WS Chronicle

By Dr. James B. Ewers Jr.

We can’t depend upon the president being removed from office. The country at this moment is widely divided on removing him from office. In addition to this sitting president, only two other presidents have been impeached. Andrew Johnson was impeached in 1868 and Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998. Neither was removed from office.

Our country is much like two ships passing in the night. We ignore each other and believe we are right and the other side is wrong. It is clear however that this president has had a rocky start from the beginning. His arrogance and disregard for women have rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. While this is true, there are still great numbers of people who sing his praises. In their minds, they think he can do no wrong.

Since his inauguration, this president has been to tottering on the edges of collapse, says his critics. When you watch CNN, he’s not fit to hold office. However, when you watch Fox News, he’s the king of the world. Our opinions are diverse, and we can each make the case for him to stay or to leave.

After a phone call with the president of Ukraine by POTUS, the House of Representatives started an impeachment inquiry on Sept, 24. House members believed that foreign aid was being withheld because POTUS wanted some information on Hunter and Joe Biden. What was said on the phone call was the basis for the inquiry.

The sitting president was impeached on Dec. 18. The two articles approved were abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate has now started opening arguments. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell has already made it clear that the president will not be removed from office. The Senate has the votes to keep him in office.

So, no matter how persuasive the house managers are, the POTUS will remain in office. In fact, some say he is gaining momentum with all that is happening now. In a strange way, they may be right. The Republican Senate in my opinion is not going to let public pressure sway them. Do they believe he is right or are they afraid of him? In the crevices of their hearts, do they believe he committed any wrongdoing?

The trial just began so we will see how long it will take. The president wants a quick trial and so does the Senate. I would be surprised if there are any witnesses called. John Bolton will not be called, even though he wants to testify. The president said, “I would have no problem with Bolton testifying other than we have to protect executive privilege.”

With all the potential wrangling ahead, the POTUS will not leave office, at least through impeachment proceedings.

In the practical and rational opinions of most, there is only one way for this president to leave office. That way is to vote him out in November. Voting him out will not be done by the Senate, but it will be done by the American people. There must be an every day commitment to ensuring that we vote. We will not need any witnesses nor will there be any whistleblowers.

We will ring the alarm so that change will occur. Our votes will be our way of saying that we are taking back our America. No longer will it be in the hands of a few monarchs who believe in their own rule of law.

Wake up everybody! The fact is our votes will matter and they will count. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. As November draws closer, the con artists will try to take our votes away. Don’t be fooled by their trickery.

So, we will watch the trial knowing that it will be next to impossible to remove him from office. We can’t control the Senate and what they do. However we can control our votes because we are the people.

James B. Ewers Jr., Ph.D., is a former tennis champion at Atkins High School and played college tennis at Johnson C. Smith University where he was all conference for four years. He is a retired college administrator and can be reached at ewers.jr56@yahoo.com.