A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

Why would the Democratic National Committee conspire with the Ukrainians in order to obtain nude photos of President Trump, as Representative Nunes claimed on 9/26/2019? There’s no truth to Devin Nunes’ claims that Democrats have asked the Ukrainians - indeed,  any  foreign power, to help them find nude photos of President Donald Trump. It’s just another sad, desperate ploy to distract attention from the President’s attempt to strong-arm the leader of Ukraine into helping the Trump campaign by giving him any “dirt” on Joe Biden and his son in advance of the 2020 Presidential election. Per NBC News: President Donald Trump and his allies, amid fallout from the  whistleblower complaint alleging he abused the power of his office for political gain , have attempted to turn the tables on Democrats, accusing them of their own Ukraine scandal. Trump, who faces an  impeachment inquiry , floated the claim in a news conference Wednesday, saying that Democrats...

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...

On Quora, conservative member Philipp Andern asks: Liberals: Should Trump be impeached for speaking with the Ukrainian President? Why or why not? My reply: First, let me say that disingenuous questions like  “Liberals: Should Trump be impeached for speaking with the Ukrainian President? Why or why not?”  are annoying, dishonest, and meant to deflect from the truth. In other words, they are  insincere. Second, under most circumstances, it is part of any President’s job to speak to foreign leaders. Whether it is to congratulate one - such as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Kelensky - on winning an election or to consult with a major ally on matters of global importance, it is important that a President of the United States reaches out to his foreign counterparts. It’s part of the job and a crucial one at that. What is  impeachable  in the case of the conversation with Ukraine’s President Kelensky is the fact that the current occupant of the White Hous...