Donald J. Trump, the Impeached Culmination of Republican Politics for the Last Fifty Years

Despite the behind-the-scenes grumbling of some Republican politicians

Image by CNN.

So now President Trump’s impeached. You can count me among the skeptics like Nancy Pelosi who originally urged caution in pursuing his impeachment. I worried that it might damage Democratic prospects at the ballot box, which is where decisions really matter. I worried that a Trump impeachment might lead to a President Mike Pence, who might turn into a more effective advocate for an extremist right-wing agenda.

As a former political pro, I have a healthy dose of skepticism when I read political rhetoric. Yes, Trump sucks. I will be the first to say that. Yes, he is corrupt and incompetent, damaging American interests worldwide. But again, I hope to defeat him and his Senate cronies in 2020 in a historic, game-changing election. So when I heard about the whistleblower report that was being withheld from Congress, I thought, “This sucks, but it’s more of the same.” As it turns out, Trump is far worse than I even imagined.

The key moment was when the “transcript” was released. You have to remember, this was actually a redacted summary of the call released by the White House to defend itself from Democratic attacks. When I heard…