From The New Yorker · David Remnick · · 4m
Raskin: Democrats will impeach Trump again if needed
The House Judiciary ranking member says impeachment remains a tool, but Democrats must weigh it against urgent public needs.
In brief
The House Judiciary ranking member says impeachment remains a tool, but Democrats must weigh it against urgent public needs. Jamie Raskin says Democrats are not afraid to impeach Trump again if he wins the presidency, but will prioritize urgent public needs like healthcare and SNAP benefits. Originally reported by The…
Quick answers
- Would Democrats block a Trump nominee?
- Raskin says he would absolutely block a Republican Trump nominee to the Supreme Court. But he notes he is in the House, not the Senate, and cannot speak for Senate Democrats.
- What is the key takeaway from Raskin: Democrats will impeach Trump again if needed?
- Jamie Raskin says Democrats are not afraid to impeach Trump again if he wins the presidency, but will prioritize urgent public needs like healthcare and SNAP benefits.
Raskin on Trump's election claims
Donald Trump knows only two kinds of elections: the ones he wins and the ones stolen from him. He thinks in terms of fraud and quid-pro-quo transactions.
“Donald Trump knows only two kinds of elections: the ones that he wins and the ones that are "stolen" from him.”
North Carolina's gerrymandering problem
Democrats won North Carolina's governorship, attorney-general position, and U.S. Senate seat, but Republicans dominate the congressional delegation with ten seats to four.
How Republicans gerrymander power
Republicans have gerrymandered themselves into power in North Carolina's state legislature for decades, allowing them to control the U.S. House delegation despite being a minority statewide.
Democratic reform efforts fail
Democrats have tried multiple times to mandate independent, nonpartisan redistricting commissions through the Democracy for All Amendment, the For the People Act, and the Fair Representation Act.Every Democrat voted for it; every Republican opposed it.
Trump's Texas gerrymander
Trump created a mid-decade extreme gerrymander in Texas to squeeze out five more districts. Democrats expect to win two to five of those seats in the midterms.
Raskin's biggest fear
Election officials might refuse to grant certificates of election to Democratic winners, forcing everyone to court. Texas is vulnerable because Trump may create fraudulent pretexts to block Democratic wins.
The Georgia precedent
Trump called Georgia's secretary of state Brad Raffensperger and said, "Just find me eleven thousand seven hundred and eighty votes." Republicans are trying to replace officials like Raffensperger with Trump loyalists.
“Just find me eleven thousand seven hundred and eighty votes.”
Democrats not afraid to impeach
The Democratic caucus is not afraid to impeach. Democrats impeached Trump twice. He has fifty percent of all presidential impeachments in American history.
“The Democratic caucus is not afraid to impeach.”
Impeachment as political calculation
Impeachment is a political instrument in the Constitution's political branches. Democrats must weigh impeaching Trump against urgent public needs like restoring Medicaid and A.C.A. tax credits.
Sarah Longwell's counter-argument
Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, argues impeachment rallies Trump supporters. She says Democrats should attack tariffs and war instead to keep Trump's approval ratings down.
“if there's one thing that I have seen out of voters during the Trump years, it is that, when Democrats do impeachment, the rally-around-Trump effect is so potent”
Raskin agrees, provisionally
Raskin agrees with Longwell that Democrats are not currently pushing impeachment. But he says this is a provisional judgment for now, not a permanent decision to abandon the tool.
Republicans purged of critical thinkers
Trump has purged critically thinking Republicans from public office. He would rather have a Democratic senator from Texas than a Republican with independent judgment.
Trump's financial operation
In his first year in office, Trump openly declared two point two billion dollars he made on the side.
The Supreme Court's legitimacy
Raskin calls the Supreme Court illegitimate because Republicans denied Obama the chance to fill a seat, then rushed Amy Coney Barrett through eight days before the presidential election.
Would Democrats block a Trump nominee?
Raskin says he would absolutely block a Republican Trump nominee to the Supreme Court. But he notes he is in the House, not the Senate, and cannot speak for Senate Democrats.
“Would I? Absolutely. You're damn right I would!”
Trump as campaign liability
Trump is bringing down the ticket in Alabama and Mississippi, the reddest parts of America. He will claim victory wherever he campaigned and blame Republicans elsewhere for losing.
On socialism and democracy
Young Democrats call themselves socialists, meaning social democracy and concern for people's well-being, not socialization of production. Raskin says strong democracy must be the Democratic Party's governing passion.
Trump's communist allies
Raskin says Trump sends love letters to Kim Jong Un and praises Xi Jinping. Trump takes orders from Vladimir Putin, the former head of the F.S.B., and opposes sanctions Congress voted for.
On A.O.C. and the Senate
Raskin loves Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and considers her a truly great political leader. He doubts she will run for president now but expects her to run for U.S. Senate.
Generational change ahead
Raskin says the Democratic Party is going through a magnificent generational change. Everyone in public office should ask whether they have made their mark and whether it is time for a new generation.
In short
Jamie Raskin says Democrats are not afraid to impeach Trump again if he wins the presidency, but will prioritize urgent public needs like healthcare and SNAP benefits.
