Opinion: Anthony Maine--Pelosi Should Use Impeachment to Pass Legislation

This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

Instead of waiting for Nancy Pelosi or Mitch McConnell to relent on the parameters of a Senate impeachment trial, there may be a better way out. Pelosi needs to face some realities: a two-thirds majority vote to expel Trump by the Senate is unlikely; it is improbable that additional witnesses, even one as potentially explosive as John Bolton, will change enough minds to affect the final vote; and, as brave as her stance is perceived by the base of the Democratic party, she's quickly burning through political capital with suburban and swing voters.

Here's another reality: there are a ton of bills passed by the House that have not been introduced in the Senate as part of McConnell's strategy to withhold any political victories for Democrats. Why not use the withholding of impeachment articles as a means to get some meaningful legislation passed? Make the offer to let go of defining impeachment trial parameters in exchange for allowing the introduction of House-passed bills in the Senate on such popular measures as HR3 that would enable the federal government to negotiate drug pricing or HR8, which would require background checks on all firearm sales? These two measures alone have wide spread support across the political spectrum (both drug prices and background checks), and are even tentatively supported by Trump.

Such a deal would demonstrate the political class is more interested in getting something done for everyday people and it would allow everyone to move beyond the impeachment drama that in all reality is a foregone conclusion of a no vote for expulsion.