Every issue carries consequences. Every promise comes with a price.
A Democratic Congress could negotiate legislation, approve spending, and exercise oversight. But passing its own agenda would still require dealing with a Republican president who holds the veto pen.
And that creates a problem.
If Democrats promise sweeping changes and cannot deliver them, voters may not be interested in hearing excuses about Donald Trump.
𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗪𝗢𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗟 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦. 𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧?
Of course, there is one power a congressional majority could choose to emphasize instead.
And that’s where things become particularly fascinating.
𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧.
Suppose Democrats win the House and decide to impeach Donald Trump.
They can do that with a simple majority.
Terrific.
Now remove him.
Oh, wait.
That requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate. Sixty-seven senators if all 100 are present.
So imagine months of hearings, accusations, investigations, and political theater.
And at the end?
𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗗 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗜𝗦 𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧.
But let’s imagine something extraordinary.
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗦𝗨𝗖𝗖𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗗?
What if enough Republicans joined Democrats to convict and remove Donald Trump?
Would Trump automatically go to prison?
No. Impeachment isn’t a criminal conviction. He leaves office.
And who becomes president?
𝗝𝗗 𝗩𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘.
That’s right.
The man who could very well become the Republican presidential nominee in 2028.
Except now he isn’t campaigning as a former vice president.
𝗛𝗘’𝗦 𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗨𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦.
So if Democrats were to succeed in impeaching and removing Donald Trump, they would have handed the White House to JD Vance.
Again, I don’t think for a moment they thought any of this through.
That’s what happens when political decisions are driven by blind rage.
𝗜𝗧’𝗦 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘. 𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗦 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗗.
He has the remainder of Trump’s term to establish his record, demonstrate his leadership, and build public confidence.
And who might still be offering him advice? Donald Trump.
No longer president, but hardly disappearing from American politics.
And what happens if Democrats discover that removing Trump hasn’t eliminated the policies or political movement they opposed?
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗜𝗡.
Only this time, JD Vance becomes the villain. New accusations. New investigations. Perhaps even new impeachment proceedings.
𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧. 𝗞𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗘. 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦.
But imagine Democrats spending years trying to remove Donald Trump, finally succeeding, and potentially handing the next Republican presidential candidate the advantages of incumbency.
𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗧𝗥𝗬𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗢 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧, 𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗣𝗨𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗩𝗔𝗟 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗘.
Now THAT would be quite an accomplishment!
𝗦𝗢 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘’𝗦 𝗠𝗬 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡.
What exactly would Democrats accomplish if they won both chambers?
They could investigate Donald Trump.
𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗡’𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗔𝗟𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗬 𝗕𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗗𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡 𝗔 𝗗𝗘𝗖𝗔𝗗𝗘?
They could hold hearings.
They could threaten impeachment.
They could attempt to block his policies.
But the more time they spend fighting Donald Trump, the less time they’ll have to demonstrate that their own ideas can deliver results.
And eventually, somebody is going to ask a much more important question.
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗗𝗜𝗗 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗔𝗖𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘?
Because pointing fingers across the aisle isn’t going to pay the grocery bill, lower insurance premiums, build factories, or end wars.
And if Democrats control Congress, they’ll have to answer for their decisions as well as their opposition.
𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗠𝗔𝗬 𝗕𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗬 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧. 𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗩𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚?
That could be an entirely different story.
But November 3 is still ahead of us.
And I haven’t lost faith in the American people.
I believe voters understand what’s at stake. I believe they recognize the possibility of congressional gridlock, escalating hostility, and promises that may never be fulfilled.
The patterns are there. In my view, they’ve been developing for more than a decade.
The investigations. The hostility. The political division. The seemingly endless determination to defeat an opponent rather than persuade the American people with better ideas.
And if Democrats win these midterms, I fear the political turmoil I’ve described could become our reality for the next two years.
Not because it was inevitable.
But because the American people chose the representatives who would help shape it.
𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗦. 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗢 𝗗𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗪𝗘 𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧.
The American people still get to decide.
And if Democrats win on November 3, I fear they won’t stop at going after Donald Trump.
They won’t stop at politicians.
𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬’𝗟𝗟 𝗕𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗬𝗢𝗨.
But that’s a subject for my next post.
𝗩𝗢𝗧𝗘. 𝗩𝗢𝗧𝗘. 𝗩𝗢𝗧𝗘.
Vote as though your whole world depends upon it.
𝗕𝗘𝗖𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗘, 𝗜𝗡 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗪𝗔𝗬𝗦, 𝗜𝗧 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗗𝗢𝗘𝗦.
Michael McCune, Facebook
