Just Giving Them a Reason

Do Democratic members of Congress “loathe” President Trump, and did they try to get him impeached for almost three years? Of course, some do loathe him and yes, they did try, and now have succeeded. Perhaps others have been praying that he change his ways and do right for the country. But I bet most just want him to go away, and their attitude was, “Just give us a reason.” Apparently, he gave them one.

Many of us are now gasping for breath over the historic nature of the impeachment vote. I look at it more like this: I am by no means a DIY type, but in the garage here at home, I have tools. There are some I have used very rarely, but once in a great while, there are jobs that arise requiring just one special tool, and I’m always grateful it’s there, and that I don’t have to head to the hardware store and spend top dollar on the latest version of that tool.

This may go against the grain, but it doesn’t really matter to me whether it was Russia, the Ukraine, or the 400-pound guy on his bed who interfered with our elections in 2016. It’s just the fact that the President and his fans have spent so much time looking backward. A more legitimate question is: where has Trump’s leadership been on protecting us against such interference in the coming year, or further in the future, from any quarter?

On another front, I don’t know that Presidents can always take credit for the performance of the economy during their terms. But in one area, Mr. Trump in fact has shown leadership: trade deals. Most all of the interested parties seem to feel that the new USMCA deal for the US, Mexico, and Canada is a huge improvement over NAFTA, and even though the latest version is much different from the version the President originally supported, he was the one beating the drum. Does a pending new deal with China indicate that tariffs actually worked? Stay tuned.

What we might call a typical voter, when asked by a TV reporter recently about whether he supports the President, said: “Well, he is an embarrassment to me, but you know, things are going pretty well.” The left loves to suggest that the record stock market only benefits rich people. Not true! Many workers have 401(k)s, 403(b)s or other retirement plans, and their performance is also going through the roof along with the markets. Is it going to be, “It’s the economy, stupid” again?

Back to the point, though. The first step in the impeachment process is done. Mr. Trump’s name will forever carry this stain, which he deserves. The next chapter will take place in the Senate, and if all goes as expected, the President will not be removed. That issue will remain with the voters. I don’t expect any Republican senators to vote for removal. But if one or more were to at least say something like. “This guy has been a terrible President, but removing him would cause too much disruption right now. Let the voters do it!” I might actually nod my head.

The Clock and the Calendar

The ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, Republican Congressman Doug Collins of Georgia, has it exactly right: the Democrats, in their haste to get impeachment of the President voted on, are consumed by the clock and the calendar – getting it all done before Christmas. Yes, the clock and the calendar are critical, but the Democrats have control of both – and they don’t have to be in a hurry.

Consider the impeachment hearings themselves. The Democrats couldn’t begin to buy the airtime they are getting for free to lay out their case against the President. These hearings are news, and the media outlets are essentially compelled to cover them. Wouldn’t it be a better idea to have this drag on into the election year? The Republicans want to have a “minority hearing day”? So let them have one! They want Adam Schiff as a witness? I think he should do it, he can handle himself. If there are certain reasonable procedural complaints that can be satisfied, the Democrats should do so, and deprive the GOP of the ammunition.

You’d think the Republicans would want the Dems to rush to a vote on impeachment, so that the Senate can bat the ball away early and allow the President to claim innocence and have clear sailing in 2020.

John Dean, the White House counsel for Richard Nixon, favors the long game for the Democrats. He wants the impeachment inquiry to include things like the Stormy Daniels payoff. I wouldn’t go that far, but I think the emoluments clause in the Constitution is fair game.

Yes, the Democrats do have to face the reality that getting the public on board for an early removal of the President is a really hard sell. But the drip-drip-drip of negative information could eventually affect the voters moods next year, even in Republican districts, where senators may have to decide between their jobs and their legacies as they take their stands on impeachment.

So it’s not just one group of eyes that will be on the clock and the calendar.

The Demon Called Speed

I was a little alarmed by a recent PBS story from the Center for Investigative Reporting on life at an Amazon ”fulfillment center” in Southern California. This is a place where human workers and robots are both involved in getting all those iconic Amazon boxes ready for shipping. As you might expect, it’s a frenetic place right now.

According to the story, it’s also a little dangerous. Reporter Will Evans interviewed a woman whose job at Amazon was loading filled boxes into storage bins. She moved box after box, many of them heavy, in quick succession – necessary, because she was being timed, if she didn’t keep up with the expected pace, she was subject to write-up or even firing. The day came when she threw her back out. She got workers’ comp, but the money is running out, and even simple tasks at home give her pain.

In these centers, according to the story, the boxes are processed by robots at such a rate that the human workers down the line have trouble keeping up. The injury rate among workers is said to be at least double the industry standard.

II’s one thing for many of us to be so busy thinking about holiday gifts and the need to get them quickly that we are oblivious to the working conditions in the Third World country that produced them. It’s quite another thing, though, when we hear of what seem like oppressive working conditions right here at home. There shouldn’t be a difference, I guess, but there is. To paraphrase the late Elijah Cummings, we should be better than this.

I was never an especially patient person, but I find myself becoming less and less tolerant of delay now.  Is it a character flaw, or am I just going with the cultural flow? These days, we get miffed if no one responds immediately to our email or text, likes our post, or reads and comments on our blog (thank you in advance, BTW).

Look, I’m not here to bash Amazon and go into a rant on whether it should be broken up. That’s for another day. Amazon saw a need and satisfied it. You can’t get more American than that, right? I’m a Prime member myself  But if my need for speed is actually getting someone hurt, maybe I have an obligation to take at least an extra second or two to think about where and how I shop. If I really need something right now, today, there is that quaint old institution called a store, and I’ll bring along a little extra holiday patience for one of the human beings there waiting on me.