Letter: Writer suggests getting rid of Trump be done at the ballot box in November

Since two-thirds of the members present must vote to convict, President Trump will probably get to ride out this term in office. Within the Senate, there are 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and 2 Independents. So, if everyone shows up, and all Democrats vote to convict, they still need 24 more votes for Mike Pence to become President. It seems the odds are against that happening.

But maybe it is time to declare our independence from Donald Trump?  Over 240 years ago, 13 colonies declared their independence from Great Britain.  We can find comparisons to our current situation by looking at the Declaration of Independence.  Both President Trump and King George III “endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose of obstructing the Law for Naturalization of Foreigners,” as we see with immigrants from south of our border. They both have “made Judges dependent on his Will,” as we see with the selection of federal judges, especially the Supreme Court.  They both have “cut off Trade with parts of the world” as we have seen with North Korea and Iran . . . wait, maybe that one is not so bad.

What’s the point? The point is that we can justify getting rid of our leaders because we don’t like the job they are doing, but it should be done at the ballot box.  Most leaders do not lead; they find a way to get elected, then reelected. That’s what we get when we listen to sound bites instead of doing a deep dive into what a candidate really can do for “We the People.” We are a lazy electorate, otherwise, we would never accept the notion that a billionaire could say he understands and speaks for most Americans. 

While watching the impeachment hearings, I was struck by something Professor Jonathan Turley said while testifying. He told the committee he was not a Trump supporter and voted against Donald Trump.  He voted AGAINST the President. Shouldn’t he have voted for Hillary Clinton? His statement tells me that in his mind he voted for the lesser of two evils. It is a sad state of affairs when a constitutional law professor cannot articulate a reason to vote for a candidate and instead must vote against her opponent. Shouldn’t “We the People” demand that the candidates are better than a sound bite at a support rally?

Until we demand more from our candidates, we are going to end up with the leaders we have and don’t want. That will mean the opposition party will find endless reasons to hold impeachment hearings.  While the colonist justified declaring their independence from Great Britain, perhaps we are not justified in declaring our independence from Donald Trump. At least not until the next election.  We need leaders looking out for our interests, not theirs, and we need to vote for that person, not against their opponent.  I just hope it happens in my lifetime. Wishful thinking.

Gregory Blevins

Hanford, CA

(Gregory Blevins is an attorney and a Doctoral Candidate in Public Administration at the University of La Verne.)