Quote · The Bulwark Podcast
Bill Kristol: Trump Wants All-out Kleptocracy
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The Impeachment Debate: Moral vs. Strategic
At 12:08 · chapter starts 9:20
This chapter is the episode's most substantive policy debate. Miller, who has historically been more skeptical of impeachment than Kristol, lays out his internal conflict: part of him wonders what impeachment even means after Trump was re-elected, and part of him worries that Democrats will signal to voters that their only priority is going after Trump rather than improving people's lives. Kristol, for his part, says his tweet was a 'division of labor' call — that Hakeem Jeffries may not need to act on it, but it's important for public intellectuals to state clearly that Trump's conduct deserves impeachment. [1] — Tim Miller "Impeachment is morally justified but strategically complicated — and Kristol and Miller spend real time wrestling with both sides. The risk…" 09:20 The strategic silver lining Miller identifies: forcing Senate Republicans to publicly defend the indefensible. How many of those same Republicans, he asks, would be calling for impeachment if a Democratic president's sons were invested in 14 rare earth mineral companies around the world? The double standard is the point.
Impeachment is morally justified but strategically complicated — and Kristol and Miller spend real time wrestling with both sides. The risk: Democrats look like they only care about retribution. The opportunity: force Republicans to publicly defend the indefensible. The verdict is nuanced, but both agree the case is clear enough to make loudly.
