Mon Jan 14, 2013, 05:13 AM

John Dean: Why President Obama Could Easily Be Impeached Over the Debt Ceiling [View all]

Last edited Mon Jan 14, 2013, 05:16 AM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

This is a good article by John Dean that pretty much shows the Republicans could be setting it up to impeach Obama if he raises the debt ceiling on his own or doesn't raise it at all - so, a damned if you do, damned if you don't prospect.

Chilling.

http://verdict.justia.com/2013/01/11/why-president-obama-could-easily-be-impeached-over-the-debt-ceiling-if-congress-fails-to-raise-it

Buchanan and Dorf do not really address the issue of impeachment. Yet there is no question that President Obama would be operating outside the law, which clearly could subject him to impeachment for simply carrying out his constitutional duties, which most likely would be to try to avert a financial catastrophe. Moreover, the President would be violating the duties of his office if he failed to act, and simply did nothing.

There’s no question in my mind, particularly after witnessing at close hand what happened to former President Bill Clinton, when the radical conservative Republicans in the House impeached him. Republicans who are foolish enough to decline to raise the debt ceiling would have no problem proceeding to impeach President Obama in order to divert attention from the disaster they would create. These are people who want to destroy the federal government. Former President Gerald Ford, when serving as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, observed that the House of Representatives can impeach a ham sandwich, just for being a ham sandwich. In short, impeachable offenses are whatever a majority of the House of Representatives declares them to be.

You really can't trust these assholes.

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127 replies	Author	Time	Post
John Dean: Why President Obama Could Easily Be Impeached Over the Debt Ceiling [View all]	Drunken Irishman	Jan 2013	OP
Democrats have a comfortable majority in the Senate, no successful impeachment will be happening.	PoliticAverse	Jan 2013	#1
They can successfully impeach in the House. They won't remove him from office, tho.	Drunken Irishman	Jan 2013	#3
I don't think so - I would guess there are enough Republican congressmen	karynnj	Jan 2013	#22
And it would be a hell of a sideshow for a few months... which is what they'd want	groundloop	Jan 2013	#23
I think you're right....anything to keep Obama from trying to advance his agenda is their goal NT	rbixby	Jan 2013	#54
Do you think it would improve their standing in the Congress in the 2014 elections ? n/t	PoliticAverse	Jan 2013	#72
But when they went after Clinton, there was sex involved	starroute	Jan 2013	#78
Wrong: There could be a successful impeachment but not a conviction.	jerseyjack	Jan 2013	#19
If the Republicans don't remove him from office they can hardly call it 'successful'.	PoliticAverse	Jan 2013	#71
It was a massive Republican success. It made the 2000 election close enough for idiot boy to steal	stevenleser	Jan 2013	#115
You mean no CONVICTION will be coming. But Clinton was impeached by the House	pnwmom	Jan 2013	#44
It depends	DonCoquixote	Jan 2013	#51
Far fewer	kenfrequed	Jan 2013	#80
Don't think so	Sherman A1	Jan 2013	#2
I agree	SemperEadem	Jan 2013	#9
Never underestimate the power of stupidity.	tclambert	Jan 2013	#13
Absolutely. And there's no arguing with stupid.	Texin	Jan 2013	#49
I agree	davidpdx	Jan 2013	#103
Nor are they organized enough.	progressoid	Jan 2013	#28
To be honest	The Wizard	Jan 2013	#88
and that, my friends, is the text book definition of "insanity"	SemperEadem	Jan 2013	#110
I hope this wouldn't happen	rbixby	Jan 2013	#56
They'd be happier with Biden, even if it costs them in the future	shawn703	Jan 2013	#90
That could backfire on the GOP bigtime! The American people are in no mood	Rectangle	Jan 2013	#4
Or better yet, Obama should just go through the government shutdown ordeal.	BlueStreak	Jan 2013	#41
And for good measure ...	1StrongBlackMan	Jan 2013	#82
Yes, and the Republicans at the feeding trough would be all over their Congressman	BlueStreak	Jan 2013	#104
I have a feeling that Obama's WH counsel would have already considered this scenario	pacalo	Jan 2013	#5
If the House goes the route of impeachment it will be time to move my money	LiberalFighter	Jan 2013	#39
Like ...	1StrongBlackMan	Jan 2013	#83
You might.	LiberalFighter	Jan 2013	#84
Do tell?	1StrongBlackMan	Jan 2013	#87
It's Congress' job to raise the debt ceiling	Proud Liberal Dem	Jan 2013	#6
So? The Republicans don't care about what's right or legal or moral.	Kablooie	Jan 2013	#21
I agree	Proud Liberal Dem	Jan 2013	#32
It was never an issue until last year. The need to pay our bills has always been self evident.	Kablooie	Jan 2013	#48
The GOP is crazy enough to play these types of games	UCmeNdc	Jan 2013	#7
Yeah, they've pretty much shown that . . .	freedom fighter jh	Jan 2013	#14
"These are people who want to destroy the federal government. "	Scuba	Jan 2013	#8
Yup. n/t	pnwmom	Jan 2013	#45
That would backfire badly	NWHarkness	Jan 2013	#10
The last time they played this game, the republicans lost big time, and caved. I suspect there are	still_one	Jan 2013	#38
Just give the radicals enough rope...	rickyhall	Jan 2013	#11
let them. The Senate will NEVER convict, and it will just be a waste of time, while the repukes	still_one	Jan 2013	#12
While it's true that the Senate will never go along with that nonsense,	FleetwoodMac	Jan 2013	#15
What is worse is letting them play this hostage garbage. It only has to be done in the 11th hour	still_one	Jan 2013	#35
+1	DCBob	Jan 2013	#52
I love the smell of unfounded speculation in the morning	Recursion	Jan 2013	#16
... auctioning off federal lands or selling corporate naming rights to national monuments?	FleetwoodMac	Jan 2013	#17
Auctioning off federal lands is a horrible idea	karynnj	Jan 2013	#24
Right?	FleetwoodMac	Jan 2013	#27
Terrible Idea	chazunit	Jan 2013	#92
So that's maybe?	FleetwoodMac	Jan 2013	#94
This would be politically suicidal	Demo_Chris	Jan 2013	#18
Not when the GOP has a lock on the house via gerrymandering!	Joe Bacon	Jan 2013	#20
That is true, however, they lost some seats to Democrats, and their are about 20 republicans that	still_one	Jan 2013	#36
Let them go for it. Impeaching two Democratic presidents in a row will really expose them.	NYC Liberal	Jan 2013	#25
Unaddressed issue in the original Buchanon-Dorf article and Dean's:	no_hypocrisy	Jan 2013	#26
I bought this	John2	Jan 2013	#29
A stupid, dead end move.	caseymoz	Jan 2013	#30
Hard to remember that John Dean was a Republican who ended up taking down Nixon	tavalon	Jan 2013	#31
"Moreover, the President would be violating the duties of his office if he failed to act, and simply	yodermon	Jan 2013	#33
14th Amendment	MannyGoldstein	Jan 2013	#34
Well if NPR says it, I guess it must be so, just like Gabby Gifford was killed, the ACA was ruled	still_one	Jan 2013	#37
how does "doing nothing" cause the PRESIDENT to violate the 14th amendment?	yodermon	Jan 2013	#40
Because he has a responibility to pay the debt.	MannyGoldstein	Jan 2013	#42
The Hunting of the President: Part II	CrispyQ	Jan 2013	#43
Sounds like a title for a book	davidpdx	Jan 2013	#102
Good work!	CrispyQ	Jan 2013	#112
Just make sure to remit my part of the profits	davidpdx	Jan 2013	#113
So, let them...	brooklynite	Jan 2013	#46
That was always "Plan B" should Obama win a second term.	RomneyLies	Jan 2013	#47
Um, I assume you can provide some evidence...	brooklynite	Jan 2013	#66
Unlike Pelosi, Boehner never took impeachment off the table	RomneyLies	Jan 2013	#73
No-he-did-not	brooklynite	Jan 2013	#74
I misworded my response	RomneyLies	Jan 2013	#75
Interesting story, lousy headline.	elleng	Jan 2013	#50
impeached by a Congress with a 9% approval rating	Enrique	Jan 2013	#53
OK. So the House impeaches him. Then what?	bluestateguy	Jan 2013	#55
I really dont think the President cares if they try to impeach him or not.	DCBob	Jan 2013	#57
Worked so well with Bill Clinton, why not do it again?	aquart	Jan 2013	#58
The teabaggers will argue with you	humbled_opinion	Jan 2013	#59
Obama's popularity would soar if they started impeachment proceedings.	Lil Missy	Jan 2013	#60
Then we need to look as hard at impeachment as we do the fillibuster.	marble falls	Jan 2013	#61
Impeachment is a Political Act	bucolic_frolic	Jan 2013	#62
I imagine they would take it to court instead.	ieoeja	Jan 2013	#63
Let them do it. Last gasp of the Whig party.	JoePhilly	Jan 2013	#64
At this point there's not a single ruse or tactic the GOP wouldn't use, but...	CBHagman	Jan 2013	#65
Reading The History On The Debt Ceiling Is Interesting	DallasNE	Jan 2013	#67
If they vote to impeach prior to the 2014 mid-terms, the house could	Dawson Leery	Jan 2013	#68
Because that shit worked out so well for them, last time.	Warren DeMontague	Jan 2013	#69
Some of them are already	CrispyQ	Jan 2013	#117
Theoretically possible: Yes. "Easily" accomplished. Not by a long shot.	onenote	Jan 2013	#70
This post was hidden by jury decision.	patriots	Jan 2013	#76
Welcome to DU, enjoy your short stay.	Odin2005	Jan 2013	#95
impeaching in the house means nothing if the Senate does not also impeach	samsingh	Jan 2013	#77
With the current House, the President could be easily impeached...	DreamGypsy	Jan 2013	#79
Before I read the comments to this OP ...	1StrongBlackMan	Jan 2013	#81
Go for it	Gman	Jan 2013	#85
If they try that it will just remind everyone that	abelenkpe	Jan 2013	#86
Prediction	ThoughtCriminal	Jan 2013	#89
If they can do it, they'll impeach him for the crime of not being a Republican	Adenoid_Hynkel	Jan 2013	#91
So the repubs would choose to impeach to POTUS and yet will not deal with the impending financial	madinmaryland	Jan 2013	#93
I would say, let them go ahead and do it. Let's see their party drown in the bathtub.	YOHABLO	Jan 2013	#96
President Obama could easily be impeached for anything, but the Republicans would be fools to try it	jmowreader	Jan 2013	#97
3 points	Gore1FL	Jan 2013	#98
Tell GOP to go get bent/come back when they win the election.	blkmusclmachine	Jan 2013	#99
Recall/impeach congressmen	Rosa Luxemburg	Jan 2013	#100
One problem with that idea	onenote	Jan 2013	#118
Reminding people of the way they treated Bill, will just make it that much easier for Hillary45	graham4anything	Jan 2013	#101
It is always constitutional for the President to perform his constitutional obligations,	Hosnon	Jan 2013	#105
Gee whiz, Fast & Furious, Benghazi, drone strikes...	alp227	Jan 2013	#106
This is fricking horrible. The nightmare never ends with these bastards.	freshwest	Jan 2013	#107
You just now what the Freepers will be saying if the try it.	ballaratocker	Jan 2013	#108
The House impeaches, the Senate tries and either acquits or convicts (and even then only if by 2/3)	DFW	Jan 2013	#109
If they do that, the Republican Party is dead.	catbyte	Jan 2013	#111
The right wingers where my husband works talked impeachment all day yesterday.	CrispyQ	Jan 2013	#114
Obama is NOT going to be impeached for the debt ceiling, for executive action on gun control	onenote	Jan 2013	#119
Why not?	Beacool	Jan 2013	#116
In theory any Congress could impeach any President. Big deal.	onenote	Jan 2013	#120
The press would not cover it. It isn't sex. So, the GOP won't do it, since it would only be theater,	McCamy Taylor	Jan 2013	#121
I respect Dean's opinion very much...K and R.nt	Stuart G	Jan 2013	#122
Turn the tables on 'em	libodem	Jan 2013	#123
How do you propose that be done	onenote	Jan 2013	#124
I don't know	libodem	Jan 2013	#125
If a sufficient number of voters agree, they can be bounced out in two years	onenote	Jan 2013	#126
I know	libodem	Jan 2013	#127