Bill Cassidy's Vote on Impeachment Will Get Him a Lot of Hate
Also, what to do for Valentine's Day and making your own pasta.
Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana voted with Democrats and a handful of Republicans in the first day of the second impeachment of Donald Trump. The Louisiana GOP, Louisiana politicians, and Louisiana pundits are and will continue to be up in arms about the vote.
I happen to agree with Cassidy’s vote, though it was politically probably a foolish one.
The issue at hand in the vote was whether or not this impeachment is constitutional. Mark Levin, a nationwide conservative talk host, probably makes the best arguments against impeachment after leaving office, but there is precedent for doing so at the lower levels. The impeachment conviction rarely happens in those instances, but the trials have happened.
This is, however, the first time we’re impeaching a President after he leaves office.
People who are not Mark Levin (who, while being possibly the angriest person in talk radio is also probably one of the smartest on constitutional matters) have tended to be a little more erratic in their arguments against this impeachment. There is outrage over the attempt to ban someone from holding future office. There is outrage over the idea of declaring someone “guilty” without there being a “fair trial.” This is all argued as being unconstitutional.
Except… this is explicitly detailed in the Constitution. Barring someone from holding future office is well within the parameters of what punishment can be doled out in the event of conviction through impeachment.
Judgement in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States; but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgement and Punishment, according to Law.
This is almost an explicit admission within the Constitution itself that impeachment is a political process and not a legal one. If convicted by the Senate, the impeached official is still able to be taken to a regular court and tried there in a “fair trial.”
There is trial in the Senate. It is not a trial in the legal sense, but they hear evidence and vote on whether to convict or acquit. If convicted, Trump can’t be removed from office because he’s already out, but he can be barred from future office. That is the extent of the punishment the Senate is allowed to give. Because it is detailed in the Constitution, I find it hard to declare this unconstitutional.
Cassidy’s vote signals he believes it is Constitutional to impeach an official after they leave office, and I think he is right. Frankly, there should be more of it as politicians leave office amid scandal, only to return again later, forgiven by their party for their transgressions. Any student of Louisiana history knows we should perhaps routinely practice it.
But Cassidy is also cementing a reputation for being more an “Establishment” Republican than a conservative one. In his first bid for Senate, he was challenged as such from his right by Rob Maness. He was pretty much unchallenged in his re-election bid, but his time in the Senate has been less conservative and more party-line. There’s been no real push from him on many conservative issues (though his experience as a doctor has helped him be involved with good legislation on medical issues).
That may or may not pose a problem for his future as conservatives in the state look for someone to run against him. But… I am also not sure who they have ready to run.
Homestyle: House Floats and Mardi Gras
In this week’s episode of Homestyle, my co-host Leigh Guidry and I discuss Valentine’s Day and how to make it special, whether you cook for your special someone, go out, or do something together.
I did toss in some meal ideas (you can never go wrong with steak), and Leigh has some fun things to do together if you just want to enjoy a night in. It also helps if you have kids whose grandparents want an evening with them.
If you want to hear more, you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, and we’d love to hear your feedback. Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast here, and if you have cooking, crafting, or family activity ideas, you can find us on Facebook and on Instagram (@Homestylepod).
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The Homestyle Podcast is a joint venture between myself and one of my best friends, education reporter Leigh Guidry. Throughout each episode, we discuss cooking, crafting, and other hobbies as well as how we make sure to spend time with our families despite how insanely busy life can be. The goal of the podcast has always been to take a moment to focus on what’s really important because, at the end of the day, family and life are more important than whatever distractions are going on in the world around us.
Recipe of the Week: Homemade Pasta
I readily admit that it is so much easier to go to the store and buy the $1.25 box of dry pasta instead of making your own. It is easier to dump it into salted water and bring it to a boil. But… it is way more fun to make it yourself.
I have a pasta roller attachment for my mixer and decided to use it the other day. Very easy to do, and made stellar pasta. Here’s the recipe I used to make the pasta, using a KitchenAid mixer and the pasta attachment.
2 1/2 cups flour
4 large eggs
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. salt
Mix all ingredients in the mixer bowl and combine using a dough hook attachment.
Flour your kneading surface and empty the dough onto it, kneading it for 3-4 minutes. Place it back in the bowl and cover for about 30 minutes.
Uncover and roll out the dough using a rolling pin. Don’t worry about making it too flat if you have a pasta roller attachment.
Divide the dough into six equal parts and (if you have it) run it through the pasta roller multiple times, closing the rollers a bit more between each pass until you have run it through the most narrow setting at least twice.
Run the pasta dough through the cutter (if you have one), or fold it gently and with a knife or pizza cutter cut the dough into thin strips for pasta.
Put a pot of water on to boil and salt the water.
Put however much of the fresh pasta you want to cook in and cook until al dente. If you have a pasta rack or some clean laundry hangers, hang your pasta to dry and store it in an airtight container for later.
You can make a very delicious and quick alfredo sauce using a half stick of butter, half cup of heavy cream, a tablespoon of minced garlic, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Melt the butter, add the garlic and cook for a few minutes, then add the cream, cheese, salt, and pepper and mix together.
Final Thoughts…
Happy Valentine’s Day to those who are celebrating with loved ones, and next week’s recipe will be something you can eat on Ash Wednesday, considering it’s seafood time for us Catholics.