OBSTRUCTION OF THE CONSTITUTION

Obstruction of Congress is one of the two Articles of Impeachment presented against Trump.  Obstruction of Justice was considered as a third Article but was, in my personal opinion erroneously, not included.

Mirriam-Webster tells us to obstruct “to hinder from passage, action, or operation: impede.”  It also describes “Obstruction of Justice” as “the crime or act of willfully interfering with the process of justice and law especially by influencing, threatening, harming, or impeding a witness, potential witness, juror, or judicial or legal officer or by furnishing false information in or otherwise impeding an investigation or legal process.”   

Obstruction of Congress is hindering the operation of Congress or a committee of Congress.

There is another ongoing form of obstruction in national politics today – Obstruction of the Constitution.  Trump is guilty, but there is someone even more guilty.  That person is Addison Mitchell “Mitch” McConnell Jr, the current Senate Majority Leader.

Under the US Constitution here is how a bill becomes law.  After being reviewed and discussed by a House or Senate committee the bill goes to the House or Senate floor for further debate and amendment, if necessary. It passes or fails by a simple majority vote: 218 of 435 in the House or 51 of 100 in the Senate. Once passed, it repeats the process in the other house.  After a passing a vote, conference committee members from the House and Senate work out any differences between the two versions of the bill. The revised bill then goes to each house for final approval.  The final legislation is sent to the President for signature.

Trump and the Republican Party is constantly accusing House Democrats of “getting nothing done in Congress,” and being consumed by impeachment.  This is another of a long list of Republican lies.  The House of Representatives has passed nearly 400 bills since January of 2019.   Congress has actually passed less than 80 bills into law this year.  Recent previous Congresses have usually passed from 300-500 bills passed in a 2-year period.   Mitch McConnell refuses to allow the Senate to hold a vote on any substantive legislation passed by the House.

By blocking the Senate from voting on House bills McConnell is obstructing the Constitutional process for passing legislation.  Granted, many House bills, having been introduced and passed along Party lines, would be defeated in the Senate.  But McConnell is not allowing the process to proceed as was intended by the Constitution.

This article – click here - from VOX provides a list of some of the major legislation passed by the House in 2019.

The Congress has been extremely partisan for over 20 years – and both Republicans and Democrats are at fault.  I have often said that the Democratic Party could introduce legislation that would beyond any doubt end all war forever and Republicans would vote against it only because it was introduced by Democrats – and vice versa.  While both sides are to blame, this obstruction and incompetence began in the mid-90s under the leadership of Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

Mitch McConnell is up for re-election in 2020.  While it is vital that Trump, if he survives impeachment, he be voted out of office in 2020, it is equally vital that McConnell also be voted out of office.  McConnell has obstructed the operation of Congress as outlined in the Constitution.  He is guilty of Obstruction of Congress and Obstruction of the Constitution. 

Every single Republican member of Congress who supports, defends and enables Trump and the Trump Presidency must be voted out of office when they come up for re-election. Not because Democratic policies are better than traditional Republican policies, or because liberal policies are better than true conservative policies - but because these Republicans in Congress have totally abandoned all integrity and credibility and clearly put personal and partisan interests above the interests and security of the country.   

As a point of information, my parents were registered Republicans, and my father was a Republican Committeeman, in Hudson County NJ, home of the infamous Hudson County Democratic Machine of Frank Hague and John V Kenny, poster child for political corruption, where it was almost illegal not to vote Democratic.  My parents worked on the polls as Republicans, and in my 20s so did I.  At the time I would say I was paid to register Republican – I had to register as a Republican to be able to earn my stipend for working on the polls.  Over the years I have voted for Republican, Democratic and third-party candidates at various levels of government, my vote based on the individual candidate and the specific issues.