US question, but why don’t Democrats just vote for impeachment basically every day? Whether it’s for the Jack Smith findings, the unwillingness to hold up the 14th amendment, whatever. Like, is there a statute of limitations for impeachment? Is there a limited number of crimes valid for it?
Even if it never succeeded, it would send a message that he needs to be careful and if he makes too many Republicans mad he could lose his job.
Holding presidents accountable kicked the dodo as soon as Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon. If you hold one accountable, then the precedent is that you have to hold them all accountable. The list of war crimes and domestic use of violent force to curb peaceful protest from US presidents on both sides of the aisle would have to be interrogated for one. Neither party wants that.
FWIW, impeachable offenses from the POTUS go back a lot further than Nixon. More serious, too. But yes, Nixon/Ford showed us the process doesn’t work.