It’s been a wild week for President Donald Trump’s administration. For the first time since Election Day, many of us received a news notification that didn’t make us feel sick to our stomachs or look into the process of becoming a Canadian citizen. The word “impeachment” flooded headlines early last week, and it filled some of our hearts with hope.
While we were overjoyed, we can’t say we were surprised. Citizens have been questioning the date of Trump’s inevitable impeachment before he was even sworn into office. Last Wednesday, a Democratic congressman from Texas finally said what we were all thinking and officially called on the U.S. House of Representatives to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump.
After news broke that, according to memos kept by former FBI Director James Comey, Trump had attempted to influence an ongoing investigation, U.S. representatives began to further question how trustworthy our president really is. U.S. Rep. Al Green accused the president of obstructing a lawful investigation into possible ties between his campaign and Russia that affected the U.S. election. Green dubbed the offense an “impeachable act” and immediately had Americans in a frenzy over the possibility of Trump abdicating his throne.
As much as we’d love to see Trump leave office, we aren’t so sure this will solve many of the issues Americans fear under his presidency. If he was forced to leave office, Vice President Mike Pence is next in line to serve our country as commander in chief.
A lot of the absurdity that encompasses Pence and his views was somewhat overlooked during the election. When your running mate is talking about “grabbing p----” and “building walls,” your own misogynistic transgressions and narrow-minded stances on issues pale in comparison.
Not only does Pence not support organizations such as Planned Parenthood, but as governor of Indiana, he passed the most restrictive abortion regulations in the country. In fact, he has said publicly he “longs for the day that Roe v. Wade is sent to the ash heap of history.” Excuse me? In the words of “Friends” character Rachel Green, “No uterus, no opinion.”
As a congressman, he refused to support federal funding that would help people suffering from HIV and AIDS unless the government also funded programs that partake in gay conversion therapy. He has resisted efforts to alter hate crime laws so that acts harming the LGBTQ+ community would be included.
Pence’s faults go far beyond the ones previously mentioned; that was just brushing the surface. We’d say just about the only redeeming quality Pence has is that he’s not Trump. It also is worth mentioning that while his political track record isn’t something worth celebrating, he at least has experience as a politician. However, his background in politics makes his behavior that much worse.
We aren’t saying that Trump shouldn’t be impeached, but getting rid of him won’t fix our problems. At this point, we’re in too deep with his administration to solve anything by removing any one man.
Pence’s acute awareness and political experience could make him even worse for the U.S. than Trump. The truth is, while we would love to see Trump defeated and his devoted followers proven wrong, his impeachment will give us nothing other than gloating rights and a slightly less embarrassing leader.
