By DR. LARRY MOSES
No one asked me but… The State of Nevada is now a Blue State. The Democrats control both Houses of the Legislature, the Governor’s office, and the Lt. Governor’s office. The demographics of the state would indicate that this will probably be a permanent state of affairs.
The state Republican Party can be blamed for some of this, but the fact of the matter is that the population of Nevada is now essentially urban; and this is where the Democrat Party has found a home.
If you look at a political map of the State of Nevada, you will find that about 80 to 90 percent of the land is Republican territory. However, a population map of Nevada will show you that 86 percent of the people live in the predominately urban centers of Clark County and Washoe County.
The Republicans ran an unimpressive candidate for Governor hoping his name recognition would carry the day. They failed to understand that he was a Northerner and the North/South rivalry would work against him. When the sitting Republican Governor, a fellow Northern Nevadan, refused to endorse the party’s candidate, the handwriting was on the wall.
This reminded me of the 200 turncoat Republicans who came out in support of Democrat Harry Reid in his last election. Their rationale was Harry’s Republican opponent was too far right. No Democrat would have done this because they understand that without power, no Democrat programs can be instituted. The Democrats are smart enough to include their “crazies” and then try to control them after they are elected. The Republicans purge their crazies from the party and their “crazies” form minor political parties and suck votes from the mainstream Republicans.
No one asked me but… The Republican Party is a study of ineptitude; both locally and nationally.
P.J. O’Rourke said it best when he stated “The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work and then they get elected and prove it.”
For the eight years the federal government was dominated by President Obama, with his “phone and pen,” Republicans told the American people they had a plan to replace the Affordable Health Care Act. The Republicans also claimed they had a plan to solve DACA and other immigration problems if only the Democrats would get out of their way.
In 2016, the American people took the Republicans at their word. They elected Donald Trump President and filled both Houses of Congress with Republicans. The Republicans had two years to institute their programs; however, the American people soon learned the Republicans had no programs. They also found out that the Republicans had no idea of how to get what little they did have through Congress, even though they had a majority in both Houses and the Presidency.
It should come as no surprise that those states that have been traditionally Democrat but went with the Republicans in 2016 returned to the fold in 2018. Those states were promised a number of things that the Republicans, had they understood how government works, could have delivered on. The Republicans had two years to solve immigration problems as well as the much-needed medical reforms in the country. They failed to do so.
We can only hope that the Democrats now take control of their “crazies” and get about the business of presenting a health care program that is a real health care program; rather than the insurance program called Obama Care. Not a single dollar of federal money went directly to helping the poor with their health care. All of the dollars of ACA went directly to insurance companies who then decided how to disperse it to their mandatory “clients.”
President Trump has stated over and over again that he will sign a bill that will take care of the DACA issue and other immigration issues. We can only hope that the Democrat House of Representatives will take him up on that offer.
No one asked me but… There seems to be a great deal of concern that since the Democrats now control the House of Representatives, they will call for the impeachment of the President and his most recent Supreme Court appointee.
It would, however, serve the Democrats well if the more moderate Democrats take control and become the adults in the room. Can the Democrats impeach these two? Yes, they can. Is there any chance that it will lead to the removal of either of these men? No, it will not.
When one turns to the Constitution, they realize the Democrats will be much better off not wasting their time on the frivolity of impeachment. The Democrat energy will be better used by joining with the President in solving the major problems facing the country.
The purpose of impeachment is the removal of the office holder. Section 4 of Article Two of the Constitution 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.”
The process of impeachment is as follows: The House Judiciary Committee votes on whether to send impeachment articles to the full House. The full House examines the articles and call witnesses and debates the evidence. The House votes on each article. If there is a majority, the official is impeached. (All of this under Democrat control.)
Impeachment articles are then sent to the Senate. The Senate tries the case with House members as the prosecutors. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court sits as the Judge but has no vote. Both sides have lawyers and more witnesses can be called. (The Democrats have now lost all control as the ultimate decision is in the hands of the Republican-controlled Senate.)
The Senate can now vote to drop the case, censure the official, or convict to remove from office. However, removal requires a two-thirds vote of the full Senate. It would take 66 Senators voting to convict. There is no way that would happen, when the Senate elections are finished, the worst the Republican can end with is 51 Senators. To convict either the President or Judge Kavanaugh, at least 15 Republicans would have to break ranks and vote to convict. Even the Republicans are not that self-destructive.
