hollow, given that there was ample opportunity confront witnesses and evidence against the president, which were blocked by them; present testimony and evidence that might support their case, they did not. The president's counsel was even invited to attend the impeachment inquiry hearings but refused. What that should tell you is there was no interest in the part of the president or his legal team in carrying a fair trial, it was all about the win, at whatever the cost, including their integrity.
The president had his enablers in the House and Senate who preened and expounded before the the cameras about the absurdity of the charges. At every turn, they found some justification for the president's action surrounding the release of military aid to Ukraine, no matter how much it strained credulity. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham were the chief enablers, publicly declaring their intention not to be fair and impartial jurors and coordinate with the White House. They should be ashamed of themselves. What now?
What comes next is the current election cycle. Voting officially kicked off on Monday with the Iowa Caucus. The Candidate Forum can now report that the big winners were Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Peter Buttigieg. Massachusetts Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren was competitive but former VPOTUS Joe Biden (D-DE) was a distant fourth. Not good for someone who was expected to be the president's main challenger. The Candidate Forum supposes that now that impeachment proceedings are over, it is time for the voters to have their final say.
Yesterday's State of the Union was more campaign speech than an outline of the year's legislative agenda. The big news was the obvious animus between the president and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). What is the state of the Union? Mixed, at best. Typically, a re-election campaign is a referendum on the candidate. Next week is the New Hampshire primary and let us hope it will not be a technical nightmare like the Iowa Caucus. Super Tuesday is March 3 and California--The Candidate Forum's home state-- is casting its vote.
As always, The Candidate Forum will be with you.
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