–President Trump Acquitted of Both Articles of Impeachment
By Denny Gulino
THE WHITE HOUSE (MaceNews) – An ebullient White House, believing the State of the Union address was a home run and the Iowa caucus debacle a crippling blow to Democratic hopes, is nevertheless haunted by the threat of the kind of economic setbacks a pandemic is capable of inflicting and by the specter of a surging Michael Rubens Bloomberg.
All the fact-checking rebukes after the claims of a best-ever economy, of protecting pre-existing condition coverage, of creating the shale oil boom, of rebuilding U.S. manufacturing are seen as petty quibbling that most Americans, not just the loyal base, are unlikely to place in focus.
It all fits with the relief momentum being generated in the White House hallways by the afternoon acquittal in the Senate after weeks under a cloud of at least some uncertainty about evidence that could come to light before the verdict.
Chief Justice John Roberts was awarded a “golden gavel” for his service and all the senators applauded and it was all over. The two votes themselves fell well short of the 67 needed to convict, as expected.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell afterwards told reporters he was “surprised and disappointed” by Sen. Mitt Romney’s vote for conviction on one article of impeachment, the “abuse of power” charge, the only exception to the strict party-line division.
Acquittal and yet, a president who with so many enemies and such a history of personal tweet attacks may not be able to relax, even after what he has said he considers a great five weeks of trade-pact signings, the extermination of the top Iranian general and finally, the favorable vote by Senate Republicans. Relax? Not after a lifetime of sidestepping incoming legal and reputational heat-seeking missiles, very much intensified as he became a bigger target in the White House.
A second term would be the ultimate vindication, proof that the talents of a showman and the luck that comes with bold and/or reckless risk taking counts for more than expertise, tradition and polite graciousness. To get there, though, will likely require a lot more luck.
President Trump needs reelection to thoroughly disprove Republican columnist Peggy Noonan’s March 2018’s, “Crazy doesn’t last. Crazy doesn’t go the distance. Crazy is an unstable element that, when let loose in an unstable environment, explodes.”
Just as specious assertions can be ignored, at least for the time being, actual developments may have to be finessed so they too do not gain traction, a delicate balancing act for even practiced politicians. So it becomes especially important that someone who is a practiced politician, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, remains a close ally and does not lose his Kentucky seat in November.
It becomes important that those who hold key policy posts within the administration remain attached to the White House and not succumb to the lure of any more big book contracts. The generals must be allowed their dignity and counsel without again being called “dopes and babies.” Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin, the most valuable Cabinet resource in a pinch, must stay moored to his post.
It remains important that markets remain numb to the reality of widening budget deficits, that the uneasiness among coastal populations about climate change not deepen and spread and that equity markets not get persistently spooked by bad news from the Centers for Disease Control or by any credible threat of war.
The sputtering rate of U.S. productivity growth, a shortfall that sets a future limit to American prosperity, is no more likely than ever to catch the attention of very many lawmakers, civic and business leaders who should know better.
It gets ever more important to the White House that Democrats narrow the field of presidential aspirants to one of those whom Trump hopes to run against and that no one among them cracks the code on how to pin down a master entertainer who is also a master at changing the subject.
The history books will always carry the black mark of impeachment within President Trump’s biography. Whether it fades to become a minor footnote or headlines a category of other negatives is very much still to be determined.
Meanwhile, is it all, as McConnell said, in “the rear view mirror?” Evidently not quite. This tweet from the president: “I will be making a public statement tomorrow at 12:00pm from the @WhiteHouse to discuss our Country’s VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax!”
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Contact this reporter: denny@macenews.com