SAN DIEGO — On Sunday, Hillcrest Indivisible hosted an “Impeach Trump” rally at Waterfront Park on Harbor Drive. Honestly, the turnout was less than huge. Jodie, one of the organizers from Hillcrest Indivisible, said that more than two thousand people had responded, but it looked like only a few hundred showed up. But a Trump-Baby Blimp –one of eight in the world- was there and quite a hit.
Prior to the event, I made my rounds and spoke to a few attendees.
Nam Nguyen of Hillcrest Indivisible: We’re the Hillcrest chapter of a larger organization, Indivisible. At its core, our mission is to activate and engage citizens with our congressional representatives in the House and the Senate to let them know their own power in enacting change in Congress. We do voter registration and educate people about government processes and also events that are happening today so that people are best informed….
EGT: Senators Mitch McConnell and Lindsay Graham have both said that the impeachment is not going to happen. So what do you hope to accomplish here today?
Nam: What we hope to accomplish is to show that we as the people want to exercise our voice and let our representatives know what our feelings are and encourage others across the nation because our Congress people have a duty to their constituents and the nation. If they’re not listening to the people, then maybe they shouldn’t be in office because they’re not doing their jobs.
EGT: Some are saying that the Democrats just can’t get over the 2016 election. You can’t accept that you lost and you want a do-over. What would you say to that?
Nam: These are charges. … And Trump has pretty much admitted to these acts of obstruction of Congress and the use of foreign aid to hire a foreign nation to interfere with our election. If that’s what he’s done, then our hands are kind of tied and he has to answer for what he’s done. This doesn’t have anything to do with 2016. This has to do with what he continues to do. He didn’t do these things in 2016. He’s doing them now.
Jonathan McLeod, Professor of History at San Diego Mesa College
EGT: Maybe you can give us an historical perspective. Is this precedented at all? Have we as a nation ever seen anything like this?
McLeod: We’ve had two impeachments and one resignation before an impeachment, but this kind of leadership is altogether different.
EGT: How so?
McLeod: Well, this is involved with foreign policy and making promises that the US would provide certain favors in return for certain favors. And that’s different from the internal politics that shaped previous impeachments.
EGT: Mitch McConnell and Lindsay Graham have both said that this impeachment will die in the Senate. So what’s the point of being here today?
McLeod: The point is to register that the American people, at least a significant portion of them, are very concerned… The Senate is supposed to hear the facts and draw conclusions, not consult with the person who has been charged.
EGT: So it’s like the jury taking their orders from the defendant?
McLeod: Right.
Michael Kuttenauer (Professor of Philosophy): This is an exercise in our form of constitutional democracy. Even if you just want to describe it neutrally, this is a great event. High school and college teachers of civics and social philosophy should be acutely appreciative of what this means when a moderately free people exercises its disapproval of existing authority. The Constitution allows for that. That’s one of the great things about our society.
I noticed Thomas Bates who was carrying an American flag and wearing a hat that read, “Proud to be a Veteran.”
EGT: Why did you feel that these symbols were important?
Thomas Bates: I believe one that this is a patriotic duty to make sure that a president who is misbehaving himself faces the consequences. I also don’t believe that calling for the impeachment of a human who has proven to be fairly unfit for the position is unpatriotic. Lots of people on the other side believe that they’re the only patriots. I have served my country (in the Air Force, 1968-1972). … No one side or the other has the right to claim to be the only patriotic side.
EGT: Thank you for your service, Sir.
I was hoping to talk to some Trump supporters for a counterpoint, but they didn’t show up until the event had begun. They chanted “Trump 2020!” over the speakers, but the sheriffs bid them to move along and they did.
The emceewas dressed up like Nancy Pelosi in her suffragette-style white pantsuit. As the designated speakers spoke, I noticed that it was definitely an intellectual, NPR-type crowd as we listened attentively to lessons in history and jurisprudence.
Nathan Fletcher (the lone Democrat on the SD County Board of Supervisors): Our nation is founded upon the principal of E Pluribus Unum, out of many is one. That means many countries of origin, many races, many genders and sexual orientations and many religions. Out of many is one. Donald Trump is fundamentally inconsistent with the values of America. A president who divides and denigrates, a president who brings sexism and racism and xenophobia has no place in the White House. That’s why he should be defeated in the upcoming election.
But he needs to be impeached because he used taxpayer funds to bribe a foreign power to advance his own political interest. He needs to be impeached because he colluded with foreign powers to undermine the essence of our democracy. He needs to be impeached and removed from office to be held accountable and to send a message that our country is not for sale and our democracy will not be undermined. … We are all better than what this man represents and he needs to be removed.
Next up was Dr. Robert E. Vryheid. I thought that he was a history professor, but he’s actually an epidemiologist who happens to be a history buff. Dr. Vryheid quoted extensively from the Founding Fathers when they included the Articles of Impeachment in the Constitution. At the time King George III was above the law and suffering a mental breakdown. This sparked their desire to put a new system into place.
Thomas Payne wrote in Common Sense, “In absolute governments, the king is law. So in free countries, the law ought to be king.”
Benjamin Franklin, “The first man at the helm will be a good one. Nobody knows what sort may come afterwards.”
James Madison, “[The president] might lose his capacity after appointment. He might pervert his administration into a scheme of embezzlement or oppression. Or he might betray his trust to foreign powers. … His corruption might be fatal to the republic.”
George Mason, “Shall any man be above justice? Shall the man who practiced corruption -and by that means procured his appointment in the first instance- be suffered to escape punishment by repeating his guilt? … The President of the United States might not always be an ethical and intelligent person.”
Alexander Hamilton, “The truth unquestionably is the only path to subversion of the republican system of the country is by flattering the prejudices of the people, exciting their jealousies and apprehensions, to throw affairs into confusion and bring on civil commotion. Tired at length of anarchy or want of government, they may take shelter in the arms of monarchy for repose and security. When a man unprincipled in private life, desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper and known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty, when such a man is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity… It may be justly suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion so that he may ride the storm and direct the whirlwind.”
Local businessman and activist Scott Storms reminisced about Nixon’s resignation when he was six years old and the impression that it made on him. “The President had abused the power of his office, had lied to the American people and even presidents get in trouble, so much trouble that even the most powerful man in the world could be forced to resign… The experience was formative. It made me suspicious of power, but it also gave me faith in the system for we had been protected from a corrupt leader by good people in the government. … My youngest is five. …I fear that she will learn a very different lesson from her generation’s Watergate. …The president abused the power of his office… and lied to the American people thousands of times a year. And the president gets a pass because we cannot rely on our elected leaders to hold him to account.”
Marjorie Cohn, Professor Emerita of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, quoted the articles of impeachment against Trump, saying that he “directed the unprecedented, categorical and indiscriminate defiance of subpoenas issued by the House. As a result, nine administration officials defied subpoenas for testimony. NOT ONE subpoenaed document was provided to House officials conducting the impeachment inquiry. Trump sought to arrogate to himself the right to determine the propriety, scope and nature of an impeachment inquiry into his own conduct. …”
It just wouldn’t be a protest without a few chants, which included the following:
“Treason in the White House. Shame on the GOP!”
“Who is above the law? No one!”
“Impeach! Remove!”
In spite of the thin crowd, the overall mood was optimistic. Will these calls make a difference? Or has our system been corrupted beyond repair? Only time will tell.
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Eric George Tauber is a freelance writer who specializes in coverage of the arts. He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com