In the vast majority of instances, Senate Republicans won’t allow lawmakers to vote on popular pieces of legislation. In those rare instances in which Dems can overcome GOP obstructionism — war funding, stem-cell research, healthcare for low-income children — the legislation draws a Bush veto.<\/p>\n
Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) thinks he knows how to fix the legislative breakdown and bring some progress to Washington: impeachment hearings<\/a> for Dick Cheney. (via Raw Story<\/a>)<\/p>\n At last week’s Palm Beach County Democratic Executive Committee meeting, Wexler took issue with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s declaration that impeachment should be “off the table.” And Wexler disputed the notion that impeachment hearings would be a distraction, asserting instead that they would help the Democrats’ domestic agenda and lift America’s status abroad.<\/p>\n “The way we pass stem-cell research, the way we get implemented a children’s health care plan, the way we get higher CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) standards to bring our energy debacle into a better condition for generations to come is to have impeachment hearings,” Wexler said. “Because that’ll get the president’s eye. That’ll get the vice president’s eye. That for the first time will show that the Democratic majority is here and that in fact we have the courage of our convictions.”<\/p>\n In addition, Wexler continued, hearings would strengthen America’s hand in dealings with Iran, China and others. Every day the House Judiciary Committee isn’t grilling Cheney is a day world leaders such as Indonesia’s Yudhoyono keep their distance, he said. He described Yudhoyono as someone who “wants to be closer to America, but he can’t because we are so negatively viewed. Well, let me tell you one more thing those impeachment hearings will do. They will make America more popular.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Well, it would certainly raise some eyebrows, that’s for sure. For that matter, I’m not entirely convinced that the Dems’ legislative agenda would suddenly start moving again in the wake of serious impeachment threats. Sure, Dems would “get the president’s eye,” but that’s not really the problem on the Hill right now.<\/p>\n
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\nNow, in my heart of hearts, I don’t see this as at all likely. Congressional leaders have shown absolutely no interest in pursuing this, especially now that we’re less than a year from electing a new president and vice president anyway. And given that Dems would need a two-thirds majority in the Senate to remove Cheney from office, and there aren’t 17 Republicans ready to join Dems on this, the initiative probably isn’t going anywhere.<\/p>\n