WashPost's Milbank Compares Talk of Impeaching Obama to 'Revenge Killing'
On Tuesday's PoliticsNation on MSNBC, during a discussion of Republican congressional members who have spoken of the possibility of impeaching President Obama, Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank labeled such talk "tribal politics" and compared it to a "revenge killing" against the President because he won the election.
After host Al Sharpton played clips of several Republican members of Congress from a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Milbank dismissed the likelihood of impeachment and then added:
But I think what this represents is not a serious effort to remove the President. But it's a certain frustration, and they said as much in that hearing having lost these elections: What do you do to counter this President? I think that's in a way what politics has become now.
It's not just about defeating your opponent, it's about taking him out. And I think that's sort of this revenge killing almost that's become part of our tribal politics right now. And I think that's what we're feeling.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Tuesday, January 7, PoliticsNation on MSNBC:
AL SHARPTON: Maybe not even though. Maybe because he beat them twice. But the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing last month, Dana, about how the President has failed his constitutional duties. They offered up a laundry list of issues they had. Listen to this.
REP. BLAKE FARENTHOLD (R-TX): Then you can insert whatever you want, Benghazi, Fast and Furious, the IRS targeting of advocacy groups, NSA overreach. If you like your health care, you can keep it.
REP. LOUIE GOHMERT (R-TX): The President ordered Anwar al Awlaki killed by a drone strike.
REP. BOB GOODLATTE (R-VA): The President effectively enacted the Dream Act himself.
REP. TRENT FRANKS (R-AZ): The deep-water drilling ban, Mr. Holder's attempt to reform criminal justice by selectively enforcing our laws. Mr. Obama's unilaterally ignoring immigration laws in many cases.
SHARPTON: I mean, Dana, you wrote about this hearing. It's like a complete grab bag, wasn't it?
MILBANK: Right. And I think the Republican leadership recognized they look a little crazy, to be having an impeachment hearing. Because Joe is right. If both chambers were controlled by Republicans, they may well attempt to do it. But there is another thing out there called the public, and the public would say that's a bunch of nonsense there is nothing approaching high crimes or even misdemeanors here.
But I think what this represents is not a serious effort to remove the President. But it's a certain frustration, and they said as much in that hearing having lost these elections: What do you do to counter this President? I think that's in a way what politics has become now. It's not just about defeating your opponent, it's about taking him out.
SHARPTON: Yes.
MILBANK: And I think that's sort of this revenge killing almost that's become part of our tribal politics right now. And I think that's what we're feeling.
