A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

On Quora, conservative Mark Watson asks: If President Trump is impeached should he be reelected in 2020? And here's my response: This question is problematic, mostly because the person who posted it doesn’t seem to understand what  impeachment  is, but partly because the “corroborating” link he provides is to a decidedly biased (in this case, conservative) website. First, let’s deal with the term “impeachment” shall we, class? Per Merriam-Webster.com: Definition of  impeach (Entry 1 of 2) transitive verb 1 :  to charge with a crime or misdemeanor, specifically:   to charge (a public official) before a competent tribunal with misconduct in office  After Andrew Johnson, the first president to be impeached, finished his chaotic and disgraceful administration, Grant was the inevitable successor. — Richard Brookhiser “Impeach” or “impeachment” does not mean “the automatic removal from office of a public official.” In the context of Preside...

President Andrew Johnson being served with the summons of impeachment by Congressional Sergeant-at-Arms George T. Brown, as sketched by Harper's Weekly in 1867. (Library of Congress) If President Donald Trump were impeached and Mike Pence became president, how long would his term be? Would it be for 4 years or would there still be a 2020 election? First, let’s clear up certain misconceptions that are laid bare by the wording of the question. Impeachment does not mean “automatic removal of a Federal official by Congressional fiat.” It is a trial under specific conditions that have to be met Impeachment only results in removing a President or other official if, as implied by the term “trial,” if he or (eventually, she) is found guilty by the Senate It’s now late July 2019, and the 2020 election cycle is currently underway. As in, there is a group of aspiring Democratic Presidential candidates already jockeying for prominence and a decent shot of winning the nomination of...