[Oped] Why We Do Not Have Impeachment

[IFP endorses no candidates for federal political office. We support any call for accountability of all public office holders]
Oped News, Michael Cavlan — Over the past eight years, the craven cowardice of the so called left in this country has never ceased to amaze me. Ultimately, it comes down to one central question of how “progressives”, and I use that term loosely, relate to the Democratic Party. There are examples of this cowardice everywhere but nowhere is it more evident than in the issue of Impeachment.

There is no question that the Bush Administration is one of the most criminal and Impeachable Presidencies in our nations history. From the electoral theft in 2000 and 2004, to Katrina, to the Valerie Plame Outing, to the lies and deceit that got us into Iraq, Wiretapping of US citizens, the list of criminal, impeachable and outright treasonous acts are quite endless. We have likewise heard many experts, such as Elizabeth DeLaVega explain just how Impeachable both George Bush and Dick Cheney are. Or just how important to the future of our democracy Impeachment of these two men are. We even have heroes such as Dennis Kucinich and Cynthia McKinney introduce articles of Impeachment into the Congress. In Kucinich’s case, he introduced it twice. We have had attempts all over our nation, where Resolutions are passed calling for Impeachment. Some states even attempted to have State Resolutions passed, which would have triggered the Impeachment process, using the mechanism called the Jefferson Manual in the House Rules. Vermont even had two townships call for their arrest. We have demanded accountability for the most Impeachable, criminal Administrations ever.

For all of us in the Impeachment Movement, it is also undeniable that this call for accountability has been shut down and outright opposed by none other than the Democratic Party. From Nancy Pelosi’s infamous call to keep Impeachment “off the table”, to blocking multiple state Impeachment Resolutions, to John Conyer’s manipulations to keep Dennis Kucinich’s two separate Impeachment Resolutions stuck in Committee. It is now frankly obvious that the Democratic Party Establishment do not want Impeachment. Many will claim that it is because they want to improve their chances of winning the next election. Let us ignore the blatant cowardice of that statement. Let us instead analyze this, looking at the facts. History has shown us that when any political party implements Impeachment, they gain in strength as they are viewed by the public as being strong in defending their rights.

With that understanding, we need to look at the words of the Democratic Party Establishment in a new light. If indeed the Democrats would probably gain from pushing for Impeachment, then we need to ask why are they really opposed to it. I put forward to you that the reason is quite simple and makes too much sense.

Impeachment would do one simple thing apart from starting the process of accountability. Impeachment would start the needed investigation into the facts surrounding our nations entering into an illegal war and now occupation on Iraq. That investigation would make public the Democratic Party’s lie that they were lied into Iraq. It would make clear that they were not lied to, that in fact they knew the truth and even more damning that they were a critical part of the lie. The Democratic Party leadership knowingly aided and abeited in the lies perpetrated on the American people, with the complicity of their friends in the corporate media. It is this simple fact that explains just why the Democratic Establishment has been fighting against Impeachment as hard as they have. They are afraid of having their complicity in the crimes of Bush exposed. They would rather loose an election to the likes of John McCain than have these truths exposed.

This leads to the cowardice of so many who call themselves progressive. From the pages of the Nation magazine to the Airways of Air America this perspective is never heard. Instead, we hear of just how “progressive” Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton are. There is nothing progressive about these two people. Your Emperor has no clothes. Of course, at this time we expect to hear explanations such as “well, they are the lesser evil” or “it is not them, it is the movement behind them that will push them forward.”

The answer to this can be exemplified by two names, Al Gore and John Kerry. Both of these two “leaders” were presented with the specter of stolen elections and they both made a conscious decision to let it be stolen. To allow for the deliberate disenfranchisement of poor people, students and Blacks in Florida (and elsewhere) 2000 and Ohio (and elsewhere) 2004. Now some may argue that Al Gore did stand up in Florida but the record shows us the opposite. We have the now infamous Michael Moore movie, Farenheight 9-11 which showed Al Gore, gavel in hand telling the Congressional Black Caucus to sit down and be quiet. They were asking just one US Senator to challenge the electoral fraud in Florida. Later, we had Senator Barbara Boxer who told us that Al Gore had told her not to challenge the election in Florida 2000. Al Gore’s supposed fighting back was in fact simply stage managed posturing. In fact, in both these cases, Al Gore and John Kerry actually stopped a real, progressive movement to stand up to the electoral theft from developing. That is the result of the lesser evil thinking. Yet so many “progressive” publications, radio stations and organizations refuse to allow this kind kind of dissenting voice into the mix.

You have also had multiple voices tell you about this complicity of the Democratic Party in the mess we find ourselves in. From Cynthia McKinney, Ralph Nader, Cindy Sheehan or a host of other lesser known activists. Ironically enough, the answer to each of these heroes have been predictably the same. They are attention whores, media whores and Egoists. It is about themselves and their egos. Simply because they all did the same thing. They have challenged you to think critically and admit that your Emperor’s have no clothes. They exposed the Democratic Party for their complicity and the liars they are.

Wake up progressives, the Democratic Party is where progressive politics goes to die. They are the problem, not the solution. Start holding those who refuse to hold Bush and Co accountable. Stop being cowards and stop being complicit in their crimes.