In September, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. And while the word 麻豆精品 S� impeach 麻豆精品 S� has been around for four and half centuries, the history and meaning of it are often misunderstood. Few people may know this better than David Dumke.

Dumke is director of , but from 1994 to 2003 he worked for several members of Congress 麻豆精品 S� both Republican and Democrat. He was often on the House floor during the impeachment proceedings involving President Bill Clinton, a place and time that even now provides him a clear field of view for what is happening in our nation 麻豆精品 S檚 capital 麻豆精品 S� with one caveat.

麻豆精品 S淓veryone thought the late 1990s was the most partisan era ever, 麻豆精品 S� Dumke says. 麻豆精品 S淏ut today we 麻豆精品 S檙e in an uber-partisan era. Let 麻豆精品 S檚 hope the politicians, and all of us, can agree to disagree with civility and with respect to facts. 麻豆精品 S�

Specifically, these are the things he 麻豆精品 S檇 like to stress:

  1. Congress still has a governing job to do. 麻豆精品 S淲hen President Clinton was being investigated [for statements about his relationship with intern Monica Lewinski], the members of Congress still functioned as they were supposed to function. They worked on budgets, negotiated welfare reform and made sure taxpayers 麻豆精品 S� money was being spent correctly. That 麻豆精品 S檚 their primary job at all times. 麻豆精品 S�
  2. Impeachment is a vague concept. 麻豆精品 S淥fficially, an impeachable offense is for 麻豆精品 S榯reason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors, 麻豆精品 S� but there 麻豆精品 S檚 no definition for what some of those are. So it becomes a political process. The bar is set in the minds of those bringing the case. Which is probably why we hear the word used so often. 麻豆精品 S�
  3. There are punitive tools other than impeachment. 麻豆精品 S淧residential impeachment should be considered a nuclear bomb in politics. Congress can use other forms of leverage before going there. They can freeze spending in certain areas, for example. In 1998, Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich could have stopped the impeachment process by censuring President Clinton. A censure is an official reprimand for bad behavior. Perhaps there would have been some sense of unity rather than the gut-wrenching process of impeachment. 麻豆精品 S�
  4. Impeachment can be dangerous. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 easy to say we 麻豆精品 S檙e dealing with one president. But we have to be conscious of the precedent an impeachment creates. It is not meant to be a mechanism used just because you don 麻豆精品 S檛 like a president or his policies. We wouldn 麻豆精品 S檛 want it to become a routine process down the road. 麻豆精品 S�
  5. A president has never been convicted and removed from office. 麻豆精品 S淏oth Andrew Johnson [in 1868] and Bill Clinton [in 1998] were impeached by the House, but neither was convicted in the Senate. Richard Nixon most likely would have been impeached and convicted by both branches, but he resigned in 1974 before any votes could take place. 麻豆精品 S�
  6. No one knows who will ultimately win. 麻豆精品 S淭he court of public opinion will decide if impeachment is fair or unfair. After Bill Clinton 麻豆精品 S檚 impeachment, the Democrats actually gained a few seats in the House of Representatives. In fact, President Clinton enjoyed his highest approval rating during his final two years in office 麻豆精品 S� as high as 73 percent. 麻豆精品 S�
  7. Impeachment can be really messy. 麻豆精品 S淭he case against President Clinton revolved around his sexual relationship with Monica Lewinski. Ironically, Gingrich initiated the impeachment 麻豆精品 S� and then resigned because of his own affair before the vote even took place. Bob Livingston replaced Gingrich. I was there when Livingston also resigned because of an affair, about a month after he 麻豆精品 S檇 become speaker-designate. Like I said, you never know who will win in the end. 麻豆精品 S�
  8. Everyone has to keep moving forward. 麻豆精品 S淚 remember a surreal moment on the floor of Congress when the U.S. was involved in bombing strikes against Saddam Hussein 麻豆精品 S檚 Iraq. This was during impeachment discussions. Impeachment proceedings did not put a stop to everything else. 麻豆精品 S�
  9. We live in a charged era. 麻豆精品 S淧eople now see things through very partisan filters 麻豆精品 S� it 麻豆精品 S檚 all or nothing. Yes, our government needs the checks and balances, but it 麻豆精品 S檚 also set up for everyone to work together, despite disagreements. This president, however, hasn 麻豆精品 S檛 necessarily set a unified tone. Everyone in D.C. needs to remember the responsibility they have to do what 麻豆精品 S檚 best for the people. 麻豆精品 S�
  10. Once the process starts, you can 麻豆精品 S檛 rein it back in. 麻豆精品 S淭he impeachment train has left the station. History will tell us where it 麻豆精品 S檚 about to take us 麻豆精品 S� good or bad. 麻豆精品 S�