On Tuesday the 24 of September, Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, announced a formal impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump, for abusing his power as President of the United States for his political gain. Pelosi states that President Trump “must be held accountable - no one is above the law”. So far, it is unsure whether Trump will be impeached or not, but if he is, he would be only the 4th president in the history of the United States to be impeached. The President’s response to this news was that it was “PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT”, and “witch hunt garbage”. In the past few years, most talk of impeachment was about what Special Counsel Robert Mueller found in his report about the Russian interference in our previous election. Now there is evidence of Trump using his presidential power to get information on Joe Biden, his possible opponent for the 2020 elections. An anonymous whistleblower reported that Trump had a phone call with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, asking for information about Joe Biden’s son, who had dealings in Ukraine in the past. Soon after the call, he froze over 391 million dollars in aid to Ukraine. President Trump has confirmed that he did have that phone call but insists that he acted appropriately. Pelosi has directed the chairmen of six committees to continue investigating Trump under the category of impeachment. The house did not however set a specific timeframe for the impeachment inquiry, and many people are frustrated, but some people believe that it is not worth it to go through an impeachment inquiry if it won’t get bipartisan support. Read this article from the New York Times and answer the following questions
- Do you think that the president is in the wrong in this case?
- What do you think the House of Representatives should do?
- The current president has changed politics a lot, especially by using modern social media platforms to communicate his thoughts. How do you feel about this?
- Have you ever felt as if you were all alone against a large group of people?
I believe that the President is wrong in regards to saying that the impeachment inquiry is “witch hunt garbage”. When the president has agreed to a phone call will the Prime Minister of Ukraine the media should have the right to investigate. President Trump should be held accountable for his actions. The case seems plausible that President Trump would want to uncover the secrets of Joe Biden’s son, so he could use that information as leverage in his re-election campaign. There is a low possibility that the president called the Prime Minister of Ukraine for non-political reasons. In addition, the President would have to send 391 million dollars The investigation of whether or not the president conspired with the Prime Minister of Ukraine can not be considered “Presidential harassment”. Overall the president had made a mistake by admitting to the phone call with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, and is wrong by calling the investigation a “witch hunt”.
ReplyDeleteThe House of representatives should pursue the investigation of the phone call between the Prime Minister of Ukraine and the president. If the house democrats can prove the President guilty of obstruction, they can use this as persuasion to Republican senators. The house of Representatives needs evidence of obstruction because the majority of the Senate is Republican. In order for Republicans to vote against the president in the impeachment attempt, they would have to have to see clear evidence that President Trump did something wrong. If the House Democrats can not prove the president guilty, they should use the presidents' different reasons for calling the Prime Minister of Ukraine. Overall, the house democrats need to prove the president to be guilty to get by bipartisan support with the impeachment process.
I feel that the president uses social media to communicate his thought so he can have direct claims to the people without the media commenting. With no filter between the president’s thoughts and many subscribers to social media the President’s claims can not be suppressed. If Trump were to speak up on a podium, the media would have the ability to contradict his responses. The President uses social media to say things that others may not think are credible. With no disagreement, the President’s thoughts can be more powerful. Trump also favors sites like Twitter or Facebook instead of Email because he can communicate with large groups of people. The power of social media changes people’s standpoints on Trump’s thoughts.
Personally, I can not recall an instance in which I felt all alone against a large group of people. I could imagine though that if the President did behave appropriately in the phone call with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, he would feel left out when House Democrats are acusing him of withholding the money. Many people can feel all alone within politics due to opinionated beliefs. If Republican senators could possibly vote against President Trump in the impeachment process, they could feel left out for voting against their party. Overall, being left out can have a great connection to political views.
I definitely agree with Rhys in that President Trump uses social media to directly communicate with the people without being filtered. This inability to be filtered is the main reason that his facts are mostly incorrect.
DeleteI agree with Rhys's statement that there must be clear evidence that President trump did something wrong for him to be impeached and for him to resign. If there is no evidence of obstruction by the President than the republican majority senate will not vote to have him out of office.
DeleteI agree with Rhys that the President uses twitter instead of other social media platforms because it lets him target a larger audience. By using twitter constantly, his followers feel more connected to him since he is always talking(or ranting) about something on Twitter
Delete1. I think that the president is in the wrong, because as Pelosi said, "no one is above the law". Trump is no exception. Throughout the past few years, he has abused his power as president. The phone call to Ukraine is a prime example of this. He is using his power to freeze the aid money going into Ukraine to get his way.
ReplyDelete2. I think that the House of Representatives should definitely impeach Trump. However, it might not get through as many might think that it is a drag to impeach him so late in his term. Also, if it does get through the House, it would most likely not get through senate, as it is mostly Republican.
3. I think that they are good tactics employed in a bad way. Almost everyone of voting age nowadays has some form of social media accessible to them. President Trump is widening the people who he gets information out to, whether it be true or false. However, he is not using it in a good way. He uses it a lot to talk trash about other people, which should not be done by one in such an important position as he is.
4. I frequently have differing opinions from others. I feel as if I am alone against groups frequently, both at home and just generally. I'm an atheist, but most of my family believes that there is some sort of higher being. I'm really the only one that thinks like I do, so that can be difficult sometimes. My stubbornness helps me with this a lot.
I agree with Ali in the respect that no one should be above the law, including the President. President Trump abuses his power, and he should pay for his mistake of withholding the money sent to Ukraine. I also agree that getting the impeachment beyond the senate is going to be a challenge for House Democrats.
Delete1. The president was absolutely wrong in this case. It is against his oath and against the law to seek help in the 2020 election from a foreign power, especially by freezing aid and essentially using blackmail to receive it. There is no confirmed evidence yet that Joe Biden and his son did anything illegal in Ukraine, and even if there were, the president's actions would still be wrong. He insists, whenever he is asked about the call, that he did not act inappropriately, but the call has already been released, so it is confirmed that he did indeed say those things to the Ukraine president. Instead of calling this investigation "Witch Hunt Garbage," or "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT," the president should apologize to the people.
ReplyDelete2. I agree with Rhys that the House of Representatives should move forward with impeachment. I am not sure about the House's ability to persuade Republican Senators, though, since clear evidence of wrongdoing has already been released and most Republican Senators are still against impeachment. Despite this, however, Nancy Pelosi should move forward with impeachment because Trump did abuse his power and it is the right thing to do. Moving forward will also inform the American people and allow them to make a choice on the president in 2020.
3. Almost everyday, I hear news about Trump relating to something he said on his Twitter account. In the case of another president, using Twitter could be an asset and a great way to inform America about how the country is doing. However, Trump is misusing it. He frequently attacks other politicians, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, using it, instead of informing the American people about what he is working on. Trump should use Twitter to respectfully announce what he has been working on instead of mostly using it to angrily attack news outlets or other politicians.
4. I have definitely felt left out against a large group of people before, especially when people bring in snacks which contain egg. I'm never able to have these snacks since I am allergic to eggs, so I feel left out. This obviously is not a large issue, though, and I have gotten used to it. Connecting this to Trump and politics, I don't see why Trump would feel left out, as he has a large group of Republicans that still defend him despite evidence of wrongdoing. If those people began to turn on him, he could begin to feel left out, but he is ultimately responsible for his own actions.
I agree with Shane and his thoughts on Trump misusing social media. Trump is a frequent social media user and there are many instances in which he is not professional when using Twitter. He frequently tweets things that could be phrased more professionally or just shouldn't be tweeted at all.
Delete1. The president definitely is in the wrong for not only abusing his presidential power but also lying about it. Blackmailing the Ukrainian Prime minister is a serious offense and should be investigated. Trump saying that this is "witch hunt garbage" and "Presidential Harassment" shows how insecure he feels about this case.
ReplyDelete2. The house of representatives should try to impeach him. I agree with shane that even though there are plenty of clear evidence, most of the Republican Senators will still be against the impeachment.
3. Especially with Trump, not hearing about him in social media is almost impossible. Trump has made many posts he should not have posted on social media. This is a prime example of revealing too much to the public. In the future, tTrump should keep his most of his opinions to himself and use social media respectfully like apologizing about blackmailing the Ukrainian Prime Minister.
4. I often feel like I am against my entire family. My parents often think that coding is more of a hobby than a real learning, but I think that it's just work that's fun. I often tell them that since we humans are moving into an age crazy technological advancements, learning how to use them would be a great idea but they just think its unnecessary.
1. I believe that the President is in the wrong by having a private call between the Prime Minister of Ukraine for political gain. He shouldn't be attempting to take down a political opponent by blackmailing the prime minister of another country. I also feel that the democrats are being hypocrites. They spent a couple of years trying to prove that the president colluded with the Russians which was never proven to be true. I believe that the president isn't above the law but he also should be bellow the law.
ReplyDelete2. The house of representatives should wait to impeach the president. There is simply not enough evidence to impeach the president and have the senate vote for him to resign. Even if the house of representatives impeach trump they will not get with they want because there is not enough evidence for the republican controlled senate to vote to have the president removed from office.
3. I agree with Shanes statement that the president is misusing social media in particular twitter. As Shane said he often times uses it to attack his political rivals when he should use it for better reasons. I also feel that Trump uses social media to bring attention to himself whether it is positive or negative.
4. There have been many times where I have been alone in a large group be of my differing opinions. In school and in my family I have felt alone because I am the only person that has different views. I agree with Rhys that a lot of the time people are left out because of political beliefs.
1) In my opinion, President Trump is wrong in this scenario. Although he is the president, he is not above the law. He has done many things that would be considered grounds for impeachment in the past, although he has never been impeached for them. The call with Ukraine was just another example of one of the many wrong decisions he has made. Collaborating with outside countries to put dirt on a political rival is considered illegal, and he should not get away with it.
ReplyDelete2) I think that the House of Representatives should impeach Trump, although I do not think he is going to be kicked out of office. The Senate is run mostly by Republicans, and even with solid evidence against him, they would make sure that Trump isn’t kicked out. However, if the House of Representatives at least tries to impeach him, it may make some people think twice about voting for him in 2020.
3)I think that President Trump is doing the right thing by using more social media, as many people nowadays use some form of social media. It makes the people of the United States feel more connected to their president and makes him seem more human. However, I think President Trump is using his social media the wrong way. The only things I see on his twitter page are angry rants that were written in all capital letters. That is definitely not the way the president should communicate with his citizens.
4)Although I often choose to be on the side of an argument with the majority, there have been times where I have been up against a larger group of people. One example of this is when I played in the BYSO, or Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra. Everybody seemed really into their instruments, while I wasn’t as connected to classical music.
1. I think the president is in the wrong in this case because he is misusing his political power to obtain his role in politics. This is not the first time Trump has violated the law during his presidential term, the phone call to Ukraine is just one example. Regardless of how many times he has gone against the law the fact that he abused his power to gain information on a political opponent is enough evidence to impeach him.
ReplyDelete2.The House of representatives should continue their investigation on Trump and his phone call, and try to use all the information they receive to work on the impeachment. Although, this may be difficult due to the amount of republican senators there are that are against the impeachment.
3.Social media has become very popular in our current lives which is why I'm not surprised that Trump is using social media as a political tactic. Trump has mainly shared his political thoughts on Twitter. Trump’s idea to share his thoughts through social media is honestly a smart tactic, since that is where most people spend their time in our current generation.
4.Yes, being the middle child and older sister I sometimes feel like my family always views things opposite than what I do. Leaving me to feel that my family agrees on something and I am the only one that thinks differently. It is sometimes discouraging feeling as if your against a big group of people who want something different than you.
1. I do think that president Trump is in the wrong. He is abusing his power, and he thinks that he is above the law. The call with Ukraine was wrong, and he is using people for his gain and political power. He has done many things like this before, and he shouldn't be able to keep doing it.
ReplyDelete2. I think the House of representatives should impeach Trump. I feel that Trump has been in many situations where he has abused his power. He never really seems to stop either he always has something to say on social media. Trump should be impeached but like shane said had said, it probably won't go through.
3. I feel like social media is a way for Trump to directly get his word out in his own words, and most people use social media so it is easy to access. I feel as though it is a bit unprofessional in a way just because he says almost to much. If he didn't overuse it, it would be smart. It still is a smart way to share his opinions but it can get ridiculous.
4. I have felt like I am alone against a large group of people all the time. This is because my family is all girls besides my dad and I. A lot of the time my dad is away, so I have to live with three other girls. They all think differently than I do and they can all relate to each other. This leads to them all having the same opinions. We will argue over something and they will all be against me so I have no one to back me up and agree with me.
1: I believe that the President was wrong, because like everyone else in the U.S. no one is above the law. President Trump abused his power to try to power to try to get a leg up in this election. If a president is talking to another person in power they shouldn't have to hide it with secrecy.
ReplyDelete2: I think the house of representatives should keep investigating the president. Even though we may not be able to do much about impeaching Trump it is still important to hold the President to standards.
3: I think that it is okay that the President uses these social media programs, but when it gets to the point that the President is spreading hate or being unprofessional it is not okay. I agree with Rhys when he says that him spreading negativity or positivity it will reach more people now that it is on social media.
4: Anyone who has different views can often feel alone sometimes. Me personally in my family, I have had a lot of times when I have not had the majority opinion. For example, when one of my sibling wants to do something that I don't want to and everyone agrees with them.
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ReplyDelete1.In this scenario, I do believe that the president is in the wrong with the way he responded to the inquiry and his actions that caused the inquiry to be brought up in the first place. As stated by Pelosi, “no one is above the law.” Presidential candidates should never do something illegal to gain an advantage on a political opponent, the president is in the wrong for even attempting to have Ukraine dig up information that would hurt the Biden’s. The president is also in the wrong for not being professional when talking about the inquiry, you do not call something this serious “witch hunt garbage” The president is in the complete wrong.
ReplyDelete2.I believe the House of Representatives should investigate this case further and get all the facts before taking any action on the president. If the investigation provides a lot of evidence then I believe the House of Representatives should do what’s correct with that evidence, if there is no solid evidence, then the inquiry should not be continued, if there is evidence that’s solid, then the inquiry should be continued.
3.I feel like Trump has changed how presidents interact with everyone else because now many presidential candidates are also using social media more often. Trump using social media makes it so he can give his opinion without anyone switching it up and since more people are on social media than the news and things like that, it also reaches more people when Trump tweets something.
4.There have been times where I have felt alone against a group of people. Examples of this would be when I go out to eat with friends, I’m always asked why I never get anything with cheese on it and people would say things like, “the cheese is the best part” or “it isn’t the same without cheese.” At this point I’m used to it so it doesn’t really affect but people who have different opinions from a larger group on more controversial topics would have to deal with a lot more like feeling left out.
Do you think that the president is in the wrong in this case?
ReplyDeleteYes, I think that President Trump is wrong in this case. Over his Presidency and before Trump has evaded all accusations thus far and the media has since focused on other news. However this time is different, an impeachment proceeding has begun, which will hopefully remove him from office or at least lower his acceptance rate.
What do you think the House of Representatives should do?
The House of Representatives should continue with the impeachment proceeding that has begun because although it will mot likely be discarded by the senate it might change the mind of the public for the upcoming election.
The current president has changed politics a lot, especially by using modern social media platforms to communicate his thoughts. How do you feel about this?
I believe that it is important to be able to update the media about smaller things. social media could be a very helpful tool. However, the President is using social media to attack opposing politicians of people with different opinions.
Have you ever felt as if you were all alone against a large group of people?
There have been some instances where I have felt left out from a group. I have different opinions and that changes things. However, I don’t think that this relates to Trump, as Shane said, he still has a big group of Republicans that still support him. Although it may seem like there are more people that have changed their minds about President Trump since he has been elected there are still masses of people to still believe in him.
1. Yes, I do believe that President Trump is wrong. I am saying this because, this isn't the first time that he has used his power to evade the law. He has used his power as the president ti get out of things, but not this time. He has used the media to fight battles and has said that he has not done things when we know that he has because of phone calls. I agree with Liam that he President Trump has abused his power to win the election and get more people on his side. He has said things that he was going to do, but never did and has done things that people would never expect.
ReplyDelete2. I think the House of Representatives should look further into the impeachment case and proceed to find evidence of the calls and use social media. I am saying this because in a little over a year, we will have a new election and find out if Trump or a new candidate will be elected. Saying this, will people stay on President Trump's side or realize what needs to be fixed by impeaching him.
3. I feel like the president has changed the future and how we communicate with them and vice versa. Social media's taken over our lives, but bringing it in politically will only start more drama and that's just more evidence to share with the world. For example, people my age use it to hate on people and bring other people down, in this case, President Trump isa bussing his power over the law to say things normal people like us would never be able to say.
4. Yes, I have felt as if I were alone against a group of people. Sometimes it's because I have my own opinion or like this year, joining a new school and having to make all new friends. I thought I wouldn't fit in, but the students were so nice and welcoming that it felt like I have been there for years.
Got it - thanks! 5/5 hwk credit here.
Delete1. I believe that Trump is certainly in the wrong. He had been abusing his presidential power to achieve illegal things. His response to the inquiry only backs up the idea that he is in the wrong and he knows it. Instead of telling the full truth and admitting bis mistakes he is being immature, and what he is saying just proves he is worried about the impeachment.
ReplyDelete2. I think the House of representatives should further invest the President. They should gather more details about the phone calls between Ukraine and Trump to see how severe what was said is. Finding evidence of what Trump has done will increase the chances of impeachment, and the idea that it could be fully proved the illegal activity Trump has taken part in.
3. What Trump tweets is completely abusing his power. He is also misusing the app. trump attacks other politics in attempt to further his fame, and just inspite of himself. He should be using the app to broadcast everything he is doing for our country, and to explain goals he has, rather than completely ruining other people reputations such as himself.
4. Yes, I have definetly felt alone in a large group of people. This feeling is horrible . to know that no one is on your side, and no one believes you or your thoughts. But, sometimes it is alright because I believe I am entitled to my own opinion and if people don't agree with it, it doesn't matter.
Good job here. But forgot to respond to another student as part of the comment. Also late credit. 3.5/5
ReplyDelete