AM Joy's power panel did its level best to convey the level of alarm and outrage the American citizenry should be feeling about the week's continuing march towards autocracy. We had Sarah Kendzior insisting that impeachment of Trump is NOT OPTIONAL for the Democrats, given Trump's complete abdication of power to Putin. We had Malcolm Nance at least starting out calm, but working himself into such a lather that we hear him hoping he doesn't end up running into any actual members of Congress in the Green Room. He was that justifiably upset with how carelessly they're handling the democracy he fights for with every fiber of his being.
In between them, we had Fernand Amandi, appealing directly to Democrats in the most direct terms possible about what they must do, and NOW. Stop talking. Act. Use their powers — TO BE CLEAR, their powers to remove the Despot-in-Chief from office, along with his underlings.
FERNAND AMANDI: Well, Joy, I've been so disturbed, and frankly chilled by what we've seen this week, including yesterday's disgraceful call with Putin, that I'd like to address my comments to the Democratic members of Congress in the House and Senate that I know watch AM Joy religiously, and that I know are watching now. I think we do our fellow citizens, Joy, a disservice mincing words, so I won't do that. The United States Constitution, the rule of law in this country of at this moment, and at this hour is under direct attack by a wannabe regime that is masquerading itself under the name of the Trump administration. For nearly two and a half years now, Joy, we have seen this administration act ONLY in bad faith and under NO circumstances in the national interest. And with Democrats, in essence, not really confronting and underplaying this direct assault on the rule of law, on the Constitution that we see transpiring before our very eyes every day, Democratic Congressional leaders run the risk of abdicating their Constitutional responsibilities to defend this country, to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. We have to eliminate this threatening talk and start using the power that we have, because as Mehdi says, we may not get the opportunity in 18 months.
Boy, does Amandi nail it. When have we seen the Trump administration act in anything BUT bad faith? When has it acted in anything BUT Trump's own interest, to the deleterious effect of all but the most wealthy, well-armed, and corrupt among us? When has he appointed anyone to a department he was trying to improve instead of destroy? When has he shown anything except contempt and disdain for any law? How can anything resembling fair elections take place, now, given all we know?
Don't tell me you need bipartisanship. That's an impossible, unreachable standard given this bunch of spineless, shameless, and soulless grifters.
Don't tell me it hurt Republicans when they did it to Clinton. That's a myth. As Philippe Reines pointed out, they held Congress, they got the next 8 years of the presidency starting in 2000, and they're back with Donald Trump. They've effectively poisoned the threat of impeachment forever. And if it DID hurt Republicans, it's because they SHOULDN'T have impeached Bill Clinton for blatantly twisted political reasons. You cannot begin to compare Bill Clinton's misdeeds to Trump's.
And do NOT tell me it will not succeed in the Senate. Impeachment has NEVER succeeded in the Senate. That is not a reason to hold back from impeachment proceedings now, or ever. By that logic, prosecutors should never bring criminals to trial, because they're not guaranteed a guilty verdict.
So, along with Fernand Amandi, I ask, what, WHAT ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH are the Democrats waiting for?
