opinion

150 years after first impeachment, America needs another one

Exactly 150 years ago, the House of Representatives acted to safeguard the balance of power in the federal government — voting for the first time to impeach the president of the United States.

If only we could say that Andrew Johnson was the last president who required such a drastic step.

But here we are, once again in need of our representatives to hold the president accountable for his actions. On the anniversary of Johnson’s impeachment, it is a good time to take stock of where we are with Donald Trump.

There are striking parallels between the two men. Johnson was an offensive and vulgar presence in the White House: an openly bigoted demagogue who often delivered outrageous and inflammatory speeches, cast political opponents as enemies, and sought opportunities to subvert Congress. He acted on impulse, driven by a potent blend of narcissism and paranoia. His hatred for Southern Reconstruction fundamentally undermined the nation’s ability to meet its greatest challenge at the time — building a post-Civil War America that granted true equality to freed slaves.

Compare that with the litany of abuses Trump commits regularly. He lies with abandon. He uses the presidency to threaten political opponents, along with the freedom of the press, and the independence of the judiciary. He denies the reality of climate change — the most significant threat to humanity’s long-term survival — and seeks to bury facts that prove otherwise. Four of his campaign aides have been indicted in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian electoral interference — and he continues to insist the investigation has no merit even while more indictments pile up. His heedless, unilateral approach to international relations has ratcheted up tensions with allies and foes alike. Thanks to his recklessly aggressive posturing with North Korea, his national security advisor now says that the possibility for nuclear war is “increasing every day.”

The House’s case against Johnson was based on more than concern over his character, however. They impeached him for acting in defiance of a veto-proof law and his attempts to incite violence. Like Johnson, Trump’s actions give the House cause to initiate impeachment proceedings once again. Between his refusal to implement sanctions against Russia despite Congress’s veto-proof majority; his reckless, bigoted, and inflammatory rhetoric against Muslims, immigrants, and other communities of color; and the cover he gave to the white supremacists who started a riot in Charlottesville, he already exceeds the standard set with Johnson.

Yet his record goes even farther into unacceptable territory. By publicly attempting to obstruct justice in the FBI’s Russia investigation, Trump has also crossed the red line that Congress established with the investigation into President Nixon’s role in the Watergate scandal. And if that’s not enough, legal experts argue that Congress has several other grounds for impeachment to pursue, from Trump’s constant violations of the emoluments clause to his abuse of the pardon power.

Our elected officials should be making this case to the American people, not running from it — because the people who put them in office have signaled that they will listen. Polling consistently demonstrates that the public disapproves of Trump’s presidency and doubts his fitness for office. More and more are signaling support for impeachment, which is why more than 4.9 million people have already joined our Need to Impeach campaign. This shows that Americans are deeply concerned with this president’s behavior, and feel that he has abused the public’s trust. They are opposed to his efforts to dismantle our system of laws and denigrate our civil rights, often done in pursuit of personal enrichment. And they certainly reject the notion that he is above the law.

But instead of listening to the people, our Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress are following the purveyors of conventional wisdom in Washington D.C., who insist that impeachment is too extreme, premature, or even unhelpful. Their passive response to Trump’s endless stream of transgressions shows that the establishment does not appreciate the risk Trump presents to our system of government, or the absolute need to keep him in check.

I challenge any representative opposed to impeachment to articulate why our assessment of this president isn’t true, why he deserves to remain in power, and how we can afford to endure the damage he is doing to the country. If they can’t, then what are we waiting for? Are we supposed to swallow the notion that we can’t impeach a demagogue because it might offend his core supporters’ sensibilities? In Johnson’s era, observers worried impeachment could plunge a nation just a few years removed from civil war back into armed conflict. Instead, the move ended up boxing in an “unacceptable president.”

With the safety of the American people and the health of our democracy at stake, our Democratic and Republican leaders in office are morally and constitutionally obligated to rise above political games. Our country and everyone in it must come first.

Tom Steyer is the founder of the Need to Impeach campaign.