Impeachment

                Do you believe that Barack Obama should be impeached?  Do you think he should be impeached and convicted?  Do you think he should be impeached, convicted, and forced out of office?  The question of impeaching Mr. Obama arises more and more often, first by conservatives and now liberals are joining them.

                According to WND, the following members of the House of Representatives have called for Mr. Obama to be impeached:  Steve King (R-Iowa), Blake Farenthold (R-Texas), Bill Flores (R-Texas), Duncan Hunter (R-California), Kerry Bentivolio (R-Michigan), Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Trey Radel (R-Florida), and Ted Yoho (R-Florida).  Senators calling for the impeachment of Mr. Obama include:  Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), and Tim Scott (R-South Carolina).

                Liberal journalist Nat Hentoff  believes that Barack Obama has abused the powers of the office of President of the United States even more than Richard Nixon did.  In fact, he calls Mr. Obama “the most un-American president in the nation’s history.”  Now he is calling for the impeachment of Mr. Obama.  He thinks the biggest problem of Mr. Obama is his “penchant to rule by executive order when he can’t convince Congress to do things his way.” 

                Mr. Hentoff is recognized as “one of the foremost authorities on the Bill of Rights and the Supreme Court,” and Mr. Obama’s recent statement about having “a pen and I’ve got a phone … and I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions,” fanned the flames of impeachment for Mr. Hentoff and many other people.  Mr. Hentoff’s article is well worth the time to read.

                WND’s list of impeachable offenses include:  delaying the employer mandate in Obamacare; changing the types of plans available under Obamacare; ensuring abortions would be covered under Obamacare; enacting key provisions of the failed Dream Act to halt deportations of illegal immigrants; enacting stricter gun-control measures; sealing presidential records; creating an economic council; creating a domestic policy council, and changing pay grades.

                If we are going to discuss impeachment of the President of the United States, we should know the facts first.  The Constitution of our nation gives directions for impeaching a President.

                Article I, Section 2, Clause 5 states:  “The House of Representatives … shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.”  This means that the members of the House are actually the ones that would impeach or indict Mr. Obama.  Two previous Presidents have been impeached or indicted by the House:  Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton.  If you believe Mr. Obama deserves impeachment, you should contact your Representative in the House.

                Article I, Section 3, Clause 6 states:  “The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments.  When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation.  When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside:  And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.”   Once the House has impeached or indicted a President, the Senate must hold a trial.  If two-thirds of the Senators find him guilty, the President then leaves the office.  Neither Andrew Johnson nor Bill Clinton left office because the Senate failed to convict them.   Richard Nixon was fairly certain that he would be impeached and convicted; therefore, he chose to resign from the office of President of the United States before he could be impeached.  President Gerald Ford pardoned Mr. Nixon and saved him from any charges in the justice system.

                Article I, Section 1, Clause 7 states:  “Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall note extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States:  but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to the Law.”  The Congress has the power to force a President out of office and thus prevent him/her from ever working for the federal government again; however, they do not have the power to try for crimes committed.  For example:  If a President were to commit treason, Congress could force him out of office, but imprisonment or death would come through the justice system. 

                Article II, Section 4 states:  “The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

                W. Cleon Skousen explained, “Note that the offenses for which officials of the government can be impeached are deliberately left very broad.  Treason and bribery were two of the most reprehensible offenses at the time of the Convention and both had played their part in creating serious military difficulties during the Revolutionary War.  These two offenses were therefore specifically mentioned, but the use of the words `high crimes and misdemeanors’ remained sufficiently broad to embrace practically any serious misbehavior while in office” (The Making of America – The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, p. 563).

                I believe that Barack Obama should face impeachment charges.  I too believe that he is the worst President this country has ever endured.  I also believe that he is trying to destroy our nation as we know it and “transform” it into a socialist/communist nation.  I do not understand why the House of Representatives has not held an impeachment hearing.  I understand that papers have been drawn up for impeachment, but I do not know what the holdup is.  I believe that Mr. Obama would be impeached in the House, but I question that the Senate – especially under Harry Reid – would convict him.  Time may change the balance in the Senate since Mr. Obama acts more and more like he thinks he is a king, dictator, or tyrant.  I believe that our nation is in for some difficult times before we rid ourselves of this imposter-in-chief.