Hayward residents took to city hall to share their dissatisfaction with the failed impeachment of President Trump. The crowd chanted “Vote him out!” in an effort to rally more voters to their cause, and the polls, in November.
“I think the impeachment process was basically a complete sham. The Republicans are in the bag for Trump, as we knew they would be. The result was not unexpected, it was disappointing. But, I think, hopefully, the impeachment trial shed some light on Trump,” Bruce Jensen of San Lorenzo said, “and hopefully people will not forget this when they remember to vote in November.”
“I think that the entire time Trump has been in office has been a travesty. He’s been trying to break down the social order.” Hayward resident Stefania Widger said. Widger is the director of CODEPINK Hayward and co-director of Peace and Pizza, which is also located in Hayward. CODEPINK is a national organization that seeks to end all military conflict and promotes peace. Peace and Pizza is a Facebook group that meets once a month to discuss the issues of the day and share a meal.
The protest in Hayward was one of over 270 planned across the country. The movement wants accountability, democracy, and reform from the Trump White House. Of these, accountability has to be the most important. Many Democrats believe that the trial was resolved because of a coverup by the Republican party. This is because despite overwhelming evidence of a quid-pro-quo between Trump and Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky. President Trump doesn’t seem worried that this will have any negative effect on him either.
“Trump won’t be exonerated,” Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, said in a statement. “Here’s what the dictionary says ‘exonerated’ means: To absolve someone from blame for a fault or wrongdoing, especially after due consideration of the case. The Senate will not find Trump without fault or wrongdoing—and a majority plainly believe he did commit wrongdoing. And the Senate assuredly did not give due consideration to the case.”
If we, as a nation, allow our leader to interfere with our elections and get off scot-free, we run the risk of setting a dangerous precedent for the rest of the world. The real danger in this situation is the precedent for the remainder of Trump’s time in office. The failed impeachment doesn’t exactly deter Trump from doing more things like Ukrainegate in the future.
“Trump has only learned one lesson,” tweeted advocacy group Stand Up America. “The Senate won’t hold him accountable for interfering in our election.”