The United States watched the third president in its history be impeached on Wednesday, prompting a debate among Democrats over when to send charges to the Republican-led Senate.
As people across the country followed the impeachment process this week, many Times readers reacted to the news with dismay at the country’s deepening polarization and the toxicity they see in politics today. Others reflected on the historic nature of the moment, making comparisons with the presidencies of Bill Clinton and Richard M. Nixon.
Thousands of readers have left comments on our coverage. Below is a selection of their thoughts, which have been lightly edited. Please share yours in the comments section.
The country’s divide
I have been totally in favor of impeachment, and I am relieved that it took place. I am surprised, however, that I am also somewhat saddened. I think that feeling comes from my sorrow for our country that it has come to this.
I fear that the anger, hostility, lack of dignity and intransigence of people on both sides of the issue — and especially Donald Trump — will only become worse.
— Sara Toye, Fredericksburg, Va.
The idea that impeachment is tearing the country apart, or that we’re so divided, is becoming trite and meaningless, and it nefariously tries to suggest that both sides are somehow responsible. Right now, we’re divided between truth and farce.
— Daniel Branower, Bergen County, N.J.
The lens of history
I am a veteran of the Army. Two times I took an oath to defend the United States Constitution, both in letter and in spirit.
The framers of the Constitution had just finished fighting an incredibly violent and costly war against a tyrant when they wrote the Constitution. They intentionally designed a system of perpetual gridlock to attempt to prevent any one individual from ever gaining too much power.
The one thing the framers feared above all else was a single person who was elevated to a position above the law. Trump has blatantly violated the law numerous times now. But a policy opinion that isn’t even law has thus far protected him from being indicted on numerous charges. If anyone else had done what Trump has done, they’d be in jail by now. Impeachment of Donald Trump is a necessity. His removal is the very least the Senate could do to ensure that the letter and the spirit of the Constitution still mean something.
They will acquit Trump in the Senate. But that does not mean the House impeachment was a mistake. It just means we the people have to take the government back in 2020.
— Austin Jasper Ouellette, Englewood, Colo.
I believe that when the Constitution was developed, the framers envisioned the separation of powers working, because there would be more members of Congress who would support the Constitution against anyone or any group that might subvert it. I don’t think they envisioned a party so controlled by a president that it would follow lock step and allow the presidency to become an imperial position above the laws of the land and the Constitution.
I watched both the Nixon and the Clinton impeachment processes, and they were nothing like this. I’ve been around awhile and I’ve never seen the Republican Party stoop this low. This is a very sad time for this country, and I’m afraid it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
— Vincent Giglio, Little Egg Harbor, N.J.
The Democrats’ next move
I really, really like the idea of Speaker Nancy Pelosi taking a great deal of time to deliberate when to convey the articles of impeachment to the Senate. She could follow Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell’s line of reasoning when the Senate ignored President Obama’s nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court.
A Republican Party talking point has been to let the voters decide. Perhaps they will — to McConnell’s dismay.
— Peter Verstegen, Hudson, Wis.
The Democrats have abused their majority in the House and have voted these ridiculous articles of impeachment. Now we’re being told that Speaker Pelosi is going to play games so that the Senate is forced to become an investigative body, presumably to do the work her lazy, incompetent House members failed to do.
The Senate should vote to exonerate now and forget about a House referral. They should exercise their deliberative rights as an equal congressional member, not beholden to the lower House.
— Charles Rolph, El Paso
The role of we the people
I do not view the day that the House voted to impeach Donald Trump as sad, dark or tragic.
Rather, it is a day that “we the people,” through our elected representatives, exercised our most important power: impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors.
At the end of the day, our democracy will be stronger as a result of this process.
— Patrick Ryan, Goshen, N.Y.
I wonder if we — meaning both congressional Democrats and we the people — are willing to go the distance. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Trump will persist in his corrupt behavior and practices. I believe his impulsivity will make it impossible for him to sustain any meaningful restraint. In fact, I’m pretty certain he won’t even try.
So, as Trump’s vicious, aberrant, and lawless behavior persists, what are we to do? Will Democrats continue to investigate? Would we be willing to file further articles of impeachment as more and more high crimes are uncovered?
— Leslie Hoffman, Granby, Mass.
The impact on 2020
As a registered Republican for 50 years, while I disagreed with Trump on some of his positions (e.g., climate change), I never thought he would go down over a stupid and unwise phone call.
But the unwillingness of the president to allow any of his staff to testify is another matter entirely! I fully support impeachment for obstruction, and the unwillingness of any Republican to call him out on this matter is leading me to vote Democratic across the board in 2020.
— Michael Turin, Westport, Conn.
What sense does it make for the House to impeach if the Senate won’t convict? Donald Trump will beat this and be re-elected. While praising the intelligence of the American electorate, he secretly knows that they can be led around like bulls with nose rings — only instead of bullrings, he uses their beliefs and prejudices to lead them wherever he wants.
— Robert L. Blackburn, Frankfort, Ky.
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