If Bernie Sanders were president…
…and he claimed his inaugural crowd was something that any cursory look at a photo would immediately disprove, I would put a red flag up in my head; something is off that needs monitoring. But it’s petty.
If, days later, he banned oil billionaires from entering the country, while claiming their income was not a factor in this decision, but their carbon footprint, I would be derisive of such a level of bullshit while quietly agreeing with the underlying message sent to oil billionaires. I would secretly enjoy the schadenfreude, but I would genuinely support protests against such a capricious and disruptive action.
If Bernie Sanders were president…
…and he staffed his Cabinet with the farthest Left coalition from Congress and government that he could find, I would be initially ecstatic, and anticipating a real push toward a more socially responsive government. But if he brought in a bunch of ill-prepared ideologues, campaign toadies, and family members, I would be aghast and extremely worried about the prospects of the agenda I hoped for. If there was constant turmoil, backstabbing, and turnover among his closest staff, I would be deeply alarmed and concerned about his fitness to serve. I would watch him with a more skeptical eye.
If Bernie Sanders were president…
…and he fired Jim Comey for investigating his honeymoon in the USSR, I would not be terribly upset, because shadenfraude again plus gimme a break. But if he lied about his reasons and it turned out to be because the FBI was looking into Jane’s little embarrassment with Burlington college, and there was even a hint of some there there, I would be pissed as hell at him, and I would begin to seriously reassess my support for him during the campaign. I would certainly stop singing his praises, and I would be mulling both his fitness for office and my own prior judgment.
If, emboldened by the New Order, a bunch of Black Block types in battle gear converged on Wall St to destroy the Bull statue, ran amok and ended up killing a stockbroker, and Bernie Sanders told the world there were good people on both sides, well, I would be done with Bernie Sanders. By Parallel August of 2017, I would be an ex-Berner. I would still support progressive policies and look for a new stalwart. I would support a primary challenger in 2020. But I would not support his impeachment.
None of the above scenarios would make me reconsider my political beliefs. I have been wrong about people before.
But.
If Bernie Sanders were president…
…and he profited openly from his position, I would support his impeachment, for that breaks the oath of office.
...and he dismissed overwhelming evidence of a foreign attack on our elections and refused to act on it, I would support his impeachment, for that breaks the oath of office and is a dereliction of his duty as commander in chief..
…and he flatly refused to comply with a sanctions law passed by congress, I would support his impeachment, for that breaks the oath of office and threatens the separation of powers.
…and he repeatedly, brazenly, and destructively obstructed every effort to investigate a clear attack on our election, from which every bit of evidence indicates he benefited, by design, then went on to attack the investigators without cause, and generally did everything a guilty man would do, then I would demand his impeachment. I would renounce any support I had for him. I would make efforts to apologize to anyone I might have browbeaten during the campaign, and last but not least, I would seriously rethink my entire political self. To know that I had blindly followed someone so compromised, so craven, so corrupt would be revolting to me. To see my party aid and abet this at every turn and know this meant that I had, too would be a life changer. To know that the facts were there to be seen, indeed pointed out to me patiently, and I ignored them would be a bitter pill to swallow. It would mean questioning the very foundations of my political beliefs and how I came by them. But I would swallow it. I would have to. I would never vote again, and keep my stupid mouth shut.
At least I hope I would.