15 Congress Members for Impeachment

By David SwansonCongressman Sam Farr (D., Calif.) is the latest member of Congress to respond to intense pressure from his constituents and co-sponsor H Res 333, articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney.  The official list of co-sponsors at thomas.loc.gov includes 11 names, plus the original sponsor Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D., Ohio).  That makes 12.  In addition, Congressman Bob Filner (D., Calif.) has said he will sign on, and has said so publicly in media interviews including this one: http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com/news/0189.html

That makes 13, or 14 with Farr.  Then there is Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. (D., Ill.) who has not signed onto H Res 333 or introduced his own articles of impeachment against Cheney or Bush, but who recently released this statement:

“In her first weeks as leader of the Congress, Speaker Nancy Pelosi withdrew the notion of impeachment proceedings against either President Bush or Vice President Cheney [actually she did that 8 months earlier, and Jackson began parroting her line right away, but who's counting]. With the president’s decision to once again subvert the legal process and the will of the American people by commuting the sentence of convicted felon Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby, I call on House Democrats to reconsider impeachment proceedings. Lewis Libby was convicted of lying under oath to cover up the outing of active, undercover CIA agent, Valerie Plame. It is beyond unthinkable that the president would undermine the legal process to protect a man who engaged in treason against the United States government, threatening the security of the American people. In November’s election, voters put Democrats in charge of Congress because they believed our pledge of oversight and accountability. Now it’s time for us to honor that pledge. The Executive Branch should be held responsible for its illegalities. Our democratic system is grounded in the principle of checks and balances. When the Executive Branch disregards the will of the people, our lawmakers must not be silent. Today’s actions, coupled with the president’s unwillingness to comply with Senate and House inquiries, leave Democrats with no other option than to consider impeachment so that we can gather the information needed to achieve justice for all Americans.”

If Jackson signs onto H Res 333, there will be 15 cosponsors. 

Sam Farr represents Santa Cruz, California, the first city in the country to have passed a resolution demanding impeachment.  Santa Cruz city council passed that first resolution in 2003, and passed another in 2006.  Santa Cruz is also home to COIN (Coalition for Impeachment Now) led by local organizers Sherry Conable and Louis LaFortune.  Following Santa Cruz’s lead, a total of at least 79 towns and cities have passed resolutions demanding the impeachment of Cheney and / or Bush: http://impeachpac.org/resolutions-list

Of all the polling companies in the United States, only one has ever polled, and only once, on whether Americans want Cheney impeached.  54 percent of Americans and 76 percent of Democrats said Yes.  http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/polling

Counting Farr and Jackson, a total of 3 percent of Congress Members and 6 percent of Democratic Congress Members have taken the position shared by over three-quarters of Democrats, 51 percent of Independents, and 17 percent of Republicans around the country.

Meanwhile, Cheney’s popularity has reached a record low, with 13 percent of the country in favor of his performance.  And that figure actually comes from May, prior to the most recent few scandals and exposed abuses of power: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/09/polls-cheney-nears-quayle-as-least-popular-veep

What will it take for Congress to act?  The majority of the people want it, and the least popular Vice President in history can’t be all that intimidating, can he?  Isn’t it time we started intimidating him? http://www.impeachcheney.org

People from around the country are headed to Washington on July 23rd to find out whether pressure from the citizens of this republic counts for anything anymore: http://afterdowningstreet.org/node/24450

Take action — click here to contact your local newspaper or congress people:
Impeach Already

Click here to see the most recent messages sent to congressional reps and local newspapers

http://www.davidswanson.org

DAVID SWANSON is a co-founder of After Downing Street, a writer and activist, and the Washington Director of Democrats.com. He is a board member of Progressive Democrats of America, and serves on the Executive Council of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, TNG-CWA. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and as a communications director, with jobs including Press Secretary for Dennis Kucinich’s 2004 presidential campaign, Media Coordinator for the International Labor Communications Association, and three years as Communications Coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Swanson obtained a Master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia in 1997.

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