Conyers: Impeachment not off the table

[Crazy Horse]

Keep that eye on te football Charlie Brown

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2787975

Impeachment_Monkey (767 posts)      Tue Jan-29-08 05:17 PM
Original message
Conyers: "Impeachment NOT off the table"
 January 29, 2008 at 09:12:06

Conyers Tells Rob Kall: Impeachment Not Off the Table; A You Tube Video

by Rob Kall (Posted by Rob Kall) Page 1 of 3 page(s)

At the invitation only Progressive media summit, held by Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, Rob Kall interviewed John Conyers on impeachment. Uber Blogger Matt Stoller video recorded most of the conversation and posted it to youtube, commenting,


You get to see a fascinating and very human interaction between a highly intelligent activist and a sitting Congressman with immense power who is vaguely irritated at having to answer questions, but also intensely interested in answering them.


Here's the transcript of the conversation. Matt Stoller transcribed the part he videotaped, but I recorded the conversation from its start, so I"ve put them together and corrected a few minor transcription errors. Please make sure to read my comments on the third page-- my attempt to offer some additional context and a positive slant on Conyers words. (The brown print is the part that was not on the video.)

Rob Kall: You know, you just gave the talking points that all the members of congress use on why not to impeach-- that you want to stay focused on work, but I talked to ELizabeth Holtzman about it, and she did it (she was involved in the impeachment hearings of Richard Nixon.)

And she told me that it didn't hold up the congress at all. They had a room. They held hearings. The way I see it, the way the congress has been framing impeachment is the target of getting it to the senate and the whole point of impeachment is that it's a tool that lets you get around executive privilege. Right? YOu don't have the problem then (of Bush's refusal to allow people to testify after being subpoenaed.)

John Conyers: Dear friend. We've got two impeachments, the first time in American history. We gotta have two impeachments... Two impeachments rather than one. They've either got to be simultaneous or seriatic.

Rob Kall: Seriatic would be the way to do it. First Cheney, then Bush. History teaches us, let's start with Gonzales. We went to Gonzales, and he's gone. They went to Agnew, he left. Then they went to Nixon, and they started doing hearings on him. It never went to a vote in the Senate. And I don't think it ever would. All we need to do is get the hearings opened up where they can't say 'sorry, executive privilege, then you've got the tools, which is what Impeachment is, it's a tool.

John Conyers : You know who's been in more impeachment hearings than anybody in the House or Senate?

Rob Kall: You?

John Conyers : Right.

Rob Kall: And you wrote a book on impeaching Bush, too.

John Conyers : A couple, yes. Well then there must be some compelling reason that I'm not doing it right now.

Rob Kall: Pelosi, Pelosi keeps coming to mind. (chuckling)

John Conyers : How could she stop, well, she could stop me because actually it goes through a special committee on the House, but, Pelosi can't stop me from anything, really.

More here, including full text and video footage of the interview:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/genera_rob_kall_0801...

 

JDPriestly  (1000+ posts)       Tue Jan-29-08 05:38 PM
Response to Original message
4. Conyers is scared. 
 Conyers said there was a compelling reason for not impeaching, but he did not really say what it is. He hinted that the Republicans would accuse the Democrats of using impeachment for political purposes. So what? If the evidence that supports impeachment is strong, the Republicans' claim that the impeachment is just politics will fail.

What's the real problem here?

Isn't there one honest representative or senator who will explain why they aren't impeaching the president, why they are trying to pretend that business is going on as usual?

Here is my guess: The Bush administration has records of all of the telephone calls, e-mails and other information on our Democratic representatives and senators. We have to ask ourselves if maybe our representatives in the Democratic Party are more afraid of the Bush administration than they are of us.

Well maybe, that reason is "No crimes have been committed" 

It's nothing but like a balloon being deflated in this thread.

[Freeper]

Chimpeachment reminds me of Freddie and Jason no matter how many times they die they always manage to come back for the sequel. 

[Lord Undies]

Here is my guess: The Bush administration has records of all of the telephone calls, e-mails and other information on our Democratic representatives and senators. We have to ask ourselves if maybe our representatives in the Democratic Party are more afraid of the Bush administration than they are of us.

Then you have to ask yourself, DUmbasses.  Is it worse to blackmail or be so corrupt you are subject to blackmail?  If you are so corrupt you can be blackmailed, are you really in any position to be sitting in judgment?   What has been accomplished for the nation if a bunch of corrupt democrats impeach a Republican president?

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Hm-m-m-m...

Must be an election year.

Then you have to ask yourself, DUmbasses.  Is it worse to blackmail or be so corrupt you are subject to blackmail?  If you are so corrupt you can be blackmailed, are you really in any position to be sitting in judgment?   What has been accomplished for the nation if a bunch of corrupt democrats impeach a Republican president?

ow!

[WinOne4TheGipper]

Eventually, the Dems will have to admit that they have no intention of impeaching the president.  Of course, the fine print will read that they never had any intention of impeaching and that they were trying to keep the moonbats in the fold.  One wonders if the strategery could backfire if the moonbats wise up to the game prematurely.

[Freeper]

Here is my guess: The Bush administration has records of all of the telephone calls, e-mails and other information on our Democratic representatives and senators. We have to ask ourselves if maybe our representatives in the Democratic Party are more afraid of the Bush administration than they are of us.

Then you have to ask yourself, DUmbasses.  Is it worse to blackmail or be so corrupt you are subject to blackmail?  If you are so corrupt you can be blackmailed, are you really in any position to be sitting in judgment?   What has been accomplished for the nation if a bunch of corrupt democrats impeach a Republican president?

Says a lot about the DUmmies if they would support people who are so corrupt they could be easily blackmailed but then again they supported Clintoon in 1998.

[Freeper]

Eventually, the Dems will have to admit that they have no intention of impeaching the president.  Of course, the fine print will read that they never had any intention of impeaching and that they were trying to keep the moonbats in the fold.  One wonders if the strategery could backfire if the moonbats wise up to the game prematurely.

You would think with the 50 gazillion crimes that * has committed (of course they can't pinpoint even one to humor us) they could just pick one and impeach him already.

[Carl]

Conyers said there was a compelling reason for not impeaching, but he did not really say what it is. He hinted that the Republicans would accuse the Democrats of using impeachment for political purposes. So what? If the evidence that supports impeachment is strong, the Republicans' claim that the impeachment is just politics will fail.

I believe you answered your own question fool.

There is no evidence only politics and those that make their wealth from politics know that.

Leeches yearning for relevency do not know that.

[ReardenSteel]

Here is my guess: The Bush administration has records of all of the telephone calls, e-mails and other information on our Democratic representatives and senators. We have to ask ourselves if maybe our representatives in the Democratic Party are more afraid of the Bush administration than they are of us.

Then you have to ask yourself, DUmbasses.  Is it worse to blackmail or be so corrupt you are subject to blackmail?  If you are so corrupt you can be blackmailed, are you really in any position to be sitting in judgment?   What has been accomplished for the nation if a bunch of corrupt democrats impeach a Republican president?

HA! Well said. That even begs a question itself. If there is any sense of morality, whatsoever, by the "impeach Bush" Dems then the blackmail in question would almost have to be about the exposure of something even worse than the "Bush crimes". IOW, would you hold back form impeaching "Hitler" for fear of being revealed as an adulterer. (or bank robber, embezzler or hell... the drunken vehicular manslaughter of Santa Clause) Seriously. What's worse than the things DUmmies think Bush has done?