Once again, if you follow the news, you are hearing, "let's impeach President Biden." Politicians have been mentioning this for some time. The question is whether the average person understands what impeachment is, keeping in mind that students learn very little about civics in school.
"Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, build up its institutions, promote all its great interests, and see whether we also, in our day and generation, may not perform something worthy to be remembered."
Quote by Daniel Webster that is inscribed in the marble wall directly behind the Speaker’s chair in the House chamber.
An impeachment alone does not "fire" a President or other federal employee. An impeachment is much like a Grand Jury hearing. It is an inquiry by the members of the House of Representatives to determine if there is enough evidence to issue "Articles of Impeachment," which, if a majority of 435 Representatives vote yes, the articles are sent to the Senate.
It is the 100 Senators who determine if the person being impeached is guilty of a high crime or misdemeanor, and if so, should be removed from office. In the Senate, there needs to be a two-thirds majority vote in favor of removal.
Eight federal judges have been removed from office over the years, but never a President. It was June 21, 1788, when the Constitution was approved, and the United States was born. The following April, in 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as President, and history went on from there. Almost a century later, the first President, Andrew Johnson, was impeached. He kept his position by only one vote. The issue was how to reconstruct the South after the Civil War.
Again, almost another century later, in 1974 Richard Nixon resigned from office. He was the first President to ever resign. In our country's 200 years only one President has been impeached, and another resigned. Since then, there have been three impeachments of two Presidents and another possibility.
Has our country gotten to the point where if a President does something the other Party doesn't like we immediately jump to impeachment? One President in the first 200 years and three, maybe four, in the following 40 years. Does this make sense? Who takes over if President Biden is removed from office? Kamala Harris. Does that make sense?
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