Would calling for impeachment make you vote for a candidate?

[yurbud]

Obviously, all other factors being equal, if you had to choose in a primary between someone who danced around this or someone who said flat out Bush has committed several prima facie impeachable offenses, Congress has shirked it's constitutional duty of checking and balancing presidential power, and the first order of business is holding the president accountable through impeachment.

[helderheid]

1. I hope Dem candidates are reading this...

[yurbud]

3. give this votes so it stays up then

[stray cat]

2. Calling for something we can't deliver looks pathetically weak

Like a school wimp calling names and then running away. We need a message and we need to offer a strong competent alternative. Until we have democrats in charge of either the house or the senate we can't carry out any threat of impeachment. I disagreed when the republicans did it to Bill but at least they knew they had enough clout to do damage. Right now it just makes dems look radicalized and out of touch with most Americans.

[helderheid]

6. how can you say that? The majority polled said they would support

impeachment if it was revealed that * lied to get us into war. What makes you think they would accept being spied on illegally? Besides, the poll doesn't say would you vote for someone who promised that they would ensure * is impeached. It said supported impeachment and who would pursue it.

[More Than A Feeling]

7. We would be standing up for those ordinary Americans

being spied on. By taking a strong stand against Bush's criminal activity, we can get a lot of respect for standing on principle. Something there hasn't been too much of these past five years.

P.S. Clinton committed no crime. Bush has. You can point to the specific statute (Title 50, Section 1809 of the United States Code)

[yurbud]

8. even if someone gets in on that plank and no majority, they can say:

"See? GOP is still in control and the STILL aren't holding Bush accountable."

[MrBenchley]

12. Good post....

There are a shitload of other issues people want to hear about....

[More Than A Feeling]

4. I would trust a candidate who called for impeachment

to do what is right for our country.

[yurbud]

21. that's what I'm thinking

[Wapsie B]

5. As a matter of fact,

I will want to ask candidates who didn't call for impeachment why they didn't do so? Either we have an opposition party or we don't. It's time for the Zell Miller/Holy Joe's of the Democratic Party to be quietly shunted aside.

[pinto]

9. I've never voted from a preset, single issue, litmus test perspective, so

I guess I'd have to say "other". It would matter overall, believe me, when I went to cast my ballot, but I couldn't say now whether I'd make it a deciding factor 12 months before an election.

Though your poll is slanted toward a limited conclusion, I do think it'll matter to voters how Congress responds to Bush's presumption of authority beyond the law.

Congressional Democrats may well choose to hammer the point that he has overreached his authority and, short of calling for an unwinnable impeachment proceeding, move legislatively to expose, enumerate and curtail specific abuses of the 4th Amendment and Article 2 of the Constitution.

It's debatable which route would be the most effective, in the long run, but I'm open to look at all the options, as an American and a partisan Democrat.

[yurbud]

13. I wouldn't say it's a litmus as much as a spine check

if someone said what you just did, and listed off some of his worst offenses, I would probably still be relatively comfortable with a candidate.

If they sounded more like Joe Lieberman in response, not so much.

[pinto]

18. I'm comfortable with spine check, too.

:kick:

ed for spell

[Laurab]

16. Well said - I chose other too

for much the same reasons you did, although you articulated it far better than I could. I also just can't imagine - at least with the candidates in mind now - "all other things being equal". Calling out for Bush's impeachment is not as important to me as ACTING on Bush's impeachment, or acting on his far-too-numerous-to-count abuses of office.

[pinto]

19. I agree, this isn't going to be an "all things being equal" election cycle

Either in '06 and '08.

(aside)Thanks for the compliment.

B-)

[Walt Starr]

10. I would regardless of party affiliation

If I have three choices, one Republican, one Democrat and one third party, and the (R) and (D) neither will advocate impeachment, I vote third party, period.

[jsamuel]

11. other: I find those to be false choices

[LWolf]

14. I don't think those choices are false;

they are just limited. In reality, very few of us are single-issue voters. This would be just one of the things I looked at when choosing where to cast my vote. Would it be the deciding force? Depends on a lot of other factors present at the time of the vote.

[yurbud]

15. what other choice or choices would you like?

[Cocoa]

17. Bob Graham said it in 2003

and he was the first candidate to drop out. :-(

[yurbud]

20. when so few have courage to speak out, it's easy to pick them off

I have a lot of respect for Graham based on what he said about the 9/11 Joint Congressional Inquiry.

Those statements may have led to his defeat, but if he came back, he'd have no words they could throw in his face.

[tinrobot]

22. It should be our #1 issue in '06

Democrats in '06 -- Impeach in '07.

[AuntiBush]

23. Americans Are Sick of Half-Truths - Lookin' for A Candidate

with Spine, Guts and tells it like it is.

Certainly would luv to see the "I" word used if Dems held both houses, now :)

[yurbud]

27. definitely--if it's a choice between half-truth and no-truth people will

stay home on election day.

"We can do better" sounds a hell of a lot like "just enough more truth to make you vote for us."

[Skip Intro]

24. Yes. Absolutely. Yes. Defend this nation from these thugs. Yes.

You have my vote.

IMPEACH BUSH!

[kliljedahl]

25. I'd even vote for a Puke

if he called for Impeachment.



Keith’s Barbeque Central

[FogerRox]

26. Ditto IMPEACH

[sproutster]

28. Of course I would vote for someone who spoke out

That means they still believe the Constitution MEANS something.

[seabeyond]

29. if dem, say it, dont say it, be against it, i would vote for dem n/t

[yurbud]

31. when it gets down to Dem or GOP, I agree

[porphyrian]

30. This topic isn't pivotal to my vote.

While I find it easier to respect candidates who are willing to risk their careers by speaking out against these traitorous fucking assholes who've usurped our government, impeachment is neither likely unless we regain Congress next year nor necessarily the most appropriate method of holding the fuck-head accountable for his crimes. I welcome it, but I'd vote for a pile of shit right now if I thought it could change our current trajectory.

[Raine]

37. Agreed

impeachment ain't going to happen THEY control everything.

[petgoat]

32. The Green Party Made Impeachment a Platform Plank in 7/01!

David Cobb, Green Party 2004 Presidential candidate, was instrumental
in the Ohio recount effort. He has also signed the 9/11 truth statement http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20041026093059633
and the WorldCantWait statement. http://www.worldcantwait.net/

[yurbud]

33. greens should run at every level but president

[petgoat]

34. Last year Cobb ran only in "safe" states where he would not

flip the outcome.

Of course "instant runoff voting" would allow us to vote our
consciences without throwing away our votes, and could
transform the political landscape of this nation.

The Greens' positions are actually more in alignment with
the positions of America than are the positions of any
other party.

[yurbud]

35. I agree. the deck is stacked in favor of only two parties

And that's one too many for the Bushies.

The can't stand even token opposition.

[petgoat]

36. Sorry, typo/brainout -- 7/03! (Shouldn't try to type and listen to

the news at the same time.)