But not all hope is lost. Among vulnerable House Democrats there are still a handful of political leaders willing to uphold their oath of office, political risks be damned.

Congressional Republicans are falling over themselves to defend and enable a corrupt and law-breaking president. One of the biggest stories of the week has been the cynical defection of Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey to the GOP, after it became clear he couldn’t get reelected as a Democrat.

These days it’s hard to look at Washington D.C., and feel good about the state of American politics.

When the history of the 116th Congress is written no debate and vote will loom larger than that taking place Wednesday. For only the third time in American history, the House will consider articles of impeachment against a president of the United States.


That President Trump has abused power, engaged in criminal behavior, and sought to subvert a US presidential election is without question. The evidence of the president’s malfeasance is overwhelming.

In a political vacuum the choice for congressional Democrats is an easy one. But impeachment is, at its core, a political undertaking and for the two dozen or so House Democrats in congressional districts won by Trump, the politics of impeachment are more complicated. They include freshmen members Joe Cunningham of South Carolina, Ben McAdams of Utah, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, and Abigail Spanberger of New Jersey. Cunningham and Slotkin have been the target of ads excoriating them for their position on impeachment. And their potential Republican opponents have made clear that they will make the issue a central aspect of their electoral critique.

Since House Democrats have such a large majority, many of these members could vote against impeachment and it wouldn’t doom the efforts. And yet, so far, with the exception of Rep. Colin Peterson of Minnesota, who has been representing a red district for years, all the freshmen Democrats have so far signaled their support.


To be sure, the politics of impeachment can also play in their favor. For someone like Slotkin, voting “no” on impeachment risks undermining her standing among her district’s liberal voters. For many of them standing with the rest of the Democratic caucus is probably the right political move, if only slightly so.

But the larger point is that when balancing these competing impulses, moderate Democrats are almost unanimously coming down on the side of upholding the Constitution.

“This is simply about the rule of law,” said Cunningham. It’s imperative “to stand up to those that abuse the power entrusted to them by the people,” said Andy Kim of New Jersey. “This vote is about … whether we, as citizens, can expect that our elected officials, and most powerfully, our president, will fulfill their obligation to uphold the Constitution,” said Spanberger.

Such weighty words, of course, help justify a vote for impeachment, but they have the added benefit of being 100 percent correct. Turning a blind eye to Trump’s blatant abuse of power would embolden worse behavior by the president. No American is above the law and failing to vote in favor impeachment would ensure that’s no longer the case.

To see Democrats put their political lives at risk in pursuit of doing the right thing is even more heartening when you contrast that with the behavior of congressional Republicans. Since the whistle-blower complaint became public, Republicans have tried in vain to find some adequate defense for the president’s behavior. But, in reality, their goal was always political — to justify the decision they had made long ago to defend Trump no matter what he does.


It is doubtful that a single House Republican will vote their conscience, even the handful who represent blue-leaning districts. When impeachment moves to the Senate, Republicans will carry even more water for the president. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has proudly declared that he is walking in lockstep with the White House on impeachment. Lindsay Graham has boasted that he won’t even “pretend to be a fair juror.”

Barring a miracle, Trump will be acquitted by Senate Republicans and will have every opportunity to abuse his power and do additional damage to America’s democratic institutions. That is the choice that Republicans will be making.

Thankfully, there are still a few people in Washington willing to do the right thing. Even if their vote costs them their jobs, every House Democrat who votes for impeachment can take solace in the fact that when courage and conviction were demanded of them — they delivered.

Michael A. Cohen’s column appears regularly in the Globe. Follow him on Twitter @speechboy71.